
Ask HN: Oops, I just sold my startup to a piano company. Now what?  - dangrover
So the last time I relied on you for advice was 1394 days ago, according to this: http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=134685<p>Since then, I worked at a few startups, dropped out of school, started a successful Mac app business, and ended up spinning off a music publishing platform for the iPad that was doing very well until I ran into a legal issue.<p>So I exited earlier than I would have liked:<p>http://steinway.com/news/press-releases/steinway-sons-debuts-etude-20-ipad-app-for-learning-and-playing-piano/<p>The heart of the matter was that I signed a bad contract with someone who was supposed to get music deals for me. With the contract in place, it limited my options for continuing to bootstrap, taking funding, or getting acquired by a few of the companies I was talking with. Except for Steinway, which found a way to work with me.<p>So I moved from SF to New York, I brought in a team, we transitioned the app over, built one of the first sheet music stores for the iPad, and released a new version of the app I'm really happy with.<p>If you're curious, you can try it for free at: http://etudeapp.com<p>With the app transitioned and my legal matter finally settled, we've set a date for me to leave the company. I'm excited, but a little terrified.<p>Since the time I sold, I have many times the resources/runway I had before, and I'm a good deal more mature and in much better shape. The odds are waaay better, so I ought to just hang out and see what I come up with, right?<p>But for whatever reason, after spending about 2-3 years pursuing a single idea so passionately, I'm pretty burned out, and I'm not quite ready to start something new yet. I'm not excited about any of my other ideas to the degree I was with Etude, and I'm having trouble seeing what to do now. I feel like I've reached a local maximum, and I need to go work with other people and see what kind of ideas they're into.<p>I'd really like to do an incubator like YC, since having decent advisors would have prevented me from running into the trouble I did before. But it's not the right time, and I'm (so far) a single founder.<p>So I went and interviewed at a bunch of places in New York (since I'm stuck for at least a little while). People seemed to like what I'd done and I got a few offers from some good companies, traditional and startup.<p>I don't really <i>need</i> a gig, but I figured I'd see what I could get. But the thing that bugs me about this is that nobody seems to think that I'm anything more than a code monkey. They don't realize that, in addition to engineering, I actually started something new, managed the product, a whole team, did a fair bit of design, promotion/press, successfully exited, all sorts of stuff that doesn't really fall under "Objective-C developer." Not exactly covered in the Stanford course. I'm not usually so arrogant, but it's frustrating.<p>For some reason, the logic on the east coast, and even in a lot of SV is, "If you <i>can</i> code, then you can <i>only</i> code. Forever."<p>I'm returning to San Francisco for a week just to meet up with some old friends and escape the cold later this month. Hoping that will help me.<p>But what should a person who wants to take a break and get some broader experience but is tainted with an engineering background do? Is the only option for me to just suck it up, gather the courage, and commit to striking it on my own with  another idea? Have any of you ever been at a similar crossroads after exiting something?
======
breckinloggins
If you don't mind me saying, it sounds to me like you've come into more money
and success than you've ever had and now you're feeling guilty about it. You
SEE yourself as a guy who works and creates stuff, not a capitalist on a
yacht; but, when you glance at your accounts, your mind is telling you that
you are, in fact, a fat capitalist on a yacht telling everyone down below to
row.

This is creating guilt and cognitive dissonance.

But that isn't you. The amount of zeroes on a bank statement does not a man
make. The reason you went out looking for jobs even though you didn't need
them is not because you were bored. It's because you wanted to convince others
(yourself, really) that you haven't let success go to your head.

Well, I can tell by your post that you haven't let it go to your head. And you
know what, it probably won't. Those people who get rich and then turn into
complete douche-nozzles... guess what? They were douche-nozzles to begin with!
Money tends to amplify one's personality, not alter it.

So relax!

Give yourself permission to:

\- Buy that car or boat or whatever you've always wanted. Just keep the Tercel
;-)

\- Travel, explore, learn, teach, whatever. If money is no object, the first
thing I'd love to do is drive trucks for 6 months or so. The next thing would
be to get my PhD. Do what you've always wanted to do if you didn't have to
work... because you don't.

