I started, boostrapped and sold a SaaS business.
By most standards, this was a resounding success. I won't have to work again ever if I don't want to. This being my first company, I was obsessed with it. Towards the end, I burnt myself out, I had neglected my wife and kids for years, and I was just so miserable. I used to love programming, but I could not concentrate anymore. I started developing resentment against the entitlement of the software engineers I would hire. My heart was broken every time I would read articles/comments on HN about how working for a start up is a scam that only benefits the founders.
It was time to get out. I was lucky that I sold in 2021, when the multiples were higher than ever. But I have lost my marriage along the way, and I have definitely lost a few years of life expectancy.
I really wonder if it was really all worth it. I know at the end of the day though I had to go through that. I had to see it with my own eyes.
In the end, things worked out for me. I can't even fathom how I would feel if the whole thing had failed. I really came to the conclusion that most of the time, starting a company is for suckers.
By most standards, this was a resounding success. I won't have to work again ever if I don't want to. This being my first company, I was obsessed with it. Towards the end, I burnt myself out, I had neglected my wife and kids for years, and I was just so miserable. I used to love programming, but I could not concentrate anymore. I started developing resentment against the entitlement of the software engineers I would hire. My heart was broken every time I would read articles/comments on HN about how working for a start up is a scam that only benefits the founders.
It was time to get out. I was lucky that I sold in 2021, when the multiples were higher than ever. But I have lost my marriage along the way, and I have definitely lost a few years of life expectancy.
I really wonder if it was really all worth it. I know at the end of the day though I had to go through that. I had to see it with my own eyes.
In the end, things worked out for me. I can't even fathom how I would feel if the whole thing had failed. I really came to the conclusion that most of the time, starting a company is for suckers.