Ask HN: Am I crazy?

[amohr]

So I just graduated college in the spring and I have about $1500 in savings that I could spend on the deposit + rent/moving expenses for an apartment somewhere and continue looking for a job, but something in me is telling me there's a better way. I have a plan, but I want to see if you guys think I'm crazy (If HN thinks it's too out there, then I know I'm off-base) or if I'm going to need more money or what.

I have known for some time that there's something different in the brain of an entrepreneur that changes the way they see the world, and I want to find out what that is.

So I want to set out to find entrepreneurs, either through appointment or serendipity, and spend a little time with them. Just get to know how they decided to do what they do, what keeps them going, what their hopes and dreams are, etc. I posit that there's commonalities to be found there and a lot of insight to be gained from those commonalities. My contacts are somewhat slim, and it would probably be reasonable to spend a few years building up more, but something tells me now is the time to do this and it's getting harder and harder to ignore.

I spent some time as a freelance writer, so I believe I can make the result compelling and interesting. But there's a lot of things I need to work out, and this is where I need your help: - Do I have enough money to do this long enough to produce anything of substance? (numbers at the end of the post) - How should I publish this? It could be a blog that I update regularly, an ebook that I put together as I go, a physical book (leaning away from this for many reasons) or some combination thereof? - Can I somehow monetize this as I'm working on it so as to extend my trip? - How should I pitch the project to potential subjects? Free publicity? Altruism?

Numbers: A trip from Chicago(where I live) to NY, boston, New Orleans, Austin, SF, Seattle, back to chicago is 7695 miles. I'm thinking $700 for gas, oil changes, and some other tune-up stuff before I leave/along the way. If I eliminate the west coast, this drops to around 4000 miles, If I just do SF and Seattle (this is probably what I'll end up doing) I end up with around 5000 miles.

I have no aversion to couch surfing, sleeping in my car or camping, all of which I've done plenty of. With around 5 days of pure driving, I can spend a month doing this at just over $20/day to spend on food/bribery.

My hope would be to get around 15-20 case studies of at least an hour or so interview time, plus maybe shadowing and secondary interviews. Though this is flexible. I think this would be enough for a worthwhile product.

So. Am I crazy? Should I do it? Suggestions? Volunteers? Donations...?

Also, you can email me at alex |at| mohrslaws.com

[tc]

If you don't have any other streams of income, you might want to think about ways you could get $1k/mo flowing into your bank account to keep you afloat while you flesh this out. $1500 isn't a lot of money, but perhaps that constraint will just make you more creative.

As for the validation that you're seeking, I've seen people do much crazier things that have turned out well. Which is all to say that, yes, the idea is crazy -- maybe even just crazy enough to work if you are committed to it. It sounds like the downside risk to you is pretty minimal, so why not?

To get you started, here's your first tip from an entrepreneur: don't be too attached to the outcome you have planned now. Just like in a startup, once you start on your adventure, you may find that going in a different direction looks more promising. Take the first step, then go where opportunity leads you.

[amohr]

The point of doing it on such a small budget (besides being how much I have) would be to force me into making it up on the fly. The project is deliberately structured to be somewhat open-ended.

[odvious]

Set up a website to chronicle your journey posting photos, interviews (even summaries), etc. and put a donate button on it. I wwould donate once I see you're doing it and committed.

[timdorr]

Or if you want to try and get the money ahead of time: http://www.kickstarter.com/

[bbhacker]

i agree, there are a lot of people out there who have money and are willing to "invest"/donate in people with passion. create a blog, show your passiong and SHARE your passion and you will find a way to earn money.

[SwellJoe]

Yeah, you're a little crazy, but there's no better time than now to do crazy things. It won't get easier, cheaper, less stressful, as you get older. I think you're underestimating the expense of some aspects of this...but if you plan extremely well and live extremely cheap, you can probably live a couple months on the road for $1500.

You should start blogging about your plans (your route, what you're taking with you, who you want to talk to, etc.) immediately...it won't bring in any revenue, but it will (hopefully) get you in touch with enough people willing to help along the way. Video might also be helpful. Once you're actually setting out, you might be able to get enough traffic to bring in some cash. The blogging process is also good for other things...it makes you a better writer, and if you get some traffic it might catch the attention of a publisher or magazine editor.

Also, you can crash at my place when you get to Silicon Valley, if you like.

[donw]

I'll donate a six-pack to that endeavor, as long as I get to join in drinking it. :)

[joshuarr]

You can either do it, or always wish you did. Your choice.

[jbarciauskas]

I think there's a corollary to this - if it turns out you don't always wish you did, it probably wasn't that great. The question then becomes, how certain are you this is something you will always regret having not done?