\- Create! Use your coding skills for yourself. If you don't have the urge to
write code, don't. But if you do, don't worry if it doesn't have a market or
an exit strategy, just write it and feel good. Share it. You'll enjoy it
again.

Bottom line: you have worked hard, developed a great product, saw it through
to a nice exit, and are in a position to enjoy the fruits of your success. We
at HN hereby give you permission to do so ;-)

~~~
akulbe
I would say he should keep his toes wet… dabble with some small pet project,
or something to keep his skills sharp. Or even learn a new tech. Just don't
let your skills go dull, while you're living it up… but _definitely_ enjoy the
fruits of your labor!

~~~
jtheory
Take a break, do little projects & kick around for a bit, and contact
interesting-looking companies about jobs occasionally... but don't jump for
anything serious until you feel genuinely excited about it.

Give that part of your brain/spirit time to recover. As much time as it really
needs, if you can afford it.

All that said, if you're interested into a side project that falls squarely
into your line of experience, I have an interactive music site that needs
rethinking and that's getting more & more requests on UserVoice for
iPhone/iPad apps; I also have my own brainstorming on how to transform it into
something really useful:

<http://emusictheory.com> <http://eMusicTheory.uservoice.com>
<http://brainpool.emusictheory.com>

If any of these ideas strike your fancy (or if you just feel like offering
advice), my contact info is in my profile.

------
eykanal
Regarding the comment you received of "If you can code, then you can only
code. Forever.", you need to work on your own branding. If people are getting
that impression of you, it's likely because that's the part of your work that
you most focused on when originally speaking with them, intentionally or
unintentionally. It's up to YOU to set what your public image is.

Case in point: I recently graduated from grad school with a PhD in biomedical
engineering. I had known all along that I wasn't a competitive candidate for
employment in the BioE industry for a number of years, and I had always
dreaded having to find a job as one. However, through a stroke of coincidence,
I landed a very short-term job as a data scientist, and I realized that my
marketing myself as a "BioE" simply because that was my degree was only
hurting myself. I completely changed my resume--still entirely true, but
focusing on different skills and directed to a different audience--and applied
to different positions. I'm now working for a large bank as a quantitative
analyst, and I'm enjoying it tremendously.

If you go in speaking about how you designed and managed a website, people
will see you as a code monkey. If you go in talking about how you came up with
a business model, raised funding, managed numerous teams of developers and
supporting staff, and eventually sold the company for a profit, I imagine that
conversations would go a lot differently.

~~~
stonerri
^^ What he said.

------
aaronwhite
If you don't need the money, take time off. When I left the last startup I co-
founded, I decided to set an arbitrary "1 whole year" date, during which time
I would explore my own projects, hear about other peoples new ideas, and talk
to existing larger startups (Dropbox, etc). But I wouldn't allow myself to
commit to anything until about a year was over. It's too easy to be come
enamored w/ half-baked ideas, and I wanted to make sure the next one was
meaningful and had a high probability of success. Long story short, I learned
a ton during that year, turned down some great options, and eventually chose
the BEST of all possible options. (Starting a meaningful company w/ killer co-
founders, gaining traction, and having a blast)

If you have the chance, give yourself the space! It'll be worth it.

------
zyphlar
Also, as an entrepreneur you've officially graduated beyond the
resume/interview/application process. The only people who fully appreciate
those entrepreneurial skills are other business owners and executives; if you
come in and ask me for a job coding awesome stuff, I'm mostly going to care
about your code skill because someone else is handling the promotion, design,
and management.

Of course you could work in a small business where having lots of diverse
skills is valued, but you'll probably be vastly underpaid and overworked.

Sounds like you want to be appreciated though. Offer to work for free! If you
don't need the money, help someone you identify with. Give back, pay it
forward, whatever. You'll have a great time, learn a lot, and make new friends
for whatever happens next.

------
joshu
You need to take a long break. At least six months. I did this after my yahoo
term was up and I needed it.

~~~
j45
What does 6 months do vs say a month?

