Knowledge Marketplace
My First Million

My First Million

The best business ideas come from noticing what's working and doing it better, faster, or for a different audience.

Back to Takes

Hate, revenge, rage, and shame are extremely useful emotions for entrepreneurs and should be cultivated rather than eliminated

Spiciness
contrarian_take

The Reasoning

These negative emotions provide sustained motivation that doesn't fade when things get difficult, unlike positive emotions which can dissipate with setbacks

What Needs to Be True

  • The negative emotions must be channeled productively into business building
  • The person must maintain basic psychological stability
  • The business opportunity must align with the emotional motivation
  • The person must be able to form functional business relationships despite the wounds

Counterargument

Negative emotions lead to poor decision-making, unhealthy relationships, and unsustainable businesses that burn out founders and teams

What Would Change This View

Data showing that revenge-motivated companies have higher failure rates or create toxic cultures that ultimately limit growth

Implications for Builders

Don't suppress your anger or shame - channel it into business motivation

Look for business opportunities that directly address your personal wounds

Investors should view founder emotional wounds as positive signals

Build systems to productively channel negative emotions into work

Example Application

Entrepreneur who was fired unfairly starts a company in the same industry, uses anger as fuel to outwork competitors and build superior product