This is a good* resource. We should have more of these.
I wouldn't mind having an app with a stream of these which pop-up notification on my desktop: notification of failed dreams.
Because they are many - a lot more than in that list. And there will be a lot more of them in the future.
For every startup success story, there are about 9 silent tales of shattered hopes, financial ruin, depression and even suicides.
Success stories are so shiny an bright, that all the smart 20-somethings are blinded by them - and why not - who doesn't want to be a billionaire ?
The theme is always the same.
A really cool idea - which will totally transform, disrupt, reinvent and reimagine the world and will forever change it for the better.
Your heart beats faster, you're full of enthusiasm, you're obsessed, you talk to everybody and you infect others with your enthusiasm. They come on board, you find money, then the coding starts.
It's so fun and cool - you're on that path - you're an actual startup - the coolest thing you can do with your life - sacrifice a bit of yourself for a huge payout sometime in the nearest future.
And so you put in days and nights, you replace food with caffeine, sleep with debugging sessions. You ignore the wisdom of others, because they're not you - you can do it better, you will prove it in the end.
And then, suddenly, after so much work, your main coder drops the bomb that he's accepted a job at XYZ.
You now have little money, no users and a repository full of spaghetti which only your coder understands. You need to launch fast. You use duct tape and saliva to keep everything from falling apart.
And...... You launch! Version 0.1 beta. Then 0.2 beta. Then 0.3 beta.
You have 231 users after two weeks. 0.4 beta. 0.5 beta. Two months in and you've still less than 500 users.
According to your business plan, you're short about 49500 users by now.
More Red Bulls, it's 3 o'clock in the morning again, when did I sleep last time ? The fucking thing still crashes. Where's everyone ?
Your mother calls.
"I'm fine, mom. Everyting's fine.". She knows you aren't, it breaks her heart, she tears up.
You can still do it. Look at XYZ - they've been through worse and they made it. Never give up. Never give up. Rent is due next week. Jack doesn't show up to work and doesn't answer his phone.
He's burned out and he's had it, he's leaving.
I can still do it alone, I just need to re-write the whole thing and it will be much better. How long could it take ?
You're in denial, but reality knocks on your door. It's time to move out.
You've failed. You're not good enough. You disappointed everyone and yourself. You're not built for this. You will never make it.
You lock yourself in your room for weeks. You put on weight. Days are nights are days are nights are...
Your girlfriend wants to really talk about something. She can't take it anymore. Fine, we split up. Maybe it was because of her anyway...
Depression kicks in. The dark place. The 'there's no escape' place. The 'i'm worthless' place. The 'I'm a failure place'. The shame, the guilt. The disappointment.
The place were all failed people go. By now, you should have been having an IPO, rubbing shoulders with the big guys. Instead, you're in that place - the silent place, the place nobody wants to talk about.
You will be there for a couple of months, maybe years, before you recover. Or you'll swallow your guilt and get a job. Any job.
Maybe in another city, maybe in another country.
And then things fade, life gets better, you meet another girl, you fall in love, you recover.
You're good again. You have energy. You have power. Your mind is energized.
And then ... the coooolest idea in the world pops up in your head. If you don't do it, who will ?
This time you know better. You've learned from all the mistakes of the past. This time will be different.
This time you'll make it... You've got a 10% chance.
Because they are many - a lot more than in that list. And there will be a lot more of them in the future.
For every startup success story, there are about 9 silent tales of shattered hopes, financial ruin, depression and even suicides.
Success stories are so shiny an bright, that all the smart 20-somethings are blinded by them - and why not - who doesn't want to be a billionaire ?
The theme is always the same.
A really cool idea - which will totally transform, disrupt, reinvent and reimagine the world and will forever change it for the better.
Your heart beats faster, you're full of enthusiasm, you're obsessed, you talk to everybody and you infect others with your enthusiasm. They come on board, you find money, then the coding starts.
It's so fun and cool - you're on that path - you're an actual startup - the coolest thing you can do with your life - sacrifice a bit of yourself for a huge payout sometime in the nearest future.
And so you put in days and nights, you replace food with caffeine, sleep with debugging sessions. You ignore the wisdom of others, because they're not you - you can do it better, you will prove it in the end.
And then, suddenly, after so much work, your main coder drops the bomb that he's accepted a job at XYZ.
You now have little money, no users and a repository full of spaghetti which only your coder understands. You need to launch fast. You use duct tape and saliva to keep everything from falling apart.
And...... You launch! Version 0.1 beta. Then 0.2 beta. Then 0.3 beta. You have 231 users after two weeks. 0.4 beta. 0.5 beta. Two months in and you've still less than 500 users. According to your business plan, you're short about 49500 users by now.
More Red Bulls, it's 3 o'clock in the morning again, when did I sleep last time ? The fucking thing still crashes. Where's everyone ?
Your mother calls. "I'm fine, mom. Everyting's fine.". She knows you aren't, it breaks her heart, she tears up.
You can still do it. Look at XYZ - they've been through worse and they made it. Never give up. Never give up. Rent is due next week. Jack doesn't show up to work and doesn't answer his phone. He's burned out and he's had it, he's leaving.
I can still do it alone, I just need to re-write the whole thing and it will be much better. How long could it take ?
You're in denial, but reality knocks on your door. It's time to move out.
You've failed. You're not good enough. You disappointed everyone and yourself. You're not built for this. You will never make it. You lock yourself in your room for weeks. You put on weight. Days are nights are days are nights are...
Your girlfriend wants to really talk about something. She can't take it anymore. Fine, we split up. Maybe it was because of her anyway...
Depression kicks in. The dark place. The 'there's no escape' place. The 'i'm worthless' place. The 'I'm a failure place'. The shame, the guilt. The disappointment.
The place were all failed people go. By now, you should have been having an IPO, rubbing shoulders with the big guys. Instead, you're in that place - the silent place, the place nobody wants to talk about.
You will be there for a couple of months, maybe years, before you recover. Or you'll swallow your guilt and get a job. Any job. Maybe in another city, maybe in another country.
And then things fade, life gets better, you meet another girl, you fall in love, you recover. You're good again. You have energy. You have power. Your mind is energized.
And then ... the coooolest idea in the world pops up in your head. If you don't do it, who will ? This time you know better. You've learned from all the mistakes of the past. This time will be different.
This time you'll make it... You've got a 10% chance.