Genuinely curious, thanks

~~~
mindviews
It gives you time for genuine discovery. Burn out, if you've ever experienced
it, is not about exhaustion. It comes from forcing yourself in one direction
so long that you forget all of the other things that are fulfilling to you. It
takes time for all of those old desires to percolate up to the surface where
you can recognize them now that you're no longer focused on that one thing. A
month is great if you're balanced but exhausted and need a vacation since
you're not trying to change your thinking habits. It just takes longer to
recover from burn out because changing your state of mind is exactly the
point.

~~~
tsantero
I just resigned from a 4 year stint in the finance industry--not exactly a
startup, but the same elements of meritocracy and self-driven achievement were
involved in creating the tunnel vision most here, especially the OP, might
appreciate.

The result: I have been left with more "free"/me time over the past 2 months
than I can remember. The first 1-2 weeks I slept in till about 11am most
everyday, due to sheer exhaustion coupled with the fact that I didn't HAVE to
be up and alert for anything/anybody. Since then I have been rekindling old
passions and finding a new appreciation for so many things I'd forgotten in
the course of my work. I can only hope in the future--when I move on to my
next project/job/career---I don't take so many things for granted.

------
a_a_r_o_n
People see you as a coder because they're hiring a coder. They're not prepared
to see anything except what they're focusing on. If you don't want to be seen
as a coder, don't go to those interviews.

Take some time off. You'll come up with ideas about your work and life that
would never happen if you were head down leading a specific life and working
on a specific thing. Let your mind wander. We have ideas overnight and in the
shower because our brains are wired to take advantage of that.

------
solutionyogi
Dan, I am really surprised that anyone would treat you as code monkey.

I think you should get in touch with Patrick (patio11) and Thomas (tptacek)
and get some tips on you how can pitch yourself better.

And yes, as a piano beginner, I love your app. :)

~~~
niels_olson
I'm learning piano along with my son. We have been using a mix of software and
hardware for the last year, mainly Synthesia and a little Piano Booster. His
first lesson is tonight, we're interviewing teachers for the next couple
weeks. My question for you: does Etude support a midi controller via the ipad
camera kit? Or is it just the sheet music, detached from any external inputs?
The app page says nothing about this issue.

~~~
sc00ter
OT: Tonara may be of interest. It "listens" to your playing through the iPad
mic, and marks your position in the score, and turns the "pages" accordingly.

It doesn't have anywhere near the breadth of scores that Etude does, but
there's enough to get started with.

[http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/12/tonara-ipads-app-looks-
to-r...](http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/12/tonara-ipads-app-looks-to-reinvent-
sheet-music-for-the-digital-age/)

------
keiferski
Read the classics. Learn how to paint/draw/sculpt. Travel to random places.
Keep a journal on what you want to do with your future.

After a few years of the above, you should have a much better idea as to what
you want. Jumping from one intense startup to another (or into a random job)
won't give you time to sit back and reflect.

------
yan
Dan, I remember seeing your story those 1394 days ago (only to join a few days
later) and it's amazing to see what you've accomplished.

I've been working on trying to get out and do other interesting things around
that aren't tech-related, mostly outdoor and alpine-related. NY area isn't
exactly the outdoor paradise that some other places are, but I'm working on
getting some like-minded people together to get away from the glare of
displays. Get in touch with me if you're interested.

edit: If anyone else is interested, please feel free to get in touch.

~~~
chernevik
NYC has outdoor opportunities, but they require car range of about 4-6 hours
and some planning. Tough for people with families, but you kids go have fun.

White Mountains -- are only 4-6 hours away -- gorgeous, and above tree line.
Great hiking. People cross-country ski there, don't myself know much about
that bit.

Catskills -- IANA Rock Climber but I've _heard_ there are great walls in
there, and in the "Gunks". </rumor>

Kayaking -- A lot of water around here, I imagine kayaking (fresh & sea)
opportunities can found. Not much white water, I'd guess, but Great Falls is
renowned and DC is only four hours away.

------
rokhayakebe
1) Start advising small time entrepreneurs full time. Full time. You can join
an incubator and do this, or you can simply do it alone.

2) When you are ready to do another startup you will just know it.

Edit: We spend our lifetime surviving, catching up, trying to make it. Once we
make it, we realize that we never learned how to just live.

~~~
twelvedigits
My suggestion is identical to #1 here.