[Frocer]

This is one of the best quotes I've read on HN. Very true!

I have also seen much crazier things. A friend of mine from college who is a stand up comedian, decided to hitchhike his way from NYC to LA to "find Tom" of MySpace. He filmed his entire journey and shared it on the web. Additionally, he also crashed with all his MySpace friends the whole way so his cost is practically 0 (besides the bus tickets).

It's definitely doable on an even smaller budget :) Good luck and let me know when you arrive at the valley!

[ScottBev]

You sound like you have nothing holding you down and a great trip ahead of you. Once the job and bills start rolling in it becomes more difficult to break away and do it. Not impossible, just more difficult.

Just do it! I'd recommend doing the west coast bit if you leaning that way.

My way would be Chicago -> Seattle -> San Fran.If time and money and/or your desire permit then swing down the south for Austin -> New Orleans -> NY -> Boston.

[nostrademons]

How able/averse are you to living with or taking money from your parents while you do this?

I think it's a great idea, but there's no way you've got enough money to do this and take it to the point where it's publishable or monetizable. $1500 is like one month's rent in SF. While you can stretch that out by couchsurfing or camping, there'll be a lot of other expenses (gas? car breaking down? cell phone bills for all the calls you'll need to setup interviews?) And you'll need a lot of time to condense your interviews into something worth reading, and then more time and money to publish it (even if just online).

Again, I think it's a great idea, and it could work well if your parents don't mind you bumming around the house while you collect your notes and make it into a book or blog series or whatever. But if you don't have their support, it may be better to spend a year or so working and save up $10-20k first.

[amohr]

My mom would bankroll my phone bill and probably some other things. She also has her own business, so I could work for her while I compiled my work.

[hristov]

Sorry to rain on your parade but perhaps you should think about getting a job first. Your savings are not much and if that is all you have in the whole world you can easily get in trouble (imagine, for example a car crash in the middle of nowhere).

And even if everything goes smoothly you can find yourself at the end of your adventure with no money at all. Of course you can set up a donations site but you never know how much donations you will get.

A good way to hang out with entrepenurs without risking your neck would be to get a job with a start-up or a small company. Or you can start a consulting biz that helps small companies (such as website creation, fixing setting up computers, etc.)

[natrius]

It sounds like his mom is willing to back him up if he goes broke. If that's the case, I don't see any reason not to do it.

If you make it to Austin, you can probably sleep on my air mattress and I might be able to introduce you to a couple of people.

[donw]

You're totally nuts. And can crash at my place for a day if you end up in the silicon valley as well.

[adatta02]

agreed. you're welcome to crash at our pad in Boston as well.

[mdoar]

Do it, because you'll not get time to do five years from now, and you might even meet someone who'll want you for a job. Just don't expect to necessarily return from it.

~Matt (met my wife while travelling and ended up in the USA)

[bemmu]

How about reaching out to Mixergy and see if he needs any help?

[AndrewWarner]

I'm happy to help. I like this idea a lot.

[jmtame]

you're not crazy, this would make for a good read. it's like founders at work, but improvised and down in the trenches.

we have a tent you can borrow for a few nights if you'd like, won't charge. look up the palo alto hacker house and if interested email me (jared /at graffitigeo /dot com). we have people who have dropped out of school, left jobs, etc. and would probably be open to letting you profile a bit.

[Eliezer]

If you haven't made money from writing before, don't count on being able to do it this time. Making money at writing is super bonus extra hard.

[jk4930]

I think the majority of successful people failed many times before (and after). And his earlier freelance writing is different from starting his own project (like being a freelance programmer vs. having your own company). And it really is unimportant whether he succeeds with this project. It will teach him certainly many interesting things that give him more background -- for whatever he will do later.

[jamesbritt]

"Making money at writing is super bonus extra hard."

On the whole, perhaps, but if you have a compelling story that appeals to a specific market, you're way ahead of the game.

It helps if you can write, but people pay for shitty writing if the content is otherwise not readily available.

[JimmyL]

You've put enough thought into the idea that if you don't do it, you'll be regretting it five years down the road, if not sooner. Plus, you're at the point in your life where you can't screw things up too badly if it doesn't work.

I would, however, see if I could dedicate an intense two months to building up a bit more savings. If you can, move back home for these two months. Get two jobs at Starbucks, don't go out, and take the bus to work. Yeah, those months will suck - but it will make the fun parts last longer.

I'd also +1 the idea about ditching your car - you are in the perfect situation for Greyhound/Amtrak: no money and lots of time. Get yourself a rolling suitcase with a suit container, and life out of that. It will handle your clothes nicely, and you shouldn't need any more gear for this than a point-and-shoot digital camera, a little digital voice recorder, and a netbook. You lose the advantage of having a backup hotel, but you save lots of money, and most places have shitty backpacker hostels you can crash in as a desperate measure.

