Ask HN: Do you use the money you have made to market yourself?
9 comments
Cultivating a public persona can be helpful in the role of your company's pitchman-- think Bezos, Branson, even Trump.
In job search mode however, you might look more like an out-of-work TV celebrity preening for attention. Instead of marketing yourself like a product-- better to quietly seek out individuals working on interesting & difficult problems that you can help solve.
In job search mode however, you might look more like an out-of-work TV celebrity preening for attention. Instead of marketing yourself like a product-- better to quietly seek out individuals working on interesting & difficult problems that you can help solve.
If you want to be hired you could imply the amounts on the resume you send in.
If you are seeking a job where selling companies is part of the job (or anything in M&A), you would just list the numbers if you thought they were good enough.
If you are seeking a job where selling companies is part of the job (or anything in M&A), you would just list the numbers if you thought they were good enough.
Ok, so let me counter your question with a question, "Why do you care?"
To understand that let's unpack the question you are asking. You have equated dollars to success. But in the world dollars are not related to success they are related to luck. Acts are related to success, "This person did x.", "This person created y." or "This person discovered z." Those are acts not dollars. Do you consider someone who won the lottery by picking the numbers that were chosen by a random number generator successful? They might have way more money than you do at this point, does that bother you?
Elon Musk isn't "successful" because he has a lot of money, he is successful because he created the first private company that could put things into orbit and recover them. He is successful because he changed how the world thought about electric cars. He is successful because he did things that no one else had managed to do before.
Creating a bunch of companies is a great start, and its great that you've managed to acquire some working capital. The measure of your worth, of your success, is how you decide to apply that capital. (hint: using it to 'market' your image is not a good use of capital.) Want some ideas? Develop a way to redevelop cities ravaged by war. Find an economic model that creates housing for people that can't currently afford it. Develop a way to farm that generates food with better safety and fewer resources, then prove it can scale. Invent a way to use wave power to run a desalination unit such that a unit on the beach can provide potable water for islanders or inland villagers.
You don't have to be brilliant, you've got a skill for making money by creating businesses, now combine that skill with someone who is brilliant but has no business acumen at all. As a team you can change the world whereas separately you both have little impact.
Change your success focus from dollars to impact and you won't need to market yourself.
To understand that let's unpack the question you are asking. You have equated dollars to success. But in the world dollars are not related to success they are related to luck. Acts are related to success, "This person did x.", "This person created y." or "This person discovered z." Those are acts not dollars. Do you consider someone who won the lottery by picking the numbers that were chosen by a random number generator successful? They might have way more money than you do at this point, does that bother you?
Elon Musk isn't "successful" because he has a lot of money, he is successful because he created the first private company that could put things into orbit and recover them. He is successful because he changed how the world thought about electric cars. He is successful because he did things that no one else had managed to do before.
Creating a bunch of companies is a great start, and its great that you've managed to acquire some working capital. The measure of your worth, of your success, is how you decide to apply that capital. (hint: using it to 'market' your image is not a good use of capital.) Want some ideas? Develop a way to redevelop cities ravaged by war. Find an economic model that creates housing for people that can't currently afford it. Develop a way to farm that generates food with better safety and fewer resources, then prove it can scale. Invent a way to use wave power to run a desalination unit such that a unit on the beach can provide potable water for islanders or inland villagers.
You don't have to be brilliant, you've got a skill for making money by creating businesses, now combine that skill with someone who is brilliant but has no business acumen at all. As a team you can change the world whereas separately you both have little impact.
Change your success focus from dollars to impact and you won't need to market yourself.
Your dollar amounts are probably meaningless since you're looking for work.
If you want to market yourself, then share the lessons you learned executing. Tell stories from your startups and show how they can help people.
"I took sales revenue from $100k to $5m in under 2 years" is more interesting then "I sold my company for X dollars". Making money seems like validation, but its just a result, it doesn't explain how you're a hardworking expert in some industry.
If you want to market yourself, then share the lessons you learned executing. Tell stories from your startups and show how they can help people.
"I took sales revenue from $100k to $5m in under 2 years" is more interesting then "I sold my company for X dollars". Making money seems like validation, but its just a result, it doesn't explain how you're a hardworking expert in some industry.
Sorry, I'm not 'looking for work' as in handing out resumés, looking for a 9-5. The acquisitions are in the 7-figures. But I am always looking for new opportunities -- new startups to work with, etc.
I do really like your point about focusing on the operational metrics and processes, instead of the acquisition value.
I do really like your point about focusing on the operational metrics and processes, instead of the acquisition value.
What are you looking for exactly? Good ideas, good people, interesting projects, etc?
Always looking for good ideas and interesting projects :)
Watching Dragons Den, the investors ears prick up when someone walks in and says that have done (x)million pound exit(s) in the past. It gets their attention and I think for Marketing that is the purpose right? So I think posting your results of money earned for investors would be a good way to entice investors to call you.
ChuckMcM's post says making lots of money on exit isn't what matters, the acts count.
That is true, but I would say getting the attention of your prospects is what matters here, and buying and selling a company for a huge profit repeatedly will get their attention and make them call you to find out more. Then you can tell them about the acts.
I guess this is really about how to resolve your conflict: your privacy and money values vs. wanting to be bold in marketing yourself. Only you can answer that. Personally I don't want to have friends who are uncomfortable with what I earn, be that $0 or millions. Family is a different matter though, and also safety concerns (extortion, ransoms etc.) but then there are plenty of rich people bragging on TV shows so it's not like you will be the only one.
Just my 2c. I have no experience in this, so take with a pinch of salt.
ChuckMcM's post says making lots of money on exit isn't what matters, the acts count.
That is true, but I would say getting the attention of your prospects is what matters here, and buying and selling a company for a huge profit repeatedly will get their attention and make them call you to find out more. Then you can tell them about the acts.
I guess this is really about how to resolve your conflict: your privacy and money values vs. wanting to be bold in marketing yourself. Only you can answer that. Personally I don't want to have friends who are uncomfortable with what I earn, be that $0 or millions. Family is a different matter though, and also safety concerns (extortion, ransoms etc.) but then there are plenty of rich people bragging on TV shows so it's not like you will be the only one.
Just my 2c. I have no experience in this, so take with a pinch of salt.
Its a tough situation and people want to hire the winners and you just need to show them how you have won and you have winning habit.
But the dollar amounts of these acquisitions are both (1) the real indicators of success and (2) not obvious to outsiders. On the one hand, then, I want to share them openly in blog posts, marketing materials, etc. On the other hand, I've been raised not to talk about money, and would be embarrassed for friends to see blog posts that include mentions of these amounts.
I'm not sure the best way forward. How would you or have you dealt with this issue before?