------
roguecoder
Have you looked around Boston? I haven't seen as much of that attitude here,
including in my own company. Otherwise I'd be in trouble ;-) At least, I
suggest not taking NYC as representative of the entire East Coast.

As for suggestions, I'd say find a project you like working on and do it. I
hate writing code that will never be used, and find it much harder than
writing code to solve a need. However, that doesn't necessarily mean "a job":
there are lots of non-profits that have ideas for computer programs, open
source projects with bugs waiting or kids you might know who'd love a game
from Uncle Dan.

If you miss collaboration, try applying all the skills you developed with
regards to people and organization to building a for-fun project team. Look
around for teenagers who are bored: organize a robotics team or volunteer with
a summer technology program. Check out user groups and find non-employment-
related coding friends. Reach out to people who might not already be in nerd-y
spaces too; maybe you could start a during-school-hours meet up for stay at
home parents.

Just because you aren't working for money doesn't mean you can't contribute to
projects that will be used and have real-world value. Many of the programs we
use every day never made anyone a penny.

------
joshu
Also, drop me a line if you want to brainstorm or introductions.

------
dangrover
I should clarify: I neglected to mention that I've accepted a job at an agency
in NYC doing some (pretty cool) iOS projects. I'm not sure why I did that so
soon, given all I've said here, but I figured I'd give it a fair try, turn
around some projects for them, and see if it gives me new perspective.

They gave me a very strong offer and pitched me on the idea that some people
leave and come back, and that that's okay (within reason), so I think that's
what made the decision.

I posted this today not because I was thinking of skipping out, but because I
know that it's not the _real_ next step for me 1-2 years down the road, and I
could really benefit from the HN perspective. Thanks to everyone who has
posted their comments/contacted me!

------
jneal
Here's my advice. You don't have to have a new gig lined up immediately after
you leave your current one. Take a little bit of time off. You probably need a
little relaxation and little time to think and be creative again. I promise
you new ideas will come in due time. If people are looking for a developer,
and you have developer skills, they are going to hit you from that point and
ignore the rest. In due time you will gain that same passion you had before
but for a new idea and you'll be right back where you were only with a bunch
more experience than you had before so things can only get better.

------
sshumaker
Having weathered the autonomy of running your own company, you're probably no
longer going to be happy just writing code for someone else. In a way, running
a startup tends to ruin you as an employee.

Take a break. Meet with a lot of people, and see what they're working on.
After a while, one of them might click with you, or you can start
brainstorming and developing your own ideas. Try to look for a co-founder. And
if you'd like to do an incubator, consider applying to YC, as you yourself
suggested. They have batches twice a year, so you have plenty of time to
figure out what you'd like to work on next.

------
jballanc
A friend hit a rut a little while back. He had a few apps in the app store,
but wasn't advancing at his day job and couldn't quite get a team together for
a startup (I'm partly to blame there...). So, he moved.

To Nicaragua.

Now, he's gotten a group of friends and a couple of local college kids
together and he's developing an app to promote tourism in the area. Because of
the differences in standard of living, he's got a nicer place than before,
goes out for dinner with friends regularly, and is still managing to save a
bit. From our conversations, it seems like he's really enjoying the change of
pace and the different culture.

So, my recommendation would be to move. Far, far away. There has probably
never been a better time to be a programmer in a developing market. Brazil,
Argentina, Chille all seem to have rapidly growing developer communities.
India is still struggling to break out of being labeled "that place to
outsource stuff", and Russia, while significantly hampered by corruption, is
still managing to spawn a handful of tech startups. There is eastern
Europe/former Soviet republics, where I know a number of western Europe
startups are looking to expand to.

Finally, if none of the rest of that tickles your fancy, try Ushahidi:
<http://ushahidi.com/> . If you have enough money that you don't need to worry
about a specific salary, or if you are even wealthy enough to work for free,
these guys seems like they might just be able to change the world (or at least
Africa). Could be fun...

------
thaumaturgy
I went through something sort-of-kind-of similar almost ten years ago. I got a
good full-time job as a programmer/sysadmin before I was even out of high
school, moved across the country and got another job with a large corporation
where I became one of their lead techs while working on a few other projects
for them. I made more money than I knew what to do with and I should have been
happy.

