
Ask HN: Startup failed after years of work – Can I even get a job now? - perfect_loop
I quit college to work on my startup. After 7 years of work, it&#x27;s almost game over (will be shutting down in a few weeks).<p>I haven&#x27;t worked for anyone in years and I don&#x27;t have a degree, but I&#x27;ve been coding for a long time, shipping real products to real customers... How do you think I should  prepare for the job market? I&#x27;m 31 if it matters at all.
======
tomhoward
You might be surprised how in-demand you turn out to be once you start
applying for jobs.

With this: "I've been coding for a long time, shipping real products to real
customers", you're already ahead of many job applicants. Plenty of startups or
established companies are looking for people with that kind of experience.

Your self-esteem and self-belief has likely taken a hit as you've spent a long
time feeling like a failure.

I know the feeling well; it happened to me, and it took quite a while to work
my way out of it.

The best thing to do is to be kind to yourself and take it easy for a while.
You're not a failure. The thing you worked on didn't work out but that's fine,
there are plenty of super-talented, capable people whose companies didn't work
out through no fault of their own.

Take it gently work-wise; perhaps try to find some small contracts with small
teams that you can work on in part-time, remote engagements.

But if you get yourself on a path where you're delivering projects and getting
positive feedback from the people you're working with, slowly but surely
things will turn around and before you know it you could be in a very good
place.

Good luck to you. Feel free to reach out if you want more personalised advice
(email in profile).

~~~
mmartinson
>> there are plenty of super-talented, capable people whose companies didn't
work out through no fault of their own

There are also plenty of super-talented, capable people whose companies didn't
work out through considerable fault of their own.

As I'm sure you know, building a company is hard, risky, and the wrong
decisions paired with the wrong luck can kill you. Even if you are a failure
at business, your skills and experience can still be of tremendous value to
another company.

~~~
swombat
I know it’s meant as an image, but it’s an unhelpful image I think.

No, wrong decisions/luck in a startup setting can’t kill you. They can just
make your startup fail. You’ll be absolutely fine.

~~~
james_s_tayler
I don't mean to be morbid, but sometimes people do kill themselves as a result
of their business not working out.

------
trevorcreech
I was in a similar situation 3 years ago. Like other people said, I'd focus on
growth-stage startups (Stripe, Checkr, Airbnb, Opendoor, etc). I found their
interviews more practical and approachable than Facebook, Google, etc. Most of
the places I interviewed had me writing and running real code on my own
computer.

I spent about a month prepping with:

* Cracking the Coding Interview

* [https://www.interviewcake.com](https://www.interviewcake.com): curated set of ~50 questions with excellent step-by-step hints that don't immediately spoil the whole problem. Well worth the $250 — I didn't do any Leetcode-style problems aside from these.

* [https://interviewing.io](https://interviewing.io): Real, anonymous phone screens. This was amazing for me because I hadn't done a technical interview in 4 years and going through a real interview with a real person is totally different than practice problems.

Companies in SF will cover your costs to interview and usually will give you a
relocation bonus as well, so don't discount moving down here :)

~~~
chipgap98
OOC, does anyone know of a list of growth stage/fast growing companies out
there? I feel like I remember seeing something like this a couple years ago
but can't remember what it was called

~~~
trevorcreech
I think you're looking for
[https://breakoutlist.com/](https://breakoutlist.com/)

------
xrd
My advice: don't look at "big" companies. They optimize to avoid hiring the
"wrong" person, which means to hire only people that come in with the exact
set of skills they should be training for but won't. They won't value any of
the incredibly valuable skills you've developed.

Instead, look at mid stage startups. But, find them through your connections
and not by applying through job boards. People at those startups will get the
value of what you've been doing. Shipping and getting harsh customer feedback
is something you can't get in school and something people in big companies
generally don't care about, which is why those companies can't innovate,
despite hiring Chief Innovation Officers at 7 figure salaries.

Nothing wrong with wanting financial stability after seven long years. But if
you go to a big company, practice your algorithm skills above all else and
minimize talking about your startup experience. Sadly, it'll be either ignored
because they won't understand it or they will bury it because it reminds them
how they can't be innovative in their environment.

~~~
therealdrag0
OTOH: It seems big companies often have more flexibility in what your skillset
is. Yes the interview process is cookie-cutter algorithms, but the application
process is "we want smart people no matter which language/framework you've
used before". Like I know people who got jobs with Microsoft with little
programming experience (but other engineering degrees), whereas my mid-sized
company we only hire people with the exact skillset we use because we can't
afford to have them not productive right away.

~~~
xrd
I would love to hear more about Microsoft. They seem like they are doing
different things since they aren't considered part of FAANG. Smart on their
part and sounds like a good place to work and a good model for other large
companies to follow.

~~~
praveer13
Microsoft interviews are purely core CS stuff. I think even for 4-5 year
experience guys they ask mostly data structures and algorithms.

------
gumby
It sounds like you feel like a failure because your company came to an
unsuccessful end, but to me you are a a success.

In fact you're an unusual success, for starting and then running a business
for several years. That is quite rare! That sounds like six years of success
to me.

I hope you can find a way to put that understandable feeling aside because you
have learned many valuable skills and I assume have a perspective on
development that extends far beyond what most developers have (what makes code
really worthwhile in the field, what customers care about, markets, etc). In
fact because the business didn't make it in the end I'm sure you spent quite a
bit of time looking at what wasn't working.

I don't know what your business was or where you're located (some countries
are quite negative towards businesses that didn't succeed) but it sounds like
you have a lot of good skills and experience and I am sure there are many
people who value that. If you're located in the US, such experience will be
especially welcomed in SV, SF, NY, and even Boston.

~~~
perfect_loop
tbh I have mixed feelings about the situation. I knew from the beginning that
the risks were high and truly pushed hard and tried to make it work; that
gives me a lot of comfort. On the other hand I made mistakes too, especially
in the earlier days, being young and unexperienced...

~~~
cloverich
I've worked with many people over the years who are somewhat passive about
their missed opportunities. They talk about trying to start a business, and
never go for it. They'll live their _entire lives_ with that feeling of regret
that they never tried. you will not. Though I treasure my colleagues and
friends, I wish I had more people like yourself in my work environments.

Also 31 is very young. I know people that started their first successful
business in their 40's and imho they seem pretty happy to me. You've got lots
of life ahead of you, and plenty of time to live it.

