1️⃣ Stop telling people to follow their dreams.
Let's talk about the realities of building a dream, shall we? ✅
A thread 👇
Let's talk about the realities of building a dream, shall we? ✅
A thread 👇
2️⃣
✅ "I quit my job to follow my dreams,
✅ maxed out my credit card,
✅ slept on my Aunt’s couch,
✅ ate nothing but ramen,
✅ then, one day, I got backed by investors and now I’m worth millions… blah blah blah." 💰
We’ve been sold a rather unhealthy path to success.
✅ "I quit my job to follow my dreams,
✅ maxed out my credit card,
✅ slept on my Aunt’s couch,
✅ ate nothing but ramen,
✅ then, one day, I got backed by investors and now I’m worth millions… blah blah blah." 💰
We’ve been sold a rather unhealthy path to success.
3️⃣ It's true, though:
If you're building a startup, sooner or later a deep-pocket investor will come knocking with a big bag of gold 💰 and you’ll have a tough choice to make:
MONEY or FREEDOM?
If you're building a startup, sooner or later a deep-pocket investor will come knocking with a big bag of gold 💰 and you’ll have a tough choice to make:
MONEY or FREEDOM?
4️⃣ Startup media loves to celebrate MONEY. They love overnight success.
They won't talk about founders who get kicked out by investors & ego-wars.
They won't write about the depression entrepreneurs go through.
But perhaps there’s another option that won’t almost kill you?
They won't talk about founders who get kicked out by investors & ego-wars.
They won't write about the depression entrepreneurs go through.
But perhaps there’s another option that won’t almost kill you?
5️⃣ Take me as an example. I took an alternative path.
This path led me to build @JotForm to almost 4 million users in one of the most competitive industries around: online forms.
Even Google Forms stepped into the ring and remains one of our toughest competitors.
This path led me to build @JotForm to almost 4 million users in one of the most competitive industries around: online forms.
Even Google Forms stepped into the ring and remains one of our toughest competitors.
6️⃣ But I didn't quit my job to follow my dreams.
Instead, keeping my day job until my product was profitable allowed me to build @JotForm without a single dime in outside funding.
I chose freedom over investor money. TechCrunch never wrote about us.
Instead, keeping my day job until my product was profitable allowed me to build @JotForm without a single dime in outside funding.
I chose freedom over investor money. TechCrunch never wrote about us.
7️⃣ I wrote about how not following my dreams enabled me to build JotForm to where it is today: medium.com/swlh/how-not-f…
8️⃣ People want me to talk about passion & dreams.
The truth is, I've never been super passionate about building forms.
I just showed up and put in the work every single day over the last 12 years while I watched countless competitors enter & leave our market.
The truth is, I've never been super passionate about building forms.
I just showed up and put in the work every single day over the last 12 years while I watched countless competitors enter & leave our market.
9️⃣ I'm not saying I'm a successful entrepreneur, nor do I want to offend anyone.
I just believe, before misleading people or selling them overnight success stories, we have to warn them about the realities of building a dream.
I just believe, before misleading people or selling them overnight success stories, we have to warn them about the realities of building a dream.
🔟 And we should tell them that there is an alternative path - a path where success isn't measured by how much cash is sitting in your bank account.
A path where success can be measured by freedom.
medium.com/swlh/theres-mo…
A path where success can be measured by freedom.
medium.com/swlh/theres-mo…