But, I kept getting more and more unhappy instead, and finally decided that I
needed to do something really different. I decided that I'd had it too easy,
so I was going to set out to make life really hard for a while. (I had no idea
what I was getting myself into. All the same, I'd do it all over again even if
I knew.)

Anyway, I left the computer industry entirely, moved back across country,
tried to become a forest service ranger and ended up becoming a climbing
instructor after having a few other odd jobs. I was broke, but happy. I
returned to the tech industry several years later and now I'm much more
comfortable with it and well-balanced.

You have resources and you sound like you're a lot smarter than I was, so you
could probably do something similar without the kind of hardships I
experienced. If you're not sure of what you want to do next, then go out and
experience the world in a completely different way until you find the next
thing you want to do. Go and do things you've never done before, then come
back and start another company.

The main thing with this advice is just to make sure that you don't do nothing
-- make sure you keep pushing yourself to do something every day. But I doubt
that you'll really have that problem from the sounds of it.

------
roobeast
Take a year and go travel. Set aside an amount for a healthy runway when you
return, then you will have better clarity if you want to start something new
or go work on someone else's idea. There are many companies that segment the
workforce into "can code" and mba/product people. Try not to work for one of
those places. You can find someplace that values both skills in an individual
however it may take a while.

------
fowkswe
Sublet your apartment, go to South America (Beunos Aires) while its warm.
Drink coffee, eat steak and figure out your next move. More ideas will come.

------
andyleclair
I wish I had some advice for you, Dan, but I don't. I'm just leaving this
comment to say congrats to my old roommate. You're the man now, dog!

------
2pasc
Agree with most of the comments here - taking time off, traveling, getting
inspired again by things you like might be the best. Then you could consider
meeting people and seeing if you can help people out - as an advisor to get
your energy and ideas back to full mode. I would love to discuss with you
about your experience with the sheet music store for iPad - contact me if you
can

------
mahyarm
"If you can code, then you can only code. Forever."

There are sets of programmers complaining about being forced into management
if they want to progress any further with their career, so that is not
necessarily true.

I'd do a gap-year style explore the world if you've never done one. Go to all
of the major continents and regions, and don't stick only to the developed
countries. It will broaden your perspective.

------
kinkora
Firstly, Congrats! You're in a position that most of us can only dream of. :)

Ok, so now you need to pay attention to articles like this:

\- <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1383376>

\- <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2275643>

\- <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=398597>

\-
[http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/azgs6/iama_guy_who_sol...](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/azgs6/iama_guy_who_sold_his_startup_and_i_have_like_20m/?limit=500)

\- <http://philip.greenspun.com/materialism/early-retirement/>

\- [http://paulbuchheit.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-to-do-with-
you...](http://paulbuchheit.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-to-do-with-your-
millions.html)

Hope these articles were give you some insight. Again, congrats and lighten
up! There is more to life than working.

------
timdellinger
"They don't realize that, in addition to engineering, I actually..."

(1) If they don't realize those things, then you've written your resume and
cover letter all wrong, and you're selling yourself in interviews all wrong.
Even if you spent most of your time writing code, de-emphasize that aspect of
your accomplishments and sell the other aspects.

(2) Perhaps you're talking to the wrong "They", i.e. you're applying for the
wrong jobs.

(3) If you're looking to work for a company larger than your startup (which is
likely), then think about the parts of your work at the startup that you
enjoyed the most and want to do more of. In larger companies, people tend to
have roles that are more specialized instead of being jack-of-all-trades.
Pursue opportunities and market yourself around the specialty you want to do
more of. Tell people "I enjoyed doing X and was successful at it, and I really
want to develop my skills in that area."

------
mladenkovacevic
I wish I had your problems :) But actually as a "wanna-be" entrepreneur I am
probably more qualified to answer your question since I probably spend more
time than I should fantasizing about what I would do with my free time if I
somehow managed to escape the black-holeish gravitational pull of a 9-5.

