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Ask HN: I hate working alone, but I want to pursue my startup

19 points by slagfart ↗ HN
My concept is decent - I've received pre-seed funding from the EU off the back of it, but it now needs full-time attention to get the first customer, probably for the next six months. I'm prepared to quit my well-paying job to pursue it. I have about 2 years living expenses saved up.

But, I'm an extrovert, and quickly become depressed without being able to have that morning cup of coffee with someone, or to be able to tell someone who cares. I don't have a co-founder, and I haven't found one who would fit that doesn't have something tethering them to a regular paycheck. I can't even happily work from home for anything longer than a few days - I get very depressed.

Without coworkers, I'm worried that I'll fail. I'm not worried about hard work - I'm worried about my own psychological health.

I would love to hear some stories, from anyone who has faced a similar situation.

20 comments

[ 4.4 ms ] story [ 56.9 ms ] thread
kaishiro
I'm not sure I would call myself an extrovert, but I definitely don't enjoy working alone in my apartment. For the past two years I've been working almost exclusively in co-working space and I'm really enjoying it. If there are some available in your area, I'd suggest auditioning a few of them until you find one that has the vibe you're looking for. For me, I really needed an open concept space with communal seating and lots of light, and the space I ended up has a pretty vibrant community. May need to just shop around a bit. Just an idea.
slagfart
Are you working alone, or with/for other people? Do you take intrinsic satisfaction in the work, or is it the experience of a happy user that drives you? How do you form bonds with your fellow co-working space users in what is inherently a temporary location?

Sorry for the question bombardment, and thanks in advance. I'd love to make this thing work.

abrookewood
Why don't you look at a co-working space? You wouldn't need to give up any equity, but you would get access to some of the social aspects you seem to be after. They're probably better than simply working in a public setting like a coffee shop since you'll be mixing with people doing similar things to yourself.

One thing I would say is that you are wise not to ignore your mental health. If you already know you are prone to depression when working alone, make sure you never have to.

Lastly, can you talk to anyone where you sourced the funding? Do they have any mentors etc? They might have some ideas.

bbcbasic
Good idea, not only for the social side but to make business connections and get ideas.
ozres1
fintech for au?
bbcbasic
not sure what you mean? there is a fintech meetup in Sydney.
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slagfart
My startup is in Fintech, and my funders are based in Copenhagen. Despite searching hard for relevant co-working spots there on my behalf, they couldn't offer me anything.

The language barrier was an issue with Copenhagen too, so I searched hard in London, but ultimately the cost of living was prohibitive, and I didn't find the 'vibe' I was searching for either.

I'm now back in Australia, and will take from your comments that I should search harder for a decent scene domestically.

igaape
Where in Australia are you based?? I've seen a bunch of really awesome coworking spaces in Melbourne and can help you get connected to the people I know.
scorpioxy
Yeah both Melbourne and Sydney have several places that are decent as per the people who work there.
siquick
Can you give more details on the spaces/startup scene in Melbourne please?
tixocloud
There are some great co-working places based in Toronto where many folks are working on fintech.

What kind of vibe are you looking for?

mifreewil
Pretty good advice so far regarding working arrangements. After pursuing a startup idea for 3+ years and having it not work out, I would also encourage you to question why it is that you need 6 months before getting an initial customer. Learn quickly and fail as fast as possible.

1) Can you pitch your idea to customers first to gauge their interest, get initial feedback before building?

2) Can you presell customers, get something like a letter of intent signed?

[dead] fuj
I'm not exactly an extrovert, but I had a similar problem. I've been working in a co-working space for a few months now, and I regret I haven't been doing it for longer. It's a massive difference.

Btw, which sort of EU funding did you get?

kofejnik
I've heard Berlin has a reasonable cost of living and a vibrant startup scene, also you would be close to Eastern European developers, should you need more programming muscle

May I ask, how did you get that EU funding? I have a couple projects in mind, a bit of money won't hurt

kevinsimper
I have it the same way, I have it best when I have somebody to say goodmorning to. Btw. I live in Copenhagen as well.
josefdlange
I've been participating on RemoteTogether [1] for a few months now. I live in rural Texas -- my wife and I moved here for her grad schooling from Seattle -- and locally I haven't really made many friends and it's been a bit of a tough adjustment from me as I like the city quite a bit more than a rural setting.

RemoteTogether is a good discussion community, and we have a Slack that we all hang out on. It helps break up the mundanity of working alone at home here. Come say hi!

[1]: https://www.remotetogether.com

Smushman
My personal solution to the very same problem.

I could see that living this way, thinking this way, was of no benefit to me. I saw that I would have much greater benefit by breaking the chain of this behavior, and becoming comfortable in my own skin.

I know that these days, the more common refrain is to 'just be who you are and let the chips fall where they may'. I realized also though the behavior of catering to this desire was self limiting. There are many times in life when you will have to go it alone to be successful.

Just some advice from someone else who solved this differently.

May you have the best of luck, no matter what happens.

brudgers
Honestly, there's nothing wrong with looking at the situation and saying, "No, not for me". Plenty of sensible people do. It's quite possible that another cofounder would not be enough social stimulus for some people.

Realistically, if the company is a startup in the sense of being organized for large amounts of equity investment and rapid growth, it will probably fail whether or not there are coworkers [or even cofounders].

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just pointing out that there is nothing wrong with coming to a conclusion either way.

Good luck.

asimuvPR
A dog might be what you need. They can be trained to become therapy dogs[1]. These are used as de-stressing tools in universities, schools, disaster areas, etc. Dogs provide a level of companionship that is very nurturing to the heart. :)

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Therapy_dog