Built A Way
Gary V. A name that used to be synonymous with hustle culture. You could argue, the only reason the word association has weakened is because he’s tapped the brakes slightly on how hard he bangs that drum. Pre-covid, hustle culture was at an all-time high - the worst. Do you consider yourself a hustler?
What is a hustler even? I interpreted this thing as this culture of “grinding” associated with founding startups, bootstrapping small businesses, and losing sleep. Sexy, right? It felt like everyone was in a craze. Either you were trying to crush it or you were content with a full-time job (not pejorative at all). Everything had to “scale.” People that just wanted to earn a decent to good living were pushed into the margins of conversation. It was incredibly prolific, which also foreshadows a peak.
The thing I hated most about hustle culture what this idea that any and every one could accomplish these high heights at the end of the hustle rainbow.
But no, no that’s not true. Catching giant bags isn’t some democratic exercise. “You get a bag, and you get a bag.” Not only is it not democratic, it isn’t fair either. You could break your back, mentally labor to the point of exhaustion, and still end up where you started or worse with empty pockets. Hustle culture pretended that a democracy of outcomes was awaiting anyone willing to dance with the masochistic work devil. And you’re right, nobody said that, but damn if the Youtube clips and Instagram reels of highly successful entrepreneurs and venture capital gurus alike didn’t skew that way.
Pragmatically, hustle culture isn’t absolutely necessary, nor is it particularly healthy. But I also think adhering to a way of being like that has got to be an active choice and for a really specific set of reasons. You either need to be built for it, or start lifting weights. At the same time, you need the mental toughness to accept that none of the time, energy, or capital you may pour into it will ever return a dime. That’s a tall order.
Take it from me, I have roughly 3 careers and 5-6 jobs. I’m not joking, 5-6 jobs. Some of those jobs require lots of time, and some of them require my oversight or input. Oftentimes, they all require my time but it’s a sliding scale of impact and attention. Photography, for instance, is a full-time job that rarely cycles in and out of low and high times because it’s my number one income source to date. On the other hand, being a co-founder in a startup takes up every waking moment of my mental capacity whether I’m emailing, deck building or pitching. At a minimum, I’m 2x’ing that effort because I’m building an educational community platform from the ground up. That still leaves 2-3 other jobs I’m not mentioning. Also, if you haven’t surmised, some of this is unpaid work. This isn’t for the weak at heart.
You really do have to be built for this or build the muscles for this type of lift.
I think one thing that hustle culture dances around but never quite explicitly says is the reason why it’s so attractive. It’s not simply that money could be waiting on the other side. It’s that the payout profile is typically asymmetric. It’s why people are so taken by the large numbers they see in VC world when they hear about banner investments or life-changing exits. It’s BS💩 for all but a handful. But, it’s the idea you can put $1 in and get $10 out. Put another blindingly humongous way, you can put $100M in and get $1B out. That’s the unicorn bag.
It’s super attractive; it’s glamorous looking. It looks like everyone has a shot. And they do, but that doesn’t mean the probability isn’t stacked towards impossible, nor does it mean it’s worth the risk. You really have to be built this way or start lifting.
You can’t just say your busy. You can’t just wake up at a leisurely time, and punch out at a respectable one. You actually are busy and you don’t own your time anymore. You realize why people wake up earlier and earlier, and it becomes less of a choice. The mental fatigue is stupid. The self-doubt can be sweltering. You have to put your time, talent, and capital at risk. And, you have to trade off inherently “nice” things about a healthy lifestyle (I do not mean always, but it becomes much more irregular): consistent exercise, socializing, and personal time.
I couldn’t do things differently if I tried. I’m just built this way and some days it’s annoying. Other days, it’s exciting and you can’t believe the good fortune to even have the opportunity or privilege to be working this hard. It’s an emotional clusterf*ck. My point today is simply that there are multiple ways of being and interfacing with life’s requirement to work in exchange for money. You do not need to subscribe to anything you don’t want. There are multiple outcomes at the end of this road and most of them don’t require some obscene output of energy and time for happiness or even wealth. Don’t get swayed. You don’t have to start a company; you can work for one. But, if you do decide on this route, just make sure you do it your way. Build the muscle, create the balance when at all possible, and make sure your willing to accept that it doesn’t always work out in the end.