In terms of my own goals I would try becoming better at things that I
currently don't have time to work on. And this of course is different for each
individual. Personally, I'd paint :)

I would also share my knowledge with whoever was willing to listen. The skills
and experience behind your success is something that I'm sure thousands of
less-experienced entrepreneurs would kill to have access to. Invariably you
will meet new people, hear new ideas, and this in itself should prove very
satisfying. It might even give you that extra bit of inspiration you need to
restart your own next big project.

------
bh42222
_I actually started something new, managed the product, a whole team, did a
fair bit of design, promotion/press, successfully exited, all sorts of stuff
that doesn't really fall under "Objective-C developer."_

You would be perfect for a startup where that skill and experience mix is
often desperately needed. But you are burned out. (Which is OK as long as you
don't stay burned out.)

So do you want to teach? Join something like Y combinator but as an advisor.
(Can you join without dropping most of your financial gain? Can you drop a big
chunk and still have enough left to be comfortable?)

How about go into a wildly different filed, something you have a kernel of
interest in but have never worked in, forest management, trapeze artists, C++
developer. (One of those suggestion was a joke.)

Or travel. (Just enjoy life for a while!)

------
stbullard
Have you considered working out of a coworking space for a while?

There are a ton here in NYC: most are single-founder friendly, treat engineers
like people, and provide exactly the kind of energetic atmosphere you say
you're looking for - and you might just run into an opportunity that interests
you.

~~~
eternalban
There is also a potential synergy with dangover's incubator idea.

dangover, quite impressed with your accomplishment. This is perhaps a wrong
headed idea (edit: but I would do it if I had your business and product
skills):

Take your (iOS/Obj-C) engineering, product development, business development,
and startup skills and experience, and combine them with your incubator idea.
There is a gap (and not a new one at that) that has many startups and even
established businesses in NYC feeling the pain, and that is finding and
keeping tech talent. An incubator that, for example, also provided a shared
framework for rolling out prototypes and 1st cut products, and had a core
staff of experienced engineers to triage, could crank things out, get the
products out in front of the customers, and then you can weed out the wheat
from the chaff.

All the best to you. Enjoy your well earned success.

------
jey
> But the thing that bugs me about this is that nobody seems to think that I'm
> anything more than a code monkey. They don't realize that, in addition to
> engineering, I actually started something new, managed the product, a whole
> team, did a fair bit of design, promotion/press, successfully exited, all
> sorts of stuff that doesn't really fall under "Objective-C developer." Not
> exactly covered in the Stanford course. I'm not usually so arrogant, but
> it's frustrating.

Do you market yourself that way? You have to tell people what they're supposed
to see you as, and then they'll decide whether it's true or if you're just
pulling their leg.

That said, I agree with the other posters and think you should definitely take
a break and allow yourself to drift into the next big thing.

