#Microsoft #BizSpark Asks Entrepreneurs to Describe the Glory and the Horror of Solving for Opportunities

Startup culture. Highs and lows. Dread and exasperation. Glory and elation. 

What really sucks about running a startup? What do you love? 

We asked the startup community at our Microsoft BizSpark Facebook Page to take a read on their startup experience and answer today's fill-in-the-blank question. By the way, if you have not joined our page and Liked it, you are going to be missing out on some good content and interactions with startup founders. Visit us now and join.

The Question We Asked Today: 

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is _____________. The most horrible thing about being at a startup is _______________.  

Here are some of the answers: 

Greg Gopman, AngelHack --  "unites startup communities nationwide for a hackathon where they build startup ideas and win seed capital from investors."

The most exciting thing about being at a startup (AngelHack) is having the freedom to follow your passions and paint the world with a purple crayon. The most horrible thing about being at a startup (AngelHack) is you have to shovel through a lot of sh*t before anyone gives you the paper to write on.... luckily with persistence and temperance anything is possible. AngelHack Summer 2012 coming soon :)

Anthony Collins  

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is working with cutting edge technology to show the world your own design. The most horrible thing about being at a startup is trying to find resources to help fund the high cost of software development and testing. Bizspark does a great job of giving startups what they need to create the next generation of apps and software.

Joie Huang

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is the freedom to create and to succeed at it. The most horrible thing about being at a startup is the constant doubt and fighting them away.

Jason Barnes, iactionable which, according to Barnes, is "a gamification platform built on Azure. We apply game-like mechanics to business processes to increase motivation and engagement in the workplace."

1. The freedom to solve problems and make change happen.

2. The extremely polar emotional rollercoaster from excitement to desperation. 

Victor Valenzuela

The most exciting thing about a startup is being pioneers and innovators the most horrible things is leaving the company, but to start it all over again is the reward !!!

Vishal Talreja, Xiimo 

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is the constant uncertainty, fear and doubt and yet the fighting spirit to create something wonderful - from the heart. Here at Xiimo, we are constantly trying to understand the small business sentiments, pivoting, re-calibrating to get the best experience, powered by Azure, to small businesses globally. Nothing horrible about that :)

Ernest Sim

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is learning. The most horrible thing about being at a startup is also learning.

It is a great feeling to delve in something new, experience something fresh, pick up a new skill, meet new people, understand new technologies, gain new insights. But it is equally as harsh to learn about our weaknesses, our inabilities, the problems with our ideas, the problems with people, the challenges that all entrepreneurs must face. It is by accepting both the bold and fearful nature of entrepreneurism that we can progress. We never really fail, we merely learn harder lessons than others :)

Angela Fisher, Ace Barter

The most exciting thing about being a start up is realizing that the roller coaster up and down doesn't deter me from pushing forward. I feel the same joy and enthusiasm on the up days, and the down days. The most horrible thing about being a start up is that in-between time when you see the forward momentum paying off, but the money isn't coming in yet. I'm with Ace Barter, and we are a barter exchange - basically a cash and credit alternative.

Gopi Gandhi

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is "you are alone and can think on your own: your vision, your perception, your company". The most horrible thing about being at a startup is "you are alone and might mess up everything: risks, lack of experience, high pressure".

Daniel Szabo

The most exciting thing about being at a startup is that your are trying to make your dream come true, and every moment of that is exciting - from designing to negotiating with investors. The most horrible thing about being at a startup is that you need time to prove your idea, and you need money to stay alive. Net Beszed and Experts on Cam would like to thank Microsoft for its help! We are trying to stay alive. We are going to stay alive!

Jose Antonio Morales

‎_Discovery_. _Fixed costs_.
Discovery: it is the engine, we wish to know if we can achieve something different and great.
Fixed: any obligation that drains cash: subscriptions, passives, unnecessary expenses.