------
muzani
Does your startup have any competitors? You can probably get a premium job
with them and your domain experience transfers very well. People who have
failed at rival startups are as valuable, if not more, than people who are
successful, because they can bring in a perspective on what not to do.

~~~
matt_the_bass
This is actually a great idea. I’ve have some of my competitors suggest me
working for them. Just be wary, whatever was the cause of your company’s
closing after 7 years may also be impacting their company.

------
perfect_loop
Thank you everybody for all the amazing advice, truly appreciate it. Some
people have asked about my skill set. Aside from all the crazy business stuff
I had to learn along the way, I was mostly focused on the product, which was a
general-purpose optimizer for open source relational databases. I was in
charge of high-level design and architecture and my 3 employees were the ones
writing the actual code. But again, due to the nature of the product I was
very much reading a lot of CS papers and books and the like.

I wouldn't call myself the best coder and to be honest I don't think I'd pass
the FAANG puzzle interviews without some serious preparation. But I think I've
amassed a lot of architecture and product design experience (along with debt
lol) in the past 7 years.

There were also questions about my mental state. It was an extremely tough few
years with lots of ups and downs and more than a few crying nights! but I
haven't burned out. Oddly enough, I'm still excited about the startup world
which is a surprise to a lot of people around me.

~~~
josh_carterPDX
First of all, sorry for the failure of your company. I've been there and it's
not fun. I am also looking for work, but finding it pretty difficult. My
advice, lean on your network.

Also, I am writing a book about startup failure and would love to include
yours if you're willing. You can email me at founder.failures@gmail.com.

Look forward to hearing from you and good luck on your search!

~~~
perfect_loop
Thanks Josh, I will email you when our company is officially shut down. I may
have an experience or two that might be helpful to others...

------
stanboyet
As a CTO, you're the kind of profile I'd be looking for and would consider (5
years old (start/scale) up with an engineering team of 5). As many explained,
you have a grasp at the reality of building a business that most engineers
will lack. It'll be easier for you to reach their "tech level" than the other
way around.

If you're in the region of Brussels, or willing to relocate, don't hesitate to
contact me ;) stan [at] drawbotics [dot] com

------
GorgeRonde
I think you're "depressed" (maybe not on an emotional level but at least on a
professional level). Take some time for yourself once your adventure has
ended. Don't try to "crack the coding interview". Interviews are biased with
regards to the real-life situations they want to assert anyway, and with
respect to "real-life" you've been cracking it for 7 years now.

~~~
Hydraulix989
That’s not true. The interviews are completely different than the kind of work
you do when actually coding and building products. You ABSOLUTELY need to
study and prepare for them because they are such an artificial test: solving
puzzles on the whiteboard under pressure. I had nearly the same thing happen
to me as OP, and doing Leetcode for a few months meant getting an offer from a
company whose interview I had previously failed several years ago.

You’ll cheer up when you look at levels.fyi and see the compensation at these
big tech companies. Don’t waste even more of your time at another startup, go
straight to FAANG. If you want, I can even refer you if you reach out.

~~~
scarface74
How is it a “waste of time” working for a startup?

If the startup fails and he is good, he can call a few recruiters in any major
metropolitan area in the US and get another job.

There is no part of me that ever wants to work for a large company. But that’s
just my preference.

~~~
Hydraulix989
Opportunity cost.

It’s important to have grounded expectations in terms of your equity lottery
ticket ever paying off. If it does, it often only brings you back to the same
level of compensation you would have received at FAANG during that time.

i.e. Receiving a $1M equity payout (sounds like a lot, right?) after 5 years
of hard work at below market salary at your startup annualized is equivalent
to making the same amount of money guaranteed liquid and risk less at Google.

In this current bubble cycle, so far, there has only been one Facebook.

~~~
scarface74
I wasn't referring to taking a "below market salary" by any means. But the
advice to "learn leetCode and work for a FAANG", sounds like generic advice
you get from r/cscareerquestions:

Q: "I live in Omaha Nebraska with three kids and a wife. I'm a self taught
developer. I've been doing PHP/WordPress sites for 5 years and I want to know
what should I do to change jobs"?

A: "Learn LeetCode and move to the west coast so you can work for Google".

------
schappim
After 7 years at a startup you’ll be a very useful person.

Other startups (especially founders) will want you because you will because
you will understand the realities of running a company that their non-founding
employees are often shielded from (think making payroll etc).

Your proven ability to wear different hats when necessary will be favourably
looked upon.

You’re 31 and it is a great age!

You’re young enough to avoid being (age) discriminated for an individual
contributor tech roll, but old enough to also manage a team.

Just apply for jobs, you can always switch jobs down the track.

~~~
schappim
/roll/role/

... I shouldn’t be writing comments on HN on a phone!

------
praveer13
Your experience in building the startup is highly valuable. If you're going to
look for a job, you will be most likely asked architectural and system design
related questions, with Data structures and algorithms problems for screening
at some places. You will easily find a well paying job with your experience
and portfolio, don't worry.

~~~
asark
Hell, if they managed to muddle along at a startup for seven years (that is,
it took seven entire years before it failed) they've probably picked up enough
to be _super_ valuable in non-programming roles. SEO, UX, (perhaps especially)
product owner / strategist or (maybe) project manager. With that experience I
think they're Doing It Wrong if they shoot for a software dev position, unless
that's just _really_ where they wanna be. They ought to consider agencies that
have people in those roles (product strategist especially) if all else fails.
Some are quite good.

Bonus: interviews for those positions are probably less stupid.

~~~
praveer13
Agreed. A product owner or a product manager is what people in OP's position
usually go for. And they draw very high salaries from what I've seen.
Companies must desperately want people in OP's position.

~~~
asark
Yeah unless you're going FAANG or finance that's a much, much nicer track to
be on.

------
chrisgoman
It all depends on YOUR attitude and less about the employers that will hire
you. If you interview with middle management, it may be hard for you to show
your worth but if you interview with anybody who is an "owner" (stakeholder in
the company), you will most likely be hired right away.

Owners know it is very hard to find people that can "think like an owner" and
make decisions based on the company's interest vs their own. Obviously, you
have to "fit in" for a while (being the new guy and earn the respect of your
peers) but I would say that if you can "think like an owner", you would be put
into a lot of responsibility fairly quickly. Thinking like an owner means NO
POLITICS (you are not trying to move up the ladder), NO EXCUSES (get stuff
done and ship it) and WORKING ON THE RIGHT THINGS (able to prioritize properly
the pile of work). Unfortunately, you have to play those games for a couple of
months (and eat a lot of pride in terms of job title and pay just to get in
the door) but it will all work out shortly.

~~~
throwaway2314
This is really good advice. Only issue is it's not easy to gain the trust if
founders.

------
quadcore
Happened to me too. I've found a job in 2 weeks. Take some time to rest and
build your energy up again and you'll be just fine.

~~~
abhishekjha
Man! And here I am after 8 months failing to invert a Binary Search Tree or
validating a Binary search Tree without much luck. Time to hit leetcode I
think.

~~~
dominotw
Yeah hit leetcode nonstop. No way around it, no matter how much you hate it,
no matter how much u think its stupid.