~~~
dangrover
That's a good point. If there were some openings for "startup douche", I'd
apply to those. I think I'd be very qualified. :)

~~~
jey
Forgive me for playing psychologist, but I'm detecting a bit of insecurity.
You should internalize that you really are awesome & rare, as evidenced by the
fact that you single-handedly created a high-quality product and sold it.

Examples:

> I'm (so far) a single founder.

Doesn't matter, you have a great track record. Yes, it's better to have a good
team, so you should keep an eye out for teammates.

> nobody seems to think that I'm anything more than a code monkey

Sounds like maybe you haven't presented yourself as more than that to them.

> If there were some openings for "startup douche", I'd probably apply to
> those.

What's douchey about winning?

------
nitrogen
A digital sheet music app/store is something I dreamed of creating even before
the iPad was revealed (along with many other geek musicians, I'm sure).
Congrats on succeeding with the idea. Since there's not much value left in
keeping an already-executed idea to myself:

    
    
      May 13, 2008
    
      I want to make a piano music stand that integrates a 19" or 24"
      widescreen LCD with built-in sheet music display software.  This
      would allow a pianist to access a large library of music without
      having to store it all or risk damage to fragile printed music.
      This display could also be linked to a MIDI or other playback
      and recording system to evaluate the correctness of a
      performance, quickly transform a performance into printed music,
      or control the parameters of a synthesized piano.  The stand
      would be designed to accommodate printed music in front of the
      LCD display.  A reflective display from Pixel Qi would be the
      coolest, with more of a paper look.  It would be really cool to
      work with Bosendorfer to have the system integrated into their
      player pianos.
    
      The display could serve as a useful educational tool by grading
      performance as mentioned previously, by masking out parts of a
      piece to aid memorization, and by presenting
      video/animated/automated lessons to a student.  It could also
      include teleconferencing software/hardware to allow remote
      education.  If the piano includes a clutch to detach the keys
      from the hammers, it might be able to be used as a software
      synthesizer.
    
      The system could also be used to provide prerecorded or
      automatically generated accompaniment for a solo pianist.
    
    

_But what should a person who wants to take a break and get some broader
experience but is tainted with an engineering background do? Is the only
option for me to just suck it up, gather the courage, and commit to striking
it on my own with another idea? Have any of you ever been at a similar
crossroads after exiting something?_

Now... I almost never indulge in unprompted self promotion, but tongue-in-
cheek and at the risk of sounding like an overconfident idiot (heck, I _know_
this will make me sound like an idiot), you should work with me on my "big
idea": <http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/>.

------
jseims
I've been in your situation.

What worked for me is I just hacked on fun personal projects. Like "hmm,
that's a new API, let's try it out". I did it for fun, not to achieve a larger
goal.

And gradually ideas would pop up, like "now that works, I wonder what if I
also combined it with this..." and after a few months larger ideas started
coalescing.

Given that you've had some success, you probably should look for something
that resonates more strongly as "you're passionate about it" vs. "it can make
money".

And once you have an idea that could develop into a real product, all your
experience starting a company becomes highly valuable. Don't just be a code
monkey for someone else :)

------
geuis
Take a cooking class. Or buy a bunch of ingredients and just start playing.
For me, this works well because its an alternate way to be creative and lets
me work with my hands. Nice way to step back from coding all the time.

------
lazyBilly
I'm deeply skeptical of business types lately, which is why my buddies and I
started our own company, sans suits. Maybe finding another group of misfit
technicians would be more your speed. If you are interviewing for a job under
a biz-dev cat whose only useful purpose is going to meetings, doing high-level
idea and strategy work, and generally steering the boat, they're not going to
be structurally inclined to invite you to get up in their business. (Which is
where the real power in an organization lies, unfortunately.)

------
louhong
Dan, congrats, you've accomplished quite a bit. I'll echo what others are
saying and suggest taking an extended break to recharge. Visit some new places
and try some new thing but most importantly, I'd also suggest reinforcing your
existing relationships and to try to make some new ones. I've found that doing
so increases the amount of ideas and opportunities you'll have. Figure out
what your runway and burn rate is so that you're not pressured to just 'find
something'. best of luck!

------
chriseidhof
If you're going to travel, come to Europe! It can be really refreshing to get
to know some new cultures. There's so much to see here. I'll give you a tour
of Berlin if you're in the area. And I agree with the other people: take a
break. Don't feel guilty about not having goals for a few months or a year. In
the end, a high quality of life is very important for enjoying life, and if
you're going to start too quickly while not having recovered there are chances
you won't enjoy it.

~~~
petervandijck
If you're gonna travel, don't go to Europe. Different cultures? Go to
Asia/Africa.

------
13rules
Love your app! Purchased it a long time ago ... thought it was well polished
and easy to use. Not surprising that you got bought out!

I agree with the others that say take an _extended_ time off. Travel, read,
pursue some new hobbies, do some things you have always wanted to do, etc,
etc. Let your brain relax and enjoy life ... without a doubt that time spent
will lead to something great down the road. Something much better than if you
dive into something new right now.

Congrats again!

------
code_devil
If you are not hurting for money(which I doubt), I would suggest taking a nice
break, travel, pursue some other skills like new language(Spanish,
Portuguese), photography, cooking, volunteering, adventure sports. It will
recharge you and maybe along the path you will find some interesting problems
you could solve, for an instance a software solution for a problem that exists
in some foreign country but you dont see the same problem in US.

------
helen842000
I guess now it's time to commit to your own interests instead of forging
forward with your work commitments.

Re-learn to relax and be comfortable doing less than you were doing before.

Travel is good for that. So is a little time away from computers/information
overload. Regroup with friends. Cultivate some inner peace by tying up any
loose ends in other areas.

