When Ugly is Beautiful

Those of us who follow the startup scene would have come across statements that range from crazy to wild. I concede that passion is very important to succeed in that space and I am myself passionate about quite a few things. However, when I hear statements like “Oh, we were working in a room infested with all sorts of bugs”, “we started out in a cramped room with cobwebs and ants giving us company”, I cringe in my seat. Not long ago, our parents would have disciplined us for not keeping our workplaces, study tables and rooms clean. Cleanliness has been equated with godliness and it is heavily emphasized upon in school education. So, when I hear such statements, which are invariably made with a sense of pride and gusto, I say to myself that probably these guys never bothered to clean up the place. The audience seems to enjoy such statements and they are now referred to as “occupational hazards” when talking to wannabe entrepreneurs. I can’t stop wondering how such statements came to be the “in-thing”. I fully understand and appreciate the limited resources, aggressive timelines and all other pressures associated with running a start-up. However, I find it amusing to see people talking about such things with so much enthusiasm. Bootstrapping, cutting down unnecessary expenses etc. are all part and parcel of startup life. But one does not need a lot of money to keep the workplace clean. It just needs some effort.