You should be able to land something fairly quickly after leetcodeLyfe. good
luck.

~~~
AYBABTME
I don't get it, I never had to do any leetcode to find positions and receive
offers. Why are people recommending this like it's gospel?

~~~
dajohnson89
Leetcode simulates how several first-round tech screens go.

~~~
samfisher83
You have to whiteboard on the interview too. Its not just the tech screens.

~~~
dajohnson89
I must have surpressed those awful memories.

------
peteforde
The most important advice that you're getting in a nutshell: you will be just
fine if you give yourself a few months off to recover.

This is downtime for emotional and mental health is not optional if you want
to avoid burnout.

~~~
jondubois
>> you will be just fine if you give yourself a few months off to recover

This is insensitive. Given the situation, it is very wrong to assume that he
can afford to take any time off. Where I come from, failing startups don't
usually pay that well.

~~~
peteforde
We are both speculating.

However, since it's my comment and I can believe what I believe, I believe
that someone in his position cannot afford to not take care of themselves.

People who don't take care of themselves end up hurting or dead.

------
alshtico
You may have that "founder personality" that makes it a little hard to work
for other people. If you get over that, you should actually be a pretty good
candidate, assuming you may have technical AND marketing/business skills right
now. I don't think not having a degree will be a huge deal breaker for you.

~~~
onion2k
When my first startup failed and I was looking for a new role the hardest part
wasn't persuading potential employers that I was capable technically, but that
I wouldn't be leaving to start a new company in 6 months. That "founder
personality" is seen as a downside by employers looking for someone to fill a
permanent role. Getting over it, and _demonstrating_ that you're over it is
important.

~~~
matfil
In an industry where 2 year (or less!) tenures seem common, are "founder
personalities" really a much higher risk?

It seems a sad thing to have to suppress.

~~~
onion2k
_In an industry where 2 year (or less!) tenures seem common, are "founder
personalities" really a much higher risk?_

The bit of the tech industry I work in (building web apps for SMEs in the UK)
people stay in their jobs for 10+ years. It's actually a problem because it
makes recruiting really hard.

------
MartianSquirrel
Yes you can! I've dropped out of college after I was offered a job I could
only dream of in my early twenties, stayed a couple years, climbed the ladder
quickly there and in another company, had some side projects which eventually
became startups (they failed, obviously!), went back to work for established
companies.

Nowadays whenever I have interviews, most interviewers are actually more
interested in my old startups than in my "corporate" experience.

You have to understand that the experience you gained in your startup is what
differentiates you from the masses. You have gained a rare skill set that is
highly valuable, took some risks and most likely learned much more than anyone
who followed the classical route of college to corporation.

Be confident in your skills! If it helps, write down everything you've
achieved in your startup, mistakes that were made and how to avoid them. And
as I would recommend to anyone, keep studying : read about new techs, try them
on small 2 day projects, refresh your memory every now and then on key
concepts in your field.

Good luck my friend!

------
linnk87
Chin up buddy, as everyone has said, plenty of companies want people with your
experience. I was in a similar position, my company was not growing anymore
and I became a little nervous, so I started thinking in a Plan B just in case.
Turns out it was pretty easy to get an onsite interview at facebook because
they're looking for people with that kind of experience: “shipping real
products to real customers”. I think if you prepare and apply and prepare some
more you will be fine my dude. :)

I'm 32, we're the new young!

------
throwaway2314
Using throwaway: Have been in that situation. Don't drag it any further. Call
your friends ask for referrals , inform your customers and let them know you
are looking for full time job. It's time to use your network !!!

Actually start applying for jobs.attend few interviews and then start to
prepare. You will be just fine.

------
rushsteve1
Relationships can be your biggest asset. After 7 years in the industry I
imagine you made a few friends. Reach out to them see if they/their company
are hiring. They will know of your experience and skill first-hand.

Other than that just get out there. Send out some resumes, go to local events,
that kind of thing.

~~~
perfect_loop
That's true, thank you very much.

------
ccvannorman
Like others here I was in a similar boat. 36, 4 years at a failed startup
followed on by 18 months of consulting/contracting.

I can't stress this enough -- _put the time in_ to coding interview prep.
Don't hate the game, think of it like a fun challenge. You don't need to know
every question out of the box but interviewers will pick up on your
confidence, attitude, and willingness to play. I spent about 2 - 4 hours a day
for a few weeks doing this and it paid off (5 offers from 7 interviews at tech
firms.)

It was difficult to get interviews at some firms (Google wouldn't return my
calls) due to the resume. However, ones that _do_ interview are usually
impressed and interested in your startup history. Startups are hard!

Good luck!

~~~
CydeWeys
> Don't hate the game, think of it like a fun challenge.

Seriously. So many people spend so much time hating on it and refusing to even
get involved, but if you look at it rationally, it's by far the best return on
investment you'll get for your time in your entire life.

Around 5 years ago I spent about 40 hours studying for the interviews for my
current job. I got the job, and I'm now making $300k _more_ per year than at
my previous company, where I was pretty much capped out. So I'm now making
$7.5k/yr more for _each_ hour that I spent prepping for those interviews.
Note, that's not $7.5k/hr, it's $7.5k/yr/hr, so the value only grows with
tenure in this job vs if I'd stayed where I was.

It doesn't matter if it's not the best way to evaluate applicants or whatever,
it's how things work, and you need to play the game to reap the rewards.
Doesn't matter if you don't enjoy it; there's a colossal amount of money at
stake. Force yourself to do it. Not everything in life is pleasant, and most
unpleasant things in life don't even come with rewards. People who opt out on
ideological grounds are cutting off their nose to spite their face, because
they could be foregoing a better job paying a lot more money.

------
kaidon
“Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” -
Sir Winston Churchill

You have an incredible amount of experience that is invaluable to wherever you
go. The success of a company is built on the learnings from failures of its
employees.

Take a breather, look around, and embrace new opportunities!

------
planert41
Don't overlook boring non-tech companies as well. I've noticed non-tech
companies starting to (almost indiscriminately) hire tech people to upgrade
their outdated tech stack. They might pay a little below market, but they are
also more forgiving/desperate.

Another is to reach out to old friends from college, or try to search for
alumni. Alumni from the college you dropped out of are likely more sympathetic
than the others.

FD: Just got a tech job at an insurance company. So speaking from exp.

~~~
avgDev
I just want to add that I went this route straight out of school. I work at a
manufacturing company. It can get tough sometimes as there is almost 0
infrastructure to support development. However, in the almost 2 years I was
here we completely revamped the process, previously the company used
consultants and one our apps is spaghetti code.

Pros: very laid back, your work will significantly impact day to day of other
employees ,You will probably get to decide what framework to use and when to
move to new tech ,You will build/debug/maintain

Cons: only few people will understand your struggles(I actually plan on using
discord to have people to bounce ideas off and just be a part of dev
community) ,often you need to wear different hats ,management may have a hard
time understanding that sometimes the simplest things can take days.

