It is really difficult to look into the tea leaves and find an answer to why things happen.
After spending the entirety of my twenties working on failed startup after failed startup I finally reached something that actually is turning a profit.
Now that I'm well past my twenties I no longer have interest in working those extreme hours but I'm not sure if I would have had enough experience to make some of the decisions I do today had I not invested all that time in failed businesses. It's a catch-22. I feel that my time spent against the grindstone was beneficial in my experience but I'm loathe to suggest anyone else go through the same process.
I think the only advice that is worthwhile is "you need a rock outside your company" you need something that isn't subject to the whims of the market that you can rely on. If the company is your rock then failure is going to hit you very hard; you'll be cleaning up your office with nothing - no life, no family, no friends.
After spending the entirety of my twenties working on failed startup after failed startup I finally reached something that actually is turning a profit.
Now that I'm well past my twenties I no longer have interest in working those extreme hours but I'm not sure if I would have had enough experience to make some of the decisions I do today had I not invested all that time in failed businesses. It's a catch-22. I feel that my time spent against the grindstone was beneficial in my experience but I'm loathe to suggest anyone else go through the same process.
I think the only advice that is worthwhile is "you need a rock outside your company" you need something that isn't subject to the whims of the market that you can rely on. If the company is your rock then failure is going to hit you very hard; you'll be cleaning up your office with nothing - no life, no family, no friends.
Everything else is subject to how you operate.