RxBar co-founder Peter Rahal on life after becoming a millionaire
I don't like articles like this for two reasons: (1) they trivialize actually building a company, growing it, and selling it, and (2), they provide comfort for those that don't have the drive/luck/privilege of getting there by arguing that "hey, money doesn't make you happy!"<p>First of all, as others mention in the thread, this is hardly an example of an "overnight success" -- there are <i>no</i> such examples, barring a few extreme outliers. Not only do the great majority of startups fail, the great majority of successes grind for years and years before seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It's not like some dream-land utopia. If you're like me (and I think most HN'ers are), you continue building stuff in <i>spite</i> of the overwhelming odds. <i>That's</i> the real lesson here. Trying, failing, trying, failing, and doing this over and over, even though expecting a different outcome is technically insanity.<p>Secondly, the adage of "money doesn't bring happiness" is obvious to anyone that's not young or incredibly naive. We <i>get</i> it -- money is not the end-all of life (duh). But at the same time, can we not kid ourselves? Money makes life <i>much</i> easier than the alternative. Anyone that grew up poor and achieved some modicum of success (I grew up in essential poverty in a third world country; now I make a "modest" six figure salary and live in Los Angeles) realizes this. I'm reminded of a (2008 crash) documentary I saw years ago where a banker says: "I grew up poor, and now I'm rich; trust me, I'd rather be rich."