As far as pay goes, some non-tech are actually pretty competitive in my area.
Also, I interviewed at one of the largest auto auction companies, got an offer
but weirdly the CTO told me that the grass is always greener on the other
side, as I was telling him I'm thinking to switch to a larger team and a more
structured environment, that is way I was considering the move.

~~~
sergiotapia
My chillest job ever was writing code at a non-tech company. It's exactly as
you described. Very rewarding when you can impact your entire team with well
placed solutions.

------
koudos
You are a technologist with hands on business/startup experience.

This is unbelievably valuable especially in leadership positions. Especially
in the case if your startup wasn't just you.

A lot of this also depends on what you are looking for as well. From your
statements you may be thinking looking for a job as an Engineer which is great
if it is what you want to do.

I believe you have other options if taking a job as an Engineer does not sound
ideal to you.

------
ttul
My recommendation is to go to Amazon. They run internally like a large
collection of tech startups and are constantly looking for people with
entrepreneurial experience to lead these small teams. And the pay is
exceptional.

------
RocketSyntax
Doubled my salary after a failed startup. Highlight the technology or market
you became an expert in on your resume.

------
Angostura
FWIW, I find clear-sighted post-mortem blogs fascinating to read. There have
been a few where a founder has set out the vision, the challenges they faced;
those they solved and those they stumbled on.

Those that are well written and insightful usually make me want to work with
that person.

------
matt_the_bass
Technical details aside, some questions I would want clearly addressed in
resume/cover letter would be:

\- demonstrate that you are a team player. I don’t want a hot shot that
started their own company because they needed to satisfy their ego.

\- you’ve been the boss for your entire career. Are you sure you’re ready to
work for someone else?

\- what non-technical lessons have you learned that can apply to my job
opening?

\- something attracted you to start your own company. What part of your
passion makes my company attractive to you?

I’m not implying YOU are any of these but they are concerns that I would have
with such a candidate. Note that I started my Company 17 years ago and still
worry about what I’ll do next!

------
dqdo
You should try to join an established later stage startup. Think about the
skills that you have acquired and the experiences that you have been through.
Very few people are able to start with an idea an execute a product. If you
have experience selling to customers that is also a big plus. Later stage B2B
companies are always looking for good salespeople as well as creative problem
solvers. Your experience with the start up is a plus if you can frame it
properly. Many of the people who I know that are now successful actually
failed with their first start up. They were able to bring their learning and
determination to help their current company succeed.

------
gregw2
My first job was 7 years at a startup. The grit and git-er-done you have from
there is hard to find in the marketplace of employees; you'll be fine.

How to prepare? I'd sit down and do a postmortem. What happened... what you
learned are inevitable things you need to process for yourself and are helpful
interview fodder (only when asked!) Also think carefully through what you
learned about what you liked, disliked, what you did well/not well at, and
what you naturally gravitated to vs avoided. Those three lenses sometimes tell
you different things. Pick your next job appropriately.

------
thrownaway954
Hit up some recruiters and contacts that you made along the way. You WILL be
fine. Take some time off though... give yourself a 2 week vacation so that you
don't "jump right into" the grind again.

------
coopdis
I was once in a position that sounds very similar. The hardest part for me
(besides dealing with the failed startup) was that the tech-jobs recruiting
machine had changed considerably over my 9 years out of the market and my old
bag of job hunting tricks wasn't working anymore. I took a course with these
guys ([https://www.outco.io/](https://www.outco.io/)) and the job offers
started rolling in within 3 weeks. Highly recommended.

------
rubicon33
It all depends on where you want to work now.

If you intend to go work at FANG or similar companies, then you absolutely
need to refresh your data structures and algorithms knowledge, and riddle
solving knowledge. Without refreshing these domains, especially the riddle
solving, you will fail the interview.

However if you want to work at small - medium sized companies that ship real
products and value people with a proven track record, then you will be totally
fine.

------
agrippanux
One of the questions I ask during interviews is to tell me a story about how
you failed or broke something in production. 90% of the time anyone who says
they never failed or never broke anything is either lying or doesn't have
enough experience. People who tried hard at a startup that failed usually have
the most interesting stories, have learned tons, and are better equipped to
hit the ground running at a new place.

------
gerlv
Had similar experience a few years ago. After 5 years startup failed. Turns
out I've gained a lot of valuable experience during those 5 years since start-
up usually means moving faster - you learn more. Honestly, just find some
recruiters - I know everyone hates them and says their industry should go
away, but with them I found a gig within a week. But since you know how to
code you'll be fine, you have valuable skills.

------
jkingsbery
Some questions for you to think about:

* What do you want to do? What excited you about your work at your startup? Do you want to keep doing that sort of thing, or are you looking for a change?

* What kind of environment do you want? Startups are awesome - I've worked for 3 of them. But big companies can be awesome too - I work for one now. They're a different experience. Are you looking to stay in startup mode? Are you looking for something bigger? Even within startups, there is the product discovery phase and the scaling up phase - do you find one more interesting than the other?

* How big is your startup? If you start applying to larger tech companies, they'll look at the scale of your work (were you architecting for multiple dev teams? Or did you startup consist mostly of one team? What scale did you reach in terms of number of customers or complexity?)

* Did you develop domain expertise in a particular area that you could leverage and you'd want to? If you've been focusing on the same problem for 7 years, chances are you have developed a rare expertise in an area, and you probably have insights that would make you uniquely qualified for certain roles out there.

------
noonespecial
I've done this cycle _3 times_ now.

If anything, talk about my work on the previous startup tended to dominate my
interviews. Employers seem fascinated by this out of the ordinary experience.

I've found that, if anything, this experience tends to differentiate you from
the herd. Just be sure to practice talking positively about the experience
even though the business itself may have failed.

------
bsdpython
I spent 3 years as cto cofounder at a startup. After leaving I interviewed at
lots of startups but I did not get much interest despite many having what I
would consider a tech leadership vacuum. I ended up taking an offer from a
FAANG and I am better off for now. This is in NYC and I have a degree and more
varied corp experience so results may vary.

------
anumericalgod
Develop "the hacker" mindset and recon your target jobs and companies. Recon
the target and find out everything you can about them. Use sentiment analysis
to discern the type of personalities that operate the business. Locate their
social media and Linkedin profiles. Pay attention to their style of writing,
use of words. Do your homework and use the tools available; to social-engineer
your success. Once, you have all of the contact points and information about
the company. Profile them and tailor your approach. Widen your research to
their customers and so on. Keep it all. If and when you approach them, do it
in such a way that leaves them with no doubt as to your abilities. It helps to
understand the role and the reason why they are recruiting. What problem is it
that they are trying to solve? In your application, you should tailor your
approach that is nuanced to meet their expectations. Good luck.

------
ethann31
You have two choices: either be stuck in the past and look backwards with
“what if...” “would I...” never ending thoughts, or literally just stop that
downward spiral, put the past over, take the best and learn from it and look
forward.

Been there. It took me way more time to look forward than it should because I
did not have the support I should.

And for a lot of people, but not all, being stuck in the past with ruminant
thoughts is more likely. Other people ends things quickly and just look ahead.
While the past did happen, it did.

Now look for your nex 10 years or 20 or more years, and look backwards. The
way you choose to solve this, the actions you take will define you.

Hope this only makes you stronger and let it go.

Note: What I did is to add myfailed startups as “client” jobs.

------
100-xyz
Here's my somewhat similar situation and experience so far.

Was in 3 startups as CTO in Beijing, China for a total of about 5 years. Two
folded and the last one took off. Then decided to move with family back to the
USA (Bay area). Have been looking for a job for three months.

Except for google, the large companies did not even respond.

Mid sized companies - things go well up to and including technical screening.
Then, a wall is hit with the hiring manager and I get a "will not be
proceeding to the next step" email. I'm 52. So, age may have a part in it.

Small companies and startups - better response, but usually they dont know
what the hell they are doing.

------
cbluth
At 31 I was in my third job that paid over 6 figures. I still don't have a
high school degree.

Experience counts, I know, you just have to convince them.

If you've been running a business for 7 years, I'm sure you have the
experience that people are looking for.

------
swat535
I've learned long ago that there are no real failures in life.

Only various paths with different outcomes. Some outcomes are negative, some
might yield a positive result but in almost all cases, it's a win/win.

You should see your situation not as a failure but an huge accomplishment,
you've gained ton of experience, dealt with many issues outside of your scope
and have grown. Running a startup for 7 years shows serious dedication .

I will echoe what others have said, just take some time to rest if you can
afford it and brush up on whatever skills deemed necessary.

Congratulations on sticking with it for so many years!

------
e1g
What is your location? Many early/seed stage startups are starving for
operational people who can take care of a broad range of tasks. We are one of
those - I can't find your contact, so please email me.

------
lancefisher
We’re hiring, and I’d be very interested in a candidate with your experience.
I don’t care at all about not having a degree. Email me if you’d like to move
to Missoula, MT. lance at submittable dot com.

------
logfromblammo
How you prepare to find a job depends on where you are, but a lot of employers
consider X years of real-world job experience to be an adequate substitute for
a CS degree for the purposes of hiring. Don't worry about not having a degree;
you have an autodidact entrepreneur's diploma. You delayed the expected
failure of your business by six whole years instead of cratering after the
first.

You'll probably have to finish your degree if you want future promotions,
though. If my presumptions are correct, you were close to finishing?

------
imetatroll
I am in the same boat (by a bit more at almost 10 years at the same failed
company). I have been looking for work since last September and no takers... I
don't know what to tell you other than that if you want to work for a "known"
company, prepare yourself for an interview where you have to whiteboard
contrived puzzles.

If it isn't clear, anyone reading this who might be looking for a primarily
self taught programmer with 12+ years of experience, feel free to email me.
Send to postmaster at imetatroll.com.

------
jshowa3
To be honest, there will be many companies who will discriminate against you
due to a lack of a degree (a lot of big ones that have the most stable
environments require it). However, it's not impossible to get a job at a place
that has lax entry requirements. Even some well known companies like Google
and Facebook would probably like such experience. You can also get contracting
gigs without much trouble, but some contracting houses don't have the best
benefits as being an employee at a company.

------
Grustaf
Unless you live far from where companies are, I really don’t see why you would
have any problems at all getting a job.

I didn’t even start coding until I was 36 or something, and definitely didn’t
spend 7 years doing something as useful as running a company, and I had no
trouble at all finding work after a few months, in Stockholm and Copenhagen,
both pretty small cities.

I bet you can get a well paying job within a week. No need to prepare
anything, except a short CV and a cover letter, you’ll be extremely attractive
on the job market.

