
Your own company? You can do it - tomh-
http://jacquesmattheij.com/Your+own+company,+You+can+do+it
======
maxklein
You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it. It
makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me. He was
handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6.

All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX
extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4
grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could do
the same. They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me -
they started so much earlier.

I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular
software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of
thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and
watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it.

~~~
jacquesm
The temptation of seeing this depressing bullshit upvoted is too much to
resist.

> You know what - actually the story does not make me feel like I can do it.
> It makes me feel like he's probably hundreds of time cleverer than me.

I'm not, it was just hard work. Lots of it. I _suck_ at math and plenty of
other subjects that would come in quite handy as a programmer, probably I'm
very much unsuited to the job based on my 'talents'. It's all about
persistence.

> He was handrolling assembler as a teen - back then I was doing VB6.

When I was a teen VB6 didn't exist for another decade or more, and assemblers
were too expensive but an opcode list could be had as a 'datasheet' for free
from the local electronics store.

> All these programmer stories about how they developed OS kernels in x86 MMX
> extensions when they were 4 years old on Sinclair machines while skipping 4
> grades and making hundreds selling lemonade never make me feel like I could
> do the same.

Such stories do not exist.

> They just make me feel like those guys will always be ahead of me - they
> started so much earlier.

Yes, just like all those hardworking kids that started even later only to go
to even bigger successes.

> I want to hear about the talentless hack who used VB6 to clone some popular
> software and convinced a big company to purchase it for a few hundreds of
> thousands after he spent most of his teen years reading science fiction and
> watching movies. That would make me feel like I could do it.

Why would you like to hear about that? Maybe this article wasn't for you? It
is targeted specifically at people currently stuck in jobs held back by peer
pressure wondering if they have what it takes to work for themselves and to
pursue their own goals in life even if they're not born in to wealth or have a
natural talent for 'X', whatever 'X' is.

Way to go to take a positive thing and to try to twist it around into a
negative and a depressing thing.

Really, stop being a negative influence and try to see that talent is in large
part offset by dedication and time put in. If you want to succeed at
something, anything, that does not require some kind of genetic component then
go and pursue it relentlessly and be excellent, or at least as good as you can
do it, whatever it is.

And with that I will sink back in to retirement, congratulations to those that
bet with me that I would get sucked back in, be assured this is a one time
affair but I did not want to see Max undo my work.

~~~
zasz
Oh, come ON. You wrote this essay specifically to be encouraging. Somebody
responded saying they felt discouraged. You failed, and you're getting
feedback. You have something to fix if you want to encourage people. Stop
being so defensive.

~~~
jtheory
To tag on some constructive criticism: a "you can do it too" kind of post
needs to emphasize the limitations of your abilities, so that readers can
identify with the before-success version of you, and then show the steps to
what you accomplished as simply as possible, so they can realistically imagine
themselves becoming the after-success version.

If you emphasize how people's jaws dropped when you did X or Y, then only
other programmers who feel confident they can do the same will be nodding
along (i.e., not most of them).

If you emphasize the limits of what you had figured out, show clearly how you
learned how to do X or Y (and how it's not nearly as complicated as it seems),
and puncture the illusion of genius as much as possible (it's mostly just
persistence), you can give "normal" developers the chance to imagine
themselves making jaws drop simply by putting in some time to learn something
most people don't know.

Just my, er, 8 cents; I hope this is of some use.

~~~
zasz
I agree. Another poster wrote that assembler was actually straightforward--
just very tedious. That would have been a great way for Jacques to make his
achievements seem more possible.

------
hanifvirani
Success is visible to everyone, but the hard work and preparation that goes
into it, sometimes over the course of years, is not always apparent. So when
most people see a successful person they go "He has all the luck in the world,
I wish I was that lucky", or "He is a genius, I wish I was as clever". What
they don't realize is the amount of toil and persistence that went into that
success, either directly or indirectly, just like in this inspiring story
Jacques has shared with us. Success doesn't happen overnight. There is hard
work involved. You can achieve things too, provided you work for it.

------
grellas
Few can or should start their own companies but, for one who is bright, alert,
and enterprising, no barrier is too great that it can't be blasted through by
sheer drive, determination, and tenacity. We can listen to the world around
us, with all its adhering to conventions, or to our inner voice, which dares
to dream beyond such limits and to push us to try for extraordinary outcomes
even at great personal risk. That is the message of this fine piece, and it is
inspirational. It is also credible because it comes from one who has lived it
out in his own extraordinary way.

------
swombat
Best read along with <http://jacquesmattheij.com/The+start-up+from+hell> as
the next chapter ;-)

~~~
hjalle
Kind of funny and inspiring to read these kind of stories with a "one man
army"-developer although this story was an experience I hope I never will get.

------
pramanat
"If a high school drop-out with nothing but a typing diploma could do it, so
can you."

I want to believe it, but not necessarily true. We all have different
abilities. The author is very talented and has acquired (and/or was born with)
the ability to do business.

On the other hand, there is no way of really knowing, unless you try.

~~~
alain94040
You are right, that sentence should have said: "If a high school drop-out with
nothing but a typing diploma could do it, you can at least try too."

------
cool-RR
At the end of the story:

 _"When I announced that I was going 'solo' my mom freaked out. I was 22 at
the time [...]"_

Dude, after all that crap I figured you'd be around 35...

------
ajtaylor
Thank you so much for your story. My dream is to have a "side" business which
would make enough money to allow me and my family to explore the world. It's
never too late to start!

PS. If I'm lucky I'll be moving to Amsterdam next month with a new job. :)

------
daimyoyo
Great post. Thank you for showing me(I already knew but it's nice to see an
example) that for most people business ownership is not something that happens
overnight. I too work in a job I hate and burn the midnight oil learning how
to program. Continued success to you and per the instructions in the article,
I'm now following your tweets as well. Take care. :)

------
rdl
I hope you've let your boss and former boss know how their investment/faith in
you has paid off (for society, not necessarily them personally)...

------
swGooF
A great story. Now you should go make a movie out of it.

