

The called shot: I'm retiring in 3 months - baberuth
http://baberuth.posterous.com/retirement-in-3-months

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trickjarrett
It's not an impossible dream, but if Vegas allowed me to, I'd put a large bet
against you.

Not because I don't think it won't happen. But your timeline is far too short
to grow the audiences you'll need on whatever app(s) you create.

~~~
baberuth
And I'd support your bet as the rational move.

I currently have zero web income, but a few half baked projects. I'd bet
against me from scratch too, but I'm hoping I can turn partial projects into
profit quickly.

I'm going to be very transparent about what I have and my plans on the blog.
If after we have the same information, you want to make a small bet against
me, I'd consider taking the other side (I'd want odds). It's doubling down,
but I want to put my money where my mouth is.

~~~
trickjarrett
I respect the hell out of you for it. What you're doing is going to be tough,
and you know it.

I haven't taken that leap yet, I keep collecting app and site ideas, but my
normal day job hasn't reached a point where I need to take that leap.

We'll see how you do and whether or not a bet would be placed, I look forward
to following your journey.

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iterationx
Stating your goals makes it less likely for you to achieve them, because you
get the praise and ego boost at the wrong time. There's probably a better link
than this weird blog, but it has the info :
[http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/12/all_talk_and_...](http://www.burnthefatblog.com/archives/2010/12/all_talk_and_no_action.php)

~~~
baberuth
Derek Sivers said the same in a post called 'keep your goals to yourself' at I
read here before.

There's certainly some truth to it.

I failed in secrecy before though, so Im giving transparency a shot.

I am also hoping that it will help me connect with people who can help me make
it happen.

Edit: The post was called zip it - <http://sivers.org/> There's a TED Talk -
[http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_you...](http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_keep_your_goals_to_yourself.html)

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baberuth
Yes it sounds ridiculous, but I'm going to work as hell and make it happen.

You should be skeptical, and if you were saying it, I would be too. Naysayers,
I'll see you in 3 months.

~~~
icey
You're using an anonymous account, what do you really have to lose by making
bombastic predictions?

Nobody's going to say anything in 3 months because they'll have forgotten
completely about this post.

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callmeed
I only clicked because I love baseball, but it was an interesting post.

Here's the deal: how is what you're trying to do considered _retirement_? I'm
not aware of any web apps that require no maintenance, no customer support,
and no administrativa after 3 months. Sure, you can outsource some (maybe all)
of that, but you still have to manage the outsourcing.

Being location-independent isn't retirement. Neither is un-conventional
employment. If it's the Tim Ferris/4HWW lifestyle you're going for, fine–but
even he's not "retired".

I applaud you for setting a goal, learning from past mistakes, and being bold
about it. On the other hand, I boo you for bad semantics and possibly being a
little too bold.

~~~
mindcrime
_On the other hand, I boo you for bad semantics and possibly being a little
too bold._

I don't understand booing anybody for being too bold. But maybe that's just
me... I advocate being very bold and setting audacious goals. But I also
advocate crashing and burning while shooting for the stars, as opposed to
merely shooting for the hilltop and then quietly fading away. :-)

------
donpdonp
thats a wonderful set of guidelines for a startup. "Dont be secretive"
resonated with me. Keep source on a public github repo and keep notes in a
public wiki (doesn't have to be public-editable). An idea that can succeed for
you is something, from a very real point of view, that only you can do. Your
set of skills and resources is a competitive advantage if they can be
leveraged enough. So share the idea, let it develop in other people's minds.
Watch and talk to groups doing similar projects.

Another maxim is "Implementation is more important than idea". Diapers.com is
my inspiration for this. One might say, "Another retail outlet on the web?
Boring, laughable, amazon.com is already there", but they implemented so well
on a boring, obvious idea, that they rocketed into their particular niche and
were acquired by Amazon.

------
mikerhoads
Worked for Babe Ruth, didn't work for this year's New York Jets. I'm rooting
for you.

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edw519
Strange post. All he talks about is himself. I would think that the second
time around would include at least a passing reference about his
customers/users and how what he is building will benefit them. I wonder if
he's learned anything at all.

~~~
baberuth
edw519, that post was a bit self centered.

To be honest, failing hard made me learn mostly about me, especially my own
personal shortcomings.

I didn't _have_ users Round 1.

I understand that it won't ever be a startup without users, but the last
journey was very personal.

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georgieporgie
I appreciated this post. Yes, it was a bit self-obsessed, but I found value in
reading about someone else working through similar issues. Constantly reading
about, "how I made x successful" can increase personal frustration and push
vicious cycles further.

 _Ignore distraction. My natural tendency is to idea hop to the next shiny
object _real_ fast. I want to know about everything and I can't help but
listen in on interesting conversations. I read links that really shouldn't
interest me at all._

I think that's the universal bane of the software guy right now. We want to
take in everything to stay up-to-date and at the edge, but by doing so we
actually let our skills (technical and time-management) slide.