~~~
njepa
Unfortunately if running a startup means sacrificing or holding off on getting
a mortgage, studying or establishing a family (which it often does) you will
be at a major disadvantage in a place like Stockholm today. Literally hundreds
of thousands of dollars behind your peers and everything that means for
attaining a good quality of life.

~~~
Grustaf
No. Running a company is a more attractive experience for most employers than
a degree, ESPECIALLY in a place like Stockholm.

About the other stuff, the guy is 31, there’s plenty of time. And I don’t
think the question was even about that, it was about work wasn’t it?

Also, not that many people in Sweden will have saved hundreds of thousands at
31. I would say that most younger people with apartments in attractive areas
borrow or received money for the down payment from their parents.

~~~
njepa
> No. Running a company is a more attractive experience for most employers
> than a degree, ESPECIALLY in a place like Stockholm.

It doesn't really matter if you are attractive to employers when they won't
pay you much more than anyone else.

> About the other stuff, the guy is 31, there’s plenty of time. And I don’t
> think the question was even about that, it was about work wasn’t it?

Work isn't just about work. Someone who wants to be successful, or at least
not unsuccessful, of course have to consider what they are getting for their
work.

> Also, not that many people in Sweden will have saved hundreds of thousands
> at 31.

They saved hundreds of thousands by not having to buy at today's prices. Add
to that the high taxes on work income, but not on e.g. inheritance or real
estate, and you might never catch up.

In fact you will be paying other people's education, parental leave and kids
while paying twice the mortgage for at least twice as long as they do. That is
if you can even get a mortgage and are aren't just paying market rents in a
suburb somewhere.

Stockholm is just a shitty deal at the moment. But that isn't even the point.
It is that by running a startup someone might very well have become
disadvantaged and that is something that needs to be considered. Some things
will very much not solves themselves. Given the choice I would absolutely
advice anyone to go to Berlin instead of Stockholm these days.

~~~
Grustaf
It feels like you are getting quite far from the original question now.

~~~
njepa
I don't think so. Your original comment doesn't really reflect the challenges
someone would face getting a job in Stockholm today as a result of doing a
startup instead of having joined their peers in the more traditional route of
university, mortgage and kids. You might very get a job and a similar salary,
but you will instead pay the price over time in finances, quality of life and
competitiveness.

I would say that is very relevant to the question since picking the correct
job market will be crucial to whether they will be able to transition to a
normal career or not. In a place like Stockholm you mostly can't since you
likely won't have, or be able to make, the money for a decent life at a decent
cost in many years. If they were to instead choose a job market that looked
different in terms of housing or taxes they wouldn't be at the same large
disadvantage and would instead just have to recoup the years spent doing
something else.

~~~
Grustaf
Did you read the question? It has nothing to do with choosing the right
market.

He asks if it will be hard for him to find a job and the answer is “no”, it
won’t be hard. He is not asking if he should have made a different choice 7
years ago or if he could have had more savings in the bank.

And he is most definitely not asking about Stockholm, that was an example from
_my_ life.

