I just saw a Ask HN post asking about founders who built profitable startups while still holding a day job. While I qualify for that, the comments I read had a lot of selling out stories but none of them seem to give much info on what most of the founders are doing after selling out.<p>If you built a startup and have sold it, how has life been after that? Did you start another or have you retired? Do you like it now or would you prefer the pre-acquisition life of yours?
1) IPO: I had already left and moved on to my next startup when the IPO happened. I put the money in the bank.<p>2) Acquisition: Stayed with the company for a year until they changed their minds and discarded what we had built, (this was the dotcom era, but we weren't a dotcom). I put the money in the bank.<p>3) Acquisition: Again, after I left for my next startup. Money went to the bank.<p>4) Acquisition: Stayed around for 3+ years until the PHBs took over cmopletely. Went to another startup. Put the money in the bank.<p>I've been amazingly lucky with my startups. Financially, each one made my life more comfortable, built a nest egg, helped pay for my kids' education. I keep saying "this is my last startup", but I keep going back. I am now in a position that I could "retire", but I'm at startup #5. This is my last one, this time for sure. If/when I do retire, I'll still be hacking interesting software, even if it's not for a company.
The main thing for me was being able to pursue an idea no one would fund. I could self-fund it to the point where it was obvious people wanted it, at which point fundraising is easy.<p>And having done a few startups, I also had the confidence to not need anyone else to tell me it was a good idea. I just needed to build something customers would pay for. Those can be two very different things.
"retired"; got tired of being "retired" after a month; started another company; took it public; tried retiring again; failed at that and started another company; sold it; hung around after sale; moved to help turn around another startup; left that and started another company; sold it; hung around a long time with the acquirer; moved to a competitor of the acquirer and hung around for a couple of years there; left the big company world to start another company; preparing for launch soon...<p>I guess not much :)<p>One thing selling did is give me a degree of financial freedom I didn't have before which is a big change. For example, my current startup (Keepskor, currently is stealth mode) is currently completely self-funded and will remain so until we open our doors publicly. I wouldn't be able to do that if I hadn't sold other companies before.
Your answers are going to be heavily biased towards those who got back into the game. Anybody that actually retired after their payday are highly unlikely to be reading HN.
Retirement doesn't exist. What happens is that your values change. Money is not the main driver of your daily work.<p>I work to:<p>- make an impact in other people's lives.<p>- earn respect and recognition.<p>- do something interesting and challenging.<p>- learn new skills (I never want to stop learning).<p>I "could stop anytime I wanted to" but I never do. I don't want to.
Going from needing to work to not needing to work is a <i>major</i> readjustment, and not always a positive one. A dream fulfilled means there is no more dream and a need to come up with a new one.
In short my life hasn't changed at all.<p>Though mine was a relatively small exit in comparison to some of these 9 and ten figure behemoths you hear about.<p>I thought I would not work for 3 or 4 years, that did not even last three or four months. But I still made time for fun in there too.<p>I was barely old enough to drink so I spent some time (and money) doing some stupid things (bought a bar once while I was hammered). Then I spent some time helping my dad's company get off the ground and primed for acquisition and now I am on to my 3rd startup.<p>Life only changed for me in the sense that I have less to worry about. As a whole I am still the same person and I still live basically the same.<p>I don't live a lavish lifestyle and I budget and save money like everyone else. I own a modest home and I drive a car which in not special (3 series).<p>I hope that I'll keep working until I am no longer physically capable but the most important thing to me at this point is being happy with what I am doing and spending time with my family and friends.
got into philanthropy<p>went traveling<p>did massage school<p>set up a big art space in LA<p>tried to set up a media incubator in LA<p>made some large burningman structures<p>moved to india<p>worked in a startup as a coder again<p>did another incubator<p>set up another art space<p>...<p>I find that not being 'hungry'
has reduced my tolerance for spending time on activities
which don't seem important. This can make
me an awkward partner in some situations because the pursuit
of money is a very good unifier.<p>Getting clarity on what I feel is important has been a much
longer and more rewarding process than I expected.
I now have the freedom to work on what I want to work on. I can take the time to brainstorm and build whatever I think needs to be built, rather than considering deadlines and having other people demand that I prioritize X or Y. I can take the time to explore avenues that I might otherwise have to scrap simply because of time/budget constraints.<p>As a coder, it landed me my dream job :)
Got married, moved temporarily from Oregon to Georgia with my wife. Got a dog, walking him a lot. Meditating a lot. Writing a lot. Working on three startup ideas. Loving life. Clarified what is important to me: being creative, learning, writing, freedom. Looking at building a new type of startup that has a structure that is additive to life and building fun things. I believe it is possible.