> But the thing that bugs me about this is that nobody seems to think that I'm anything more than a code monkey. They don't realize that, in addition to engineering, I actually started something new, managed the product, a whole team, did a fair bit of design, promotion/press, successfully exited, all sorts of stuff that doesn't really fall under "Objective-C developer." Not exactly covered in the Stanford course. I'm not usually so arrogant, but it's frustrating.
Do you market yourself that way? You have to tell people what they're supposed to see you as, and then they'll decide whether it's true or if you're just pulling their leg.
That said, I agree with the other posters and think you should definitely take a break and allow yourself to drift into the next big thing.
Forgive me for playing psychologist, but I'm detecting a bit of insecurity. You should internalize that you really are awesome & rare, as evidenced by the fact that you single-handedly created a high-quality product and sold it.
Examples:
> I'm (so far) a single founder.
Doesn't matter, you have a great track record. Yes, it's better to have a good team, so you should keep an eye out for teammates.
> nobody seems to think that I'm anything more than a code monkey
Sounds like maybe you haven't presented yourself as more than that to them.
> If there were some openings for "startup douche", I'd probably apply to those.
Do you market yourself that way? You have to tell people what they're supposed to see you as, and then they'll decide whether it's true or if you're just pulling their leg.
That said, I agree with the other posters and think you should definitely take a break and allow yourself to drift into the next big thing.