[lleger]

Do it. Just do it.

[Tichy]

Normally I wouldn't advice spending everything to your last penny, but I take it that if you are broke you'll just stay at your parents house?

If I understood correctly, you plan the trip so that 1500$ pays for the trip. So on day 1 after the trip you have 0$? Then what?

That aside it is a good idea, probably you'll be invited to lots of things, get donations, maybe even some chances to work.

[joshuarr]

"So on day 1 after the trip you have 0$?"

And a really good story.

[bufordtwain]

You might be a little crazy. Why don't you put the money in the bank for now and find some entrepreneurs to talk to in Chicago instead of chasing all over the place? You have 37signals in Chicago and Adrian Holovaty of Django/Everyblock and that's just off the top of my head. If you want to go on the road that could be fun as well but just saying.

[3ds]

Exactly! There are probably hundreds of interesting people where you live you could talk to and you wouldn't have to spend so much money on the trip. You really should just try the whole interview thing at least once or twice before you head off.

[bmelton]

I don't expect any upvotes on this comment, but if you're in the Annapolis, MD area, I've got a guest room (or couch if you really want) that you're welcome to.

[dylanz]

Do it. You just graduated college. This will be an educational breather, and, it could end up influencing your future career. It's going to be tight on $1.5k, but where there is a will, there is a way :)

[ismarc]

I'd suggest going about the travel differently. Using a car to get from point A to point B is insanely expensive compared to other methods. Greyhound goes practically everywhere (just not on a convenient schedule/time frame for most people). Also, starting off in Chicago, you've got a fairly major Amtrak hub nearby where you can reach nearly any point in the U.S. by train for a reasonable cost as well.

I would set aside enough money to take Greyhound back to wherever you plan to call home afterwards (from the furthest point away, so you cannot get stranded), then plan out cost to ride Greyhound from place to place. This should give you cheaper day to day costs, but puts you at the mercy of where you're going.

This is where the blog/donate will help out. Put at least a week's notice of what date you plan on being in which city, look for folks to interview and a spot to crash. Ideally you'll be able to "tail" someone for a day or two to really see how their business goes while you're interviewing them. This also would provide for a very interesting read (a day in the life of a entrepreneurs, and not just 1 famous guy, even just in the trenches never heard of them before entrepreneurs). And along the way, share what you've learned with readers and subsequent interviewees.

[amohr]

I agree that a car is expensive, but it doubles it's value by offering me a place to sleep if I can't find one by other means and serving as a big suitcase, allowing me to keep clothes straight and my equipment at the ready.

[anamax]

You need to be able to convince your interviewees to participate. What's in it for them? See http://scobleizer.com/ for someone else who has solved that problem.

One problem is timing. It's not sufficient to turn the interviews into enough money, you have to make that happen at the right time.

I think that your budget is a bit low, but that doesn't mean that this will be more doable later or that it's not doable now.

[amohr]

Yeah, this is the thing that's really bugging me. I don't want to bank on people just inherently wanting to share their story and calling in favors. I've got a couple weeks before I can realistically set out, and that will probably be haunting my thoughts the whole time.

Hopefully, I could offer enough exposure to present an incentive, but this only really works for the less established.

[timwiseman]

Definitely an interesting thought. I do have a few thoughts you may wish to consider: 1. Consider fewer case studies with more depth. 15-20 will involve a lot of contacts, possibly a lot of travel which will eat into the small savings, and limit your depth. On the other focusing on 6-10 but trying to get in some real time with them (several hours each at least) will let you get a lot more depth with less travel.

2. You may wish to carefully define entrepreneur. By itself it means everything from small business owner, franchise owner, founder of a traditional, capital intensive company (like Intel for instance), founders of web/softare startups, and people who make things in their garage to sell. I have not studied it formally, but I suspect this attract very different people. Unless you specifically want to do a longitudinal study to compare between groups, I would pick one. I presume you are talking about web/software founders, but this should be explicit (or explicitly rejected if I am wrong).

3. Remember you can publish this in numerous formats in short succession. There is nothing wrong with starting with a series of blog posts as a near 'stream of consciousness' on the journey, and then follow up with a book that summarizes, refines, and adds more traditional research/statistics to go along with the case studies you generated.

4. Related to 3, don't ignore physical books as a method of publication. While it is starting to change, there is still a strong bias in many circles giving books more respectability than other forms of publications. Also, they are more easily monetized than most other forms.

5. If you come to Las Vegas I know one software founder and one small business (retail) owner personally I can introduce you to.