~~~
njepa
The question is not how to get any job, but how to join the job market
effectively. That is hard to do that in places like Stockholm today, because
the increase in cost of living de facto means taking a pay cut. If you are 25
you might be able to afford to wait a few years and hope that things go your
way, but not at 31 when most people would and should expect more.

So the answer isn't really "no" when the condition to getting the job is
spending years saving for the down payment of a hundred year mortgage at huge
prices just to have somewhere decent to live. I don't think anyone is
surprised that regions with these conditions have a shortage of talent. It
might however be true that getting a job in Berlin won't be a problem, but
that isn't universal. Your experiences doesn't really match the situation
today.

~~~
Grustaf
Why do you keep talking about Stockholm and Berlin? Does he even live in
Europe?

And the guy is not moving anywhere, so there’s no pay cut. He just wants a
job. Read the damned question. He will get a job within a week unless he lives
in Japan or somewhere where they are very formal and inflexiable about
education requirements.

I get it that you thikn Stockholm housing is expensive but it’s really
irrelevant to the question so please leave it.

~~~
njepa
You mentioned Stockholm as an example of being able to get a job anywhere. I
am saying that this is incorrect because there can be large consequences of
moving to or staying in places _like_ Stockholm. This will apply to other
cities as well. It doesn't take Japan to get a significantly worse deal by not
following the traditional route.

The author is looking for advice on what to do the prepare to enter the job
market. That is why people are discussing things like whether to finish a
degree, practicing interview questions or trying to join FAANG. Part of that
preparation is looking at what you actually get for your skills. And in some
places, that had a certain development, you will get a lot less for your
skills by not having followed a traditional route. That is something very
relevant to consider.

I will now leave the question however, because it is pointless to go on.

------
jonathanzufi
"Shipping real products to real customers".

You're going to be just fine.

------
garagemc2
Just thought I'd add that you'll not only be in demand as a developer but
probably very much as a product manager - especially for startups looking for
product / market fit.

~~~
echan00
Startups looking for product market fit aren't in any better position than OP
is :)

------
noahl
Plenty of other comments have covered what a great position you're in, and I
agree. To take full advantage of what you're seeing in this thread, it would
be very helpful if you'd post where you live and where you might be willing to
move to. Any info on topics you're interested in would be great, too.

And like everyone else, my team (Azure DevOps) is hiring. If you want to live
in Raleigh, Seattle, or Hyderabad please send me an email :).

~~~
halfnibble
Microsoft? I applied for a half dozen jobs over a week ago. Referred by an MS
employee too. Still have heard nothing. Then I applied at Amazon this week and
have two different Amazon recruiters reaching out to me. What does it take to
get a hold of a MS recruiter?

------
kalesh
I think your quite hireable. Working on your own startup for so long must have
diversified your skills. Your profile could very well be suitable for a
product or an engineering manager role. As you can wear multiple hats.

31 is an awesome age - don't worry too much about that.

Since you have been shipping real products, adding them to your portfolio
would add a lot of value.

There are also ample remote oppertunitues nowadays. Here is a curated list of
remote job boards -

Recommended

[https://news.ycombinator.com/jobs](https://news.ycombinator.com/jobs)

[https://www.producthunt.com/jobs?remote_ok=true](https://www.producthunt.com/jobs?remote_ok=true)

[https://www.producthunt.com/jobs](https://www.producthunt.com/jobs)

[https://remoteok.io/](https://remoteok.io/)

[https://weworkremotely.com/](https://weworkremotely.com/)

[https://remote.com/](https://remote.com/)

Others

[https://codefund.io/jobs](https://codefund.io/jobs)

[https://www.remotejob.rocks/](https://www.remotejob.rocks/)

[https://www.remotelyawesomejobs.com/](https://www.remotelyawesomejobs.com/)

[https://www.flexjobs.com/](https://www.flexjobs.com/)

[https://www.workingnomads.co/](https://www.workingnomads.co/)

[https://remotive.io/](https://remotive.io/)

[https://www.skipthedrive.com/](https://www.skipthedrive.com/)

[https://www.remotey.com/](https://www.remotey.com/)

[https://angel.co/jobs](https://angel.co/jobs)

[https://remotehub.io/](https://remotehub.io/)

[https://remoters.net/jobs/](https://remoters.net/jobs/)

[https://wellpaid.io/](https://wellpaid.io/)

Good luck!

------
blablabla123
Wow, 7 years is something. For me it was 1.5 years full-time - 2 years as a
whole - but that was sufficient to be really low. (And 30 at the time) Still,
finding a job was a piece of cake. Despite sub-zero self-esteem, it was very
easy to get on interviews which would either result in an offer or at least a
"probably there is a way".

Most important is to update your CV properly and have someone else proof-read
it I guess...

------
jffster
Yeah. "...real products to real customers..." makes you the kind of developer
everybody actually needs. More of them realize this than you think. I also
have no degree (well a music degree, but that's basically the same thing), but
I've gotten jobs at startups, global conglomerates, and big name tech
companies on the same thing you've got. Feel free to email (see profile).

------
xutopia
I'm reading about Ray Dalio's life and he nearly went bankrupt before becoming
one of the top 100 richest people in the world.

Don't let yourself down by thinking you are failure. You may identify yourself
with your project but the skillset you took out of that experience and
newfound humility you got from seeing a project fail is something that you can
bring to the table at your next gig.

------
andy_ppp
I would list all of the things you did and show clear growth over time and
you'll be fine. People like hearing a truthful story about someone who had a
shot at their own business and I'm sure doing your own thing will have shown
you can deliver something of value even if it's proved difficult as a viable
business. There must have been successes and lessons along the way.

------
theaccordance
Good news for you: You're entering the job market at some of the lowest
unemployment numbers seen.

You don't need a degree once you're able to demonstrate your experience. Just
update the CV, curate your Github and float your best code examples to the top
for discussion & visibility by others, and do your research on the company &
people whom you interview with.

You got this

------
RaceWon
I'm not in tech, but from what I read on here Anyone who can actually build
something that works is a rarity.

Buy "Never Split The Difference" and remember; they need you More than you
need them.

You can always paint houses, or sell cars in the short term so that you don't
starve.

And hey: Good luck on Your Next Venture!

------
externalreality
You should be fine. Start applying for jobs. You have 7 years of experience.
If you want (and can afford it) go finish your degree. Professors are
definitely a resource and, since you will be more experienced than most,
mentor people we owe it to the new CS people to help them in anyway we can
like those who have helped us.

~~~
perfect_loop
Thanks a lot for the tips. Unfortunately, credits from my school expire after
5 years, so I'd have to start from the beginning and to be fully honest I
really don't think I'd benefit from the material anymore as me and my team
were grappling with pretty hard CS problems for the past 5 years that truly
pushed me to learn and internalize a lot of CS.

