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Now it’s very fashionable to talk about startups and young startups, businessmen under 30, who have come to Forbes’s field of vision. About innovative projects aimed at turning the world around.

Apparently, the time has come for me to realize what a startup is, what its own project is, and what my place in it can be.

Startup is not about success and not about money


I remember my first project, a site about Canada and immigration, made in 2004 on html. I wanted to learn how to make sites, make my own. The topic itself was close to me, I wanted to try. I was interested in the process itself. There were no commercial goals at all.

And when the site was made, of course, it became interesting for me to promote it. Then came the forum, blog, other resources. All this required hard, everyday work. What for? Yes, simply because it was interesting to me and it was time. And while there was some money for a living. I then went to university and received a scholarship on credit, which had to be repaid, but then. And in those years, in addition to studying, or to the detriment of studying, I could do what I like - the development of my own projects.

One of my biggest achievements is the forum team, which existed at certain points. More than 10 people from 6 to 12 hours a day sat on the forum, did their posts, moderated other people, just lived it. Everyday. I was the one who was able to collect them and inspire such feats.

Money from these projects appeared only after 3-4 years of hard and everyday work. And before that, everything was done on personal interest and enthusiasm.

Why am I doing this? Yes, to the fact that a startup is not about crazy success and not about a lot of money.
A startup is about work, about a huge amount of work. This is when your work and life are merged together, when work is not just a part of you, it is you.

When you do something, not just to make a lot of money, but simply because you cannot help but do it.



Similarly, my blog appeared . I did not make it to make a lot of money. While he only consumes them, like my time. And not to be promoted, though, this in itself is not bad. I write simply because I cannot help writing. Even if at the given moment few people read my articles. Writing them great helps me structure my thoughts and find answers to questions.

And there are many of them, as soon as you leave the comfort zone. Together with doubts, pain, fear and insecurity. For example, the following question becomes important:

Where to get the money?


While you are going to climb the summit from day to day, it is necessary, corny, that there is something and somewhere to live.

Recently I read the book El Luna "Between the need and want."



It says exactly that. Read at your leisure, the book is short but interesting. For example, it proposes an answer to the question: “What if my favorite business does not bring money?”. The answer is:

If your favorite business does not generate income, you must find another way to earn. Dot. The ability to pay bills will allow you to find your destination.

This is confirmed by life itself. Kurt Vonnegut was selling cars. Albert Einstein started at the patent office. Anton Chekhov was a doctor.

But here, not everything is so simple.

Recently, I was offered to work in one interesting and promising startup. Unfortunately, it did not work out.

I have great respect for the people who worked and work in it. They really put their whole soul and all their strength into this project, believe in its success. And for this faith they have reason. I am very grateful to them for the opportunity to work with them and, I hope, they do not hold any grudge against me for the fact that our cooperation is not destined to continue. Thanks to them, including, I now better understand what is really important.

Is it worth it to work in someone else's startup?


It’s about when you join the project of someone else not as an enthusiastic co-founder. And not even as a volunteer, who is captured by the very idea and significance of the project, if a startup brings something big, good and eternal. It's about whether it’s worth going to someone else’s startup for money? I mean the case when the startup itself is not interesting to you, but the opportunity, in the future, to get a lot of money for your participation in it is interesting.

It was the phrase El Luna from the book “Between You Need and Want” that allowed me to find the answer to my question: “Should I participate in someone else’s startup?” I will quote it again:

If your favorite business does not generate income, you must find another way to earn . Dot. The ability to pay bills will allow you to find your destination.

So, now for me the answer is obvious and this answer is No.

A foreign startup will take all your time and all your strength. Perhaps in the finals there will be some money. But, it is more likely that there will be nothing in the final. The thing is that a startup is not work from 8 to 5. Yours is a startup or a stranger, but it will take up most of your time and energy. Alexei Rudak, the founder of the Lingvanex startup, is absolutely right in his interview that you need to choose a direction that will interest you for many years, that will drive you and fill you with a desire to move forward despite difficulties, failures, lack of money and much another.

That's why participating in someone else's startup that is not close to you just for the sake of money is a huge stupidity. Most likely, there will be no money, and even if they do, then there will not be any strength or desire left to realize their dreams.

Spending all your free time on the realization of the dream of big money is a dubious occupation.

And what do you call the prospect of being a fulfillment of someone else's dream without the right to decide something and influence something?

What to do?


For some reason, recently, Churchill’s phrase “If a country, choosing between war and shame, chooses shame, it receives both war and shame,” has recently been believed in my head.

So here.

If you choose money between calling, dream and money, you will have nothing. No calling, no money, no work.

Once again, I felt it on myself.

If you refuse to fulfill your dream, you will fulfill someone else's.

There is a gap between people who work for money and those for whom work and life are merged, who go to their dream. Everyone has a choice on which side of this abyss to rise.



It is probably worthwhile to stop lying to yourself and start setting clear goals.

Here I am making money in order to eat, drink and pay bills. They pay me for this and pay a lot. At the same time, I still have the strength for what makes me alive.

But the thing that makes me live for real, every day, which gives strength to me and to which I give strength. And I myself am ready to pay for it.

The main

thing is not to mix it up) I am doing it right now - I am writing this article! This is what drives me, gives me energy and optimism!

Ideally, of course, the first and second should coincide. But this always happens, alas.

Well, making money just to ensure your own existence is, you see, very sad.

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