Congrats on your work so far it's time to enjoy the rewards of your hard work
even if it is sooner than you would have liked.

------
TYPE_FASTER
What kind of jobs are you applying to? Are you applying to be a product
manager then they start grilling you on code? The people want you to code is
because that's what they need. Look at what your resume is conveying and only
apply for positions you're really interested in. Try taking the specific
technical experience off your resume and submit it to a few positions.

------
lrobb
"... nobody seems to think that I'm anything more than a code monkey"

Are you talking to the wrong people?

I realized something similar when going through tech interviews with a company
(in a field I knew well) and none of the dev managers could tell me anything
about their products competitive landscape... The team leads were completely
unfamiliar with their competitor's features.

------
bry
"For some reason, the logic on the east coast, and even in a lot of SV is, 'If
you can code, then you can only code. Forever.'"

Unfortunately, that's not only an east coast thing. It seems to be related to
the size of the company. The larger the company, the more they seem to
feel/act that way :/

------
bryanh
If you have the runway, bum around. Take the time and enjoy it. Work on what
interests you. And don't let yourself be jerked around by some false
"engineering background" stigma, you are clearly a kick ass hacker. Hack away.
Good things will come (again).

------
astrodust
Go on a sabbatical. Don't just drive into something else without a chance to
decompress, learn from what you've just accomplished, and find a new direction
you can be just as passionate about.

How long does this take? Depends on your personality.

------
VuongN
Take a break. Volunteer your times and do things you wouldn't have done or
never had time to do before. Life is funny in that if you keep on walking,
you'll end up somewhere surprising :) Good luck.

------
petervandijck
A lot of the incubators/VC/.. would love to have you advice their companies.
Perhaps get connected with them and bring the idea up.

Good way to start is by giving some talks in the startup circuit.

------
jaequery
i was exactly in your shoes. i sold a company as a single founder and after i
sold it, it felt good and left a big void in my life that i tried to fill with
other new ideas but was never quite the same. i think part of this reason is
that, when you have a successful business, you know every little aspect of it
to the point that other businesses doesn't hit it to your heart. but once your
next business takes off, it'll be all the same. it's just a matter of time.

------
yurylifshits
Open a physical space, like coworking place or hacker community center.

It puts you at the center of community, gives you tons of new contacts and
entertains you a lot.

------
Aqua_Geek
> But what should a person who wants to take a break and get some broader
> experience [...] do?

What kind of broader experience are you looking for?

------
joshu
I'd love to hear more about the contract issues.

------
andrewfelix
Take a holiday bro. Grab a notebook(paper) and some nice pens and spend 2
weeks in a foreign country without any specific goals.

------
zachmayer
A break probably isn't a bad idea

------
billpatrianakos
Sounds to me like you already answered your own question. It also sounds like
you might be second guessing yourself and need some reassurance. That's
alright, we're only human.

If I were you, I'd take a good long break. Regroup for a third of it and
relax. Then do some solo tinkering and see if anything gets you excited. Maybe
you'll want to go another round with a new business at that point, maybe not.

Join another team only if you think you can handle not being the top dog. Make
sure that whatever position you get, you're happy with the amount of control
you have while still keeping in mind that this is someone else's baby you're
caring for now. If all that's a good fit and agreeable then continue on that
path. If not, do your own thing.

As for being type-cast as Engineer-Only, well, it's tricky... maybe you should
leave out the part where you know how to code. You don't have to tell people
you're a programmer right away. Get into the area of the business you'd like
most before mentioning your other skills. Definitely mention your other
skills, just not right off the bat.

Other than that I'd say congratulations, you seem like you're doing very well
and have luxuries that a lot of us (me too) are striving for. It's awesome to
see people like you who want to keep going round after round in
entrepreneurship. Its people like you who prove that when you something out of
love, not money, you truly succeed. Hopefully I helped. Good luck to you!

------
iamgilesbowkett
I'll add my voice to the "take a break" chorus. On the marketing problem --
people seeing you as a code monkey -- you could look for product development
or project management jobs, and say "oh yes btw also I can code," but you're
better off filing that away for future reference and travelling for a while.
It's good to have a life!