~~~
CydeWeys
It's worth calling up the CS department at your school, or going in person if
you're still in the area, to see about possible exceptions. A lot of these
rules aren't written in stone, and since you have been keeping up with
programming these past 7 years you should have no problem getting right back
into the swing of CS undergrad. The rule might exist just to prevent students
from being set up for failure if they attempt to return to complete a long-
abandoned degree whose subject they haven't even thought about recently, which
won't be true in your case. And they may want to make accommodations to bring
you back, as having diversity of age, experience, and especially _industry_
experience is important to a lot of college administrators.

So don't rule it out until you have a serious conversation with them about it!

~~~
edge17
100% agree with this, a lot of the rules exist to cover the common case. The
common case isn't your situation, so they may empathize with you. Industry
experience is also important as @CydeWeys pointed out.

------
lapnitnelav
You made it to 7 years, that in itself is worth celebrating. I'm 3 months in
and I'm already shitting bricks as to what it's going to look like if we have
to fold.

Take a break, wander for a bit, get your mojo back. As many others have said
here, your experience, while uncommon is valuable to some folks.

------
mrmanner
If I were to employ someone, I’d say your experience would move you to the top
of the pile. Your startup may not have worked out, but you must have learned
so many important things along the way! About coding and shipping real
products, but also about business, about ideas, about people...

Good luck, you’ll do great!

------
keeptrying
You need to find a manager who was an ex-entrepreneur or who has had a fast
growth in their own career (ie been at a fast growth company).

You will 90% of the time not be able to work for anyone else.

Its going to be a harrowing journey for sure but finding an ex-entrepreneur as
a boss would be a great thing.

------
baccredited
Another commenter recommends interviewing at
[https://lambdaschool.com/](https://lambdaschool.com/)

But I would recommend applying and attending. You will very likely get a great
job after you graduate.

------
gmenegatti
I would love to meet you. IMHO, your experience is very valuable.
gabriel@slicingdice.com

------
DegreeChamp
perfect_loop: Let’s chat. Email me at james.griffin [at] degreechamp [dot]
com. I’ve actually been searching for a product manager/head of product for
awhile. We have a pretty small team of technologists already working on the
product. Admittedly, the salary will be much lower than you’d get at a FAANG,
but it’s a fully remote position and I can get you an offer in 1-2 weeks. I’ve
been funding it with a software consulting business I built, so if you’re
interested in both products & services that’s a major bonus!

\- James Griffin, CEO of DegreeChamp

------
maerF0x0
If you've been coding and shipping you'll be fine.

Here's a plug for $EMPLOYER
[https://sendgrid.com/careers/](https://sendgrid.com/careers/)

------
johanneskanybal
I started working for a consultancy agency after failing my startup, I think
it helped with my personal brand and confidence levels but in the end it's
mostly in your head and you can do whatever.

------
sreekumarkr
I was also in the same situation; quit college,run startup for 7 years and
quit. except i was 29. After meeting a lot of startups and interviews i got a
job in a startup which works in the same domain.

------
andrei_says_
I would hire you.

Maximizing efficiency, prioritizing, creative thinking, solving real world
problems within short deadlines — these are all super important for any
business and within your proven abilities.

------
atdrummond
Add your email to your profile - would love to reach out and chat.

------
usgroup
You should be fine, but I suggest asking yourself whether you’ll be able to go
into a normal job.

Some things once known cannot be unknown : you’ve seen how the sausages are
made ....

~~~
perfect_loop
Tbh I enjoy building new technologies, that hasn't changed at all. That's why
I'd rather get into the startup world again, which many people think is crazy
after 7 years lol

------
jpcc
Shoot me an email, can definitely see if we have a fit for you. I love people
who know how to ship great products and care. jared@confidentcannabis.com

------
slipwalker
almost same thing here. It were 14 years of entrepreneurship ( i'm 45 now )
and i didn't have a college degree ( when i smelled the bankruptcy, went back
to college and took a 2.5 years "short graduation" ) but even before that i
had landed my "first" nine-to-five job... since then, moved to better and
better positions 3 times, as long as you can code, you will be just fine.

------
NonEUCitizen
Do consulting work for one/some of your customers?

------
anxman
I've been where you're at a few times. The best advice I got is: nobody will
contact you for a job. Go out and make it happen.

------
asow92
Showing that level of dedication and loyalty will look impressive to many
prospective employers. I think you've got this in the bag.

------
digitaltrees
Yes. You should be fine. Look into work for a start up through YC. Many early
stage companies would value your experience.

What stack are you familiar with?

------
modzu
im in a similar boat and have definitely felt some resistence so far. not
certain but it feels like some cultural mismatch (ie recruiters are looking
for younger people without a need of work-life balance yet? or maybe it's the
"founder" mentality?). the sample size is still small, but the struggle is
real. will probably just start up again...

------
sudhirgandotra
Let's talk and I can accompany you to a respectful solution.

Sudhir@bestbookbuddies.com

------
drwl
If you're in the san francisco bay area I'm sure there would be tons of people
that would be interested in talking to you

------
jefflombardjr
I don't think that was a failure. You were able to work for yourself for 7
years. That in and of itself is an accomplishment.

------
hartator
I would love to hear your story.

You’ll be fine work wise. Be honest and transparent. Focus on the technologies
used and the actual projects.

------
michael345
It is sad to hear that. I wanted to know the reasons for this. Were you not
able to manage or what?

------
fudged71
I'm in the exact same boat. 5+ years of startup after dropping out and looking
for a sales position. Hang in there.

------
luminati
Have you considered a career in VC? Given your background, experience and
skillset, it'll be highly regarded.

------
ideavalider
I am in the same boat. Feel free to reach out at ideavalid@icloud.com if you
want to work on something together.

------
mstump
We’re doing something probably not to far from what you were doing. Want to
talk? Mstump@vorstella.com

------
cdelsolar
You'll be fine and also make a ton of money. Just do a few coding interview
questions just in case.

------
mathgenius
You have been working for someone: your customers. Hopefully you got some good
reviews along the way.

------
leandot
You will be just fine, shipping real products to real customers is invaluable.
What is your skillset?

------
yikyakkidy
read cracking the coding interview and leet code. Then use your startup as
precious work experience and meticulously detail the value you contributed in
your domain. A failed startup is not the issue, it’s getting noticed... so
your resume needs careful crafting

~~~
edge17
Just to add to this, your resume is a chance to brag about your
accomplishments. I've seen a lot of people treat making their resume as a
painful homework assignment and they drag their feet through it. In reality
it's a story that you get to write.

------
godzillabrennus
Email me hn (at) joinjune (dot) com

I know a lot of folks hiring. Happy to pass your resume along.

------
dk574
I definitely wouldn't worry. Your experience is still experience. :)

------
chaigh
perfect_loop: would love to chat. We're currently looking to scale our small
team, and I'd love to see if there's a role for you here. DM me at christian
[at] legalist [dot] com. :)

Christian

~~~
perfect_loop
Thank you so much! I will contact you the moment our company is officially
shutdown (for various reasons and considerations regarding our users).

