I was recently talking to my friend about good ideas that made it huge online and how websites like paypal and youtube sold for like a billion dollars (did youtube sell for that much?) Anyways, he asked what I would do if i created that company, would I sell it to ebay or google for a billion, or keep and and try to make even more. Now I love working online, I like being my own boss, I like making far more than I could make working for someone else, but if I created or owned paypal or youtube, I would sell in a heartbeat. There's something to be said for creating this amazing company from scratch, but a billion dollars is a billion dollars. Maybe I would feel differently if I did actually create such a hugely popular website, but I think I would sell. I'm wondering how many of you would sell and how many would keep your site? I always love hearing stories, so if anyone has any sort of similar stories let's hear those too!
I would sell and use the money to reinvest into the next challenge or project. I guess working out the best time to sell would be the hardest decision to make.
For a billion I would sell and retire. I think it's a hard decision to make I would have to weigh up if I had the ability to take the site further or if I had reached my own personal limit in which case it would be better to let someone else take over. I suppose it has to be different for different people, it's not like they sold google when it became worth billions instead they just bought everyone else. And any one they couldn't buy they just competed with. I am still waiting for my offer from them.
The thing is if you got a site worth 1 billion dollars there's a good chance you don't need to really run the site. Basically you are just grasping large sums monthly doing whatever you please for the rest of your life. It is only worth it to sell if you have a plan that you can't do without more money.
I would sell it and hire a few people to help me reinvest my money into something that is stable. Hopefully the money would be sustained long enough for my grandchildren to live on.
with a billion dollars, i would HOPE there would be enuf money for your grandkids. How many mega-yachts are you planning on buying? sounds like everyone would sell with the exception of GrAveTzT. I think a lot of us prefer the one man show approach to business, and if you're company grew that large, you'd have to start hiring people in order to grow beyond that, which I don't think appeals to a lot of us. Just my thoughts.
Sometimes it isn't always just about the money, its about a business you have nurtured from the start and something thats become a part of you. If a site is worth a billion dollars - Im pretty sure the profit its generating isnt small change - so why sell out to the big boys? Life would get pretty boring if you had that much money and nothing in life to work towards. My opinion
You never know... if I still made the same amount now 100 years ago I'd be considered really rich. These days, i don't make all that much.
I would also sell for 1 billion. That will keep you going for a few lifetimes. You don't need anymore, you can just use it and enjoy life and help others with it at the same time plus give a little to charity. The only downside is that you will not be able to go to people and say you own so and so, instead you would have to say that you use to own so and so.
I would take the $ and retire in a heartbeat. I think this is because i've pretty much been working non-stop since I was 17 (that was 23 years ago) and I'm ready to stop.. i'm also lazy at heart.. The company i work for recently acquired a smaller company for several hundred million dollars.. the majority of that cash went right into the pocket of the previous owner, who was about 40 years old. he took the money, gave a very generous 'profit-share' to all the employee's from his portion of the money, then promptly went on to start his next venture.. clearly he is not the lazy type (like me)..
Yes, youtube got either 1.6 or 1.86 billion in Google stocks, I can't remember which. But I would sell in a heartbeat for that kind of money. Despite any emotional attachment I have to a site, or potential to make more than that, I would sell simply to secure my life, financially, and allow me to invest in real estate, something I plan on doing in the future.
I would take the $$, start a foundation and spend the rest of my life trying to make the world a better place.
Wait a second. Oh, 1 billion!! Before I was the only one who claimed not to sell but for some strange reason I had 100 million in mind. For 1000 million there is no doubt in my mind that I would sell. I think pretty much everyone in the world would sell the site as well except for someone who is just out in the world looking for power.