
Thoughts on Startups - terpua
http://paulstamatiou.com/2008/02/26/thoughts-on-startups
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edw519
Opportunity cost? Terrible argument. If you even let yourself think about
this, you'd never do anything.

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PStamatiou
I bring in that for reasons why most people don't think about starting a
startup. My argument is entirely against that.

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edw519
Yes, we agree. Lots of good reasons for not starting a startup. That isn't one
of them.

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PStamatiou
Care to explain your reasoning?

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edw519
This kinda reminds me of the old argument that Bill Gates earns so quickly,
that he'd be wasting his time if he bent over to pick up a $100 dollar bill.

I remember the first time I got a billing rate of over $100/hour. I literally
stopped fixing food in my kitchen and started buying carry out food so that I
could bill more hours. If I save $8/hour cooking but lose $100/hour because
I'm in my kitchen instead of my office, then I'm effectively LOSING $92/hour.
Can't have that.

So I started changing other things. Dry cleaning instead of laundry. Got a
maid instead of cleaning my own office. Even cut my hair short to save 3
minutes in the shower.

Starting to see how easy it is to get carried away with the "opportunity cost"
argument?

What's the worst thing you could possibility do? Anything that takes time
without earning. Which is EXACTLY what happens in an early stage startup.
That's why I simply can't let myself revert to that kind of thinking.

If accountants ran the world, we'd still be riding horses to work.

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martianpenguin
I think that's the same point the article makes... If you worry about
opportunity cost... then you aren't going to want to join a start up.

Did you even read the article?