------
atdrummond
Please add your email to your HN profile. Would love to reach out.

------
georgeburdell
I can’t comment as to your job prospects, but the few people I know that chose
to not finish their degrees and instead start companies tend to exhibit the
Dunning-Kruger effect with respect to their understanding of CS fundamentals
and software development best practices. If you’re looking to remain a
software dev, as much as it pains me, you may want to look into Leetcode,
Project Euler, TopCoder, etc and assess your skills.

If you aren’t married to being a dev, you might want to look into a product
management or business development role as those roles may better use your
experience

------
grayed-down
In what part of the world do you live?

------
thirdreplicator
UserLeap would probably hire you.

------
auxten
Any work you did on GitHub?

------
p1esk
Move to bay area and join an early stage startup, either as a cofounder or as
a first engineer.

~~~
perfect_loop
I'm financially ruined at this point so a move to bay area would be a little
difficult for me. Oddly enough, I'm still passionate about startups so this
might actually work for me if I can find a way to finance it!

~~~
nostrademons
Join a funded startup that's growing quickly. These (supposedly) pay market
rate salaries (although "market rate" is rather skewed in the Bay Area these
days...it probably won't be FAANG-like). They're also always looking for
people, and they have an immediate market for every feature they put out
(which can be a big help in avoiding the burnout/depression that comes with a
failed startup), and your financial outcomes on average are usually better
than with early-stage pre-product-market-fit startups.

~~~
perfect_loop
That's great advice. Thanks a lot :)

------
smallgovt
I shut down my first major startup at 28 after 6 years of back-breaking work.
In the process, I raised $xx million, experienced the highest highs and the
lowest lows. I was devastated and burnt out, and it took a long time to fully
process everything and move on.

It's great that you're planning out your next steps now. Finding a decent-
paying job to make ends meet is first priority. From what you've revealed in
this thread, I'm confident you'll figure something out quickly.

Eventually, after the stress from shutting down the company and finding a new
job dies down, you'll have time to do some serious reflecting on what's come
to pass. It doesn't sound like you're at that stage yet, but here's some
advice when you reach it:

1) Recognize What Was Lost

Don't get stuck in denial. Be honest with yourself about what you've lost, and
don't try to trivialize it (yet). Perhaps you had giant hopes and dreams and
they were crushed. Perhaps you feel like shit because you didn't meet your
goals. Whatever it is, lay it out and don't hold back.

2) Recognize What You've Gained

We tend to lose sight of the positives during a time of crisis/failure, but
trust me, even if you can't see them right now, they exist :). Being the
founder of a startup is one of the highest pressure jobs you can ask for. That
pressure can feel like shit sometimes, but it also forces you to grow. That
growth is valuable, in and of itself. Perhaps you grew your engineering skill
set. Perhaps you became a savier business person. And, perhaps there were
tangible assets or friendships that you gained -- those count too.

3) Honestly Assess the Situation

One thing I hate more than anything else is when people say "I wouldn't have
chosen it any other way". Fuck that haha. The stress of shutting down a
company and operating in close-to-failure mode sucks! Running a wildly
successful company would have been much preferred.

That said, also be honest about how it's not all bad. You grew as a person and
there are lessons you learned (or can learn) from the experience. And, you
have an awesome story to tell one day :).

Don't label yourself as a failure. Your company was a failure. You failed to
achieve your goal. You are not a failure.

4) Recalibrate Your Values and Move Forward

So, why are YOU not a failure? To answer this question, you have to take a
hard look at your personal values. What do you think is important in life?
What are you chasing after?

To me, values are the measuring sticks by which people quantify success in
life. Whether or not we realize it, we constantly measure our actions against
our values, and how we 'measure up' determines our self-worth.

If what you value most in life is being a successful founder, you are gonna
feel like shit!

But, what if what you value most in life is becoming the best version of
yourself OR acting with integrity OR contributing postiviely to society?

In my opinion, there's no such thing as 'good' or 'bad' values, but some
values sure are hard to live up to (primarily because they're largely outside
our control). The good thing is you can change your values to make sure they
realistically align with your life.

If your values are straight, you're ready to move forward. Take some time off
if you need it to completely unwind. The motivation will come back with time
-- it's only human to have drive. Good luck!

------
RantyDave
Yeah, you'll be fine.

------
crawfordcomeaux
Retire from capitalism and join a gift economy. We're starting to build one
and are currently coordinating via Facebook while we find a better fitting
platform. We're literally days into this.
[https://m.facebook.com/groups/416107742551498?multi_permalin...](https://m.facebook.com/groups/416107742551498?multi_permalinks=417817402380532%2C417794149049524&notif_t=group_activity&notif_id=1552544504430287&ref=m_notif)

Would you be interested in helping build a platform where people help each
other meet needs through giving?

~~~
johnsimer
not that we need to start a economic/political discussion here, but I wanted
to give my two cents in the <1% chance it adds some value to your idea:

I (and many other people) think that because money (and capitalism as a whole)
is more liquid than a barter economy, that it provides much more value to
society than a barter economy.

It's just so much smoother to allocate resources with money. You don't have to
do a receiver to giver search every time you want to exchange a
service/product, and rather can create close to zero cost exchange through the
technology that is known as money.

~~~
crawfordcomeaux
To be clear, I'm referring to a giving economy. Bartering/exchange isn't free
giving...it's giving with an expectation/obligation for a return gift.

We're going to try the money-less route, first, to see how things go &
possibly bring in money down the line. The main issue is many people have
developed really deeply entrenched scarcity mindsets when dealing with money,
so providing a money-free economy of free giving can serve as a space for
people to operate free from triggering their scarcity.

Having written that, I realize I just made a case for allowing money because
some people have a need to learn how to freely engage with money. For me, my
desired strategy for dealing with my triggers is to practice triggering myself
and disentangling the trigger to find its root & heal it (usually by modifying
my beliefs). That would mean having a safe place to practice using it, like in
a gift economy.

Thanks so much for your comment! We hit the <1%!! I recently started healing
my relationship with money & I think this'll be a great way for me to create a
healing playground for money.

As for the giver search, I don't think the design is going to require so much
interaction. I'm applying a new theory of mindful design to it, which is about
respecting attention, being mindfully usable, preserves connection, and
responsibly uses emotions. The site is meant to require as little attention to
it as possible to be useful, so when you make a request, bots take over to get
things moving. Or so I imagine. That's just one thought; the project idea's
days old. Besides, when gifts are given freely, things can move really
smoothly.

