> And you suggest that what we are doing is "pointless"?
I didn't read it that way. I read it as it's pointless to continue w/ something your heart's not in if you have the options/opportunity to do otherwise. What you're doing is honorable.

well said.
And, it's not only the individual, but how all of the above synergize in a group.

I left Microsoft Sep '08 to reopen the doors to my shop. My former partners are not able to rejoin for various financial/health/family reasons. Therefore, I'm reassessing these w/ myself again.

Why again? Because, w/ my partners we blended differently than I will with a future team. All of the above w/ each of us complimented/aligned based on the total team's strengths/weaknesses/traj. For example, we were all 'multi-hat' roles, I did sales and lead hands-on tech work. So, today I'm at a crossroads (after pushing the IP ball as far as a soloist can)...go biz d'ment or stay hands-on technical? The above is where it starts (contrary to some using "skills"/"competencies", "will invest", "has connections", etc.)

Hi William, 'worker bee' is not meant to be in any way to be a put-down. I actually erased a line in my original reply (to shorten it) how 'worker bees' are critical to success and rarely treated fairly. Family is definitely more important and there are many in the workforce who make sacrifices wrt career for that noble cause. Enjoy the 'small kids' years, they do not last and the workforce has nothing to offer as rewarding as children. ;-) Also, timing is everything. Opportunity will present itself, so debt mgmnt, staying in shape (of all kinds, personal health to family and more) is the thing to do while enjoying these years.

You should see the mud-slinging on LinkedIn over this.
I still can't get a simple answer to "show me the financial due diligence".

To find what?

I couldn't agree more. But, it's not for everyone. Some are wired to be the 'worker bees'. Some are wired where they can't possibly do the corporate gig no matter how much it pays.

The comments all have elements of truth: timing is everything, being prepared, and worker bees are needed for ventures to succeed.

> why have the hassle of running the business unless you think running the business is "doing cool stuff"?
The idea is you do the cool stuff. Some grunt work comes w/ it, but don't run a business you can't fuel on internal passion. There are many days that's all that's keeping it moving fwd.