Hustlers Wanted

http://www.metamorphblog.com/2011/01/speakertext-hustlers-wanted.html

by MediaSquirrel • 16 years ago

28 15 16 years ago

metamorphblog.com

randall• 16 years ago

Hustler is the new 'non-technical ninja/rockstar.'

MediaSquirrel• 16 years ago

Ugh. I'm trying to not sound cliched/lame. I hope you're wrong.

ABrandt• 16 years ago

Except far more accurate IMHO. Alright sure you could be a rockstar developer (you could be a rockstar anything I guess), but being a expert programmer has nothing do with being a 'ninja'. They're just geeky terms that stuck.

A hustler, on the other hand, is exactly what business people must be in a startup. Far from having a well defined role, you must do whatever it takes to make it happen (whatever 'it' may be). Further, a hustler must operate outside the status quo whether they're in a startup or on the streets. While most programmers I know hate the ninja and rockstar labels, I find hustler to be quite endearing.

moopark3• 16 years ago

I know that languages evolve naturally, and words get repurposed all the time, but hustler? Really?.

hustler

  n 1: a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets
    2: a shrewd or __unscrupulous__ person who knows how to circumvent difficulties

It also happens to be the title of a porn magazine that would make Hugh Hefner blush, while you won't often hear the term 'hustler' used in reference to a female prostitute, you will find it heavily used among gay men to refer to male prostitutes.

Perhaps repurposing 'hustler' without negative connotations will work, but this is a word with a lot of ugly baggage, and the first thing I thought of when I saw it used in reference to startups: dishonest businessmen.

[Addendum] For completeness, a dip into the modern lexicon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hustler_(disambiguation)

  Hustler is a monthly pornographic men's magazine
  and general brand of Larry Flynt Publications.

  Hustler or hustlers also commonly refers to:
    - A practitioner of confidence tricks
    - Someone who deceives others by hustling, usually in sports
    - An American hip hop slang word for a pimp,
      drug dealer or male prostitute

nickpinkston3• 16 years ago

I think "hustler" is exactly what it is and isn't hyperbole at all. Come on - who amongst us haven't played Rick Ross - "Hustlin'" after closing a deal. I'm guilty and so are many fellow foundas - er, founders... ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU9TouRnO84

rokhayakebe• 16 years ago

OMG, if I didn’t have to do all this bullshit work, I’d so much more productive

I am not sure this is a line you want to add in a job post.

umtrey• 16 years ago

If I were looking for this kind of person, I'd want them to know that different people see tasks differently. Some people see simple design stuff as "bullshit work" while others see having to parse through server logs as "bullshit work."

This isn't an all-glamorous job. To portray it as such would be deceitful and would attract a different kind of individual, who would ultimately be let down.

far33d• 16 years ago

Being lean is about getting maximum leverage, not keeping costs as low as possible. This kind of hire is a great example.

nickpinkston3• 16 years ago

Haha - it's funny how much startups are the same... We're doing the same thing and had the same (a non-engineer?!?) reservations. I must completely concur.

rwhitman• 16 years ago

When I was running my completely un-funded zero-revenue startup, college kids would daily send me emails begging me to give them a job doing non-technical BS work, often for free.

Fortunately a non-technical rockstar (who is willing to work for dirt cheap) is substantially easier to find a technical rockstar... I imagine now after "The Social Network" social media startups almost have an entertainment industry-like glamor at the moment, like breaking into the music business or movies. Non-technical people often will work for free or dirt cheap for years to 'make it' in these fields.

Milk it.

gregpilling• 16 years ago

As a senior hustler myself (in the hard working, making deals way) I would suggest that they look at just hiring a part time bookkeeper and an office assistant. It would cost less, not dilute equity, and they wouldn't have a hustler doing bookkeeping. As someone who has had to fix bad bookkeeping, I can assure you it is something you want to avoid. You could think of bad bookkeeping like bad code - it can be 10x the work to fix it as it was to do in the first place. But with bookkeeping you usually can't just pull it off github and rewrite it. You have to fix live systems that change everyday.

Hustlers Wanted

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