thorie

Anyone here guilty of thinking they'll be happy (happier) after they've built a successful startup...?

Planning is a wasteful byproduct of being a poor developer. A good developer will write code once, get it right the first time, without any planning, and have it do exactly what it needs to do. Everything else slapped on top of that to get from A to B is a waste of time. That includes planning. Writing tests. Coordinating meetings. Documentation. Commuting. Sleeping. Unfortunately, people have come up with things like "planning" and "QA" because they hire incompetent developers - and instead of properly getting rid of them, they hire people to fill in the gaps and flaws.

Just kidding, sort of.

Is it one of these products? http://whebsite.com/wiki/Startups#Project_management

Check out some of the apps here http://whebsite.com/wiki/Startups#Finance_and_accounting

I thought No-Vim-Ber would mean I can't use vim for a month. Phew! Glad that's not the case.

Sounds like a recipe for a hectic, unorganized environment. That being said, bureaucracy is waste. I think we all need some kind of balance.

This article complete ignores the simple fact that if you're talented, you don't need to work hard.

Is SimpleCV where I'm supposed to submit my resume?

I like the point he made about not giving exact instructions on taking a box from point A to B.

Looks like it's better to hire smart, capable people and not micromanage them - than it is to hire cheap people and tell them exactly what to do.

I don't understand why people choose to have so many things competing for their time, and then talk about "burnout". Of course you will be burned out.

I could be trying to go to college, work full-time, have 6 kids, train to be an olympic athlete, learn to be a master of 26 different musical instruments, write 16 novels in parallel, and then say: "I'm feeling burnt out".

The real problem isn't being burned out. The real problem is why you think you can do all of that and NOT be burned out. Why take on so many things?

I think it comes down to greed. You want it all. But basic economics says that you cannot have it all. If you don't find too many people trying to help you while you're trying to have everything all at once, it's probably because nobody really likes people who are that greedy.

If I was in your situation, I would get rid of my full-time job, get a divorce, make sure the kid goes to the mother with the divorce, stop exercising, get rid of friends who arn't related to my start-up, and forget about sanity. Sanity is for conformers.

It's kind of like a hoarder collecting so much junk that he can't let go of, that the junk weighs him down. You have to prioritize, and live with the necessities. Which is more important to you: your family or your start-up? And can't say both. It would be like saying I want to keep my $20,000 AND get that new Car. Well of course, everyone WANTS both, but that's not how the world works. Nobody WANTS to make sacrifices.

But you have to make sacrifices. Nature will sacrifice something in the end for you, if you don't want to decide. Your health will deteriorate, or your family will be troubled, or the start-up will fail. If you don't choose, something will be chosen at random for you and you probably won't like the result.

I'm not really making any suggestions to you, as your situation has many details I don't know about. But I ask you to at least consider whether or not you are simply desiring too many things and being stubborn about seeing reality.

The most important adjustment to make is to set expectations that allow you to do less.

My biggest problem is resolving disagreements, especially those that have to do with time. Some co-founders work less than others, but negotiating a fluctuating ownership percentage leads to many arguments. As one person's ownership declines, his inclination to work goes down even further in a spiral effect. They lose interest and stop taking initiative on projects. They become an employee: doing the minimum necessary.

The next biggest problem is solving problems that are outside my expertise. I can hack through any code, optimize and scale any database, but I can't figure out how to advertise a product effectively or get users. These problems stem from my lack of ability to network with others effectively.

Of course, I think solving these issues are at the core of the difference between a wanna-be founder and a real founder. I hope I can learn it.

I would like a button on the front page that says "Tour" that explains what happens.

I tried using it, but I didn't want to create an account. I want to see what it does and how it works. Maybe an example of it or a video demo.

Also I recommend not putting pricing or fees until you've gotten a lot of people who love using the service. Unless you're dying for a few bucks to keep you sustainable.

Otherwise seems like a good idea. I'd like to try it some more to give you better feedback.