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Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

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Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#101

Post by nl »

nojvek wrote: post #93
ilamont wrote: post #74

To me, "wantapreneur" is synonymous with the people who are big on talk or the trappings of startup life without actually making anything or are constantly looking for someone else to build out their big idea. At least you're building something on your own! Of the many pieces of pg startup wisdom cited or linked to on HN, the one bit that sticks with me is just five simple words, from one of his early essays (1): Mak…

I’ve always resonated more with a slightly modified version in a much more powerful way. “make and sell something people want” It’s not a business unless money is getting transferred!

I think PG was very careful and very precise about the advice he gave there. If you look at the context he specifically addresses and discards the idea of trying to make money from it straight away:

About a month after we started Y Combinator we came up with the phrase that became our motto: Make something people want. We've learned a lot since then, but if I were choosing now that's still the one I'd pick.

Another thing we tell founders is not to worry too much about the business model, at least at first. Not because making money is unimportant, but because it's so much easier than building something great.

A couple weeks ago I realized that if you put those two ideas together, you get something surprising. Make something people want. Don't worry too much about making money. What you've got is a description of a charity.

When you get an unexpected result like this, it could either be a bug or a new discovery. Either businesses aren't supposed to be like charities, and we've proven by reductio ad absurdum that one or both of the principles we began with is false. Or we have a new idea.[1]

It's fine to disagree with that advice of course. But I think in the context of YC it make sense. If you aren't doing YC and can't raise capital as easily then maybe not.

[1] http://www.paulgraham.com/good.html

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#102

Post by jschulenklopper »

brainless wrote: post #98

I have been a wantrepreneur for a very long time. Like yourself I have tried and failed multiple ideas. I have worked with about 10 startups (including some my own). I know (and have had honest reflections from others) that I have caliber to work things out. But I have realized the biggest issue is lack of perseverance - I jump ideas too often. Any idea (unless I am super lucky) will need years of patient hand holdin…

> So on Jan 1, 2017 I promised myself I will stick to one of my ideas. I did, now [...] So I am still sticking to the one I started this year. As a team we have good goals till Dec 2017 and then first quarter 2018. We have not planned beyond.

Which is a great idea - I tried to do the same, but it continues to be hard to suppress other nice/promising/interesting ideas that surface every once in a while.

BTW, perhaps it's because of our hyperfocus on that one idea, but in the mean time 2018 has already started some while back, and we're close to Dec. 2018. Plan accordingly :-)

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#103

Post by kluck »

mindcrime wrote: post #62

There's an Alan Kay video out there, titled something like "How to Invent the Future" (or something close to that). It's in two parts, and it should be available on Youtube. In that video there's a part where he talks about good ways to come up with an idea for a new business. I'd try to describe the process to you, but I really can't do it justice. I'd say go find the videos and watch them and consider giving his ap…

Thanks! I am reading HN for this kind of hints.

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#104

Post by glangdale »

I have met a few people who are determined to be entrepreneurs and don't seem all that picky about the content of their entrepreneurship. It doesn't seem like all that great a path.

IMO it's a bit of a cliche, but you should find an idea that you're passionate about (that's also a plausible business plan, naturally :-) ) and follow it. Deciding you want to be an entrepreneur first, then casting around for ideas, seems desperately contrived. I know it's worked for some people, so there's no hard-and-fast law, but I personally can't see how one gets through the general grind of a startup motivated only by an abstract and rather extrinsic goal of "being an entrepreneur".

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#105

Post by jschulenklopper »

sixhobbits wrote: post #42

The most important thing is consistency. Pick one idea and stick with it (I'm a hypocrite here), and work on it every day for years. It's hard to keep anything going only during weekends as you spend 90% of your energy just trying to find momentum. Re "But after one day of programming for my job, I am exhausted and I cannot extract any brain-juice any more. And if I try to work during the week-ends, I can't rewind en…

> I partially solved this by spending 30-60 minutes every morning on side projects. Waking up earlier was hard, but I managed to get into the habit of spending some time in a cafe on my way to work. The change in environment (not home) and the very limited time (often I only have one well-defined goal for a morning session) makes me super productive.

This is a great tip... for every important goal that you would like to pursue. I started to run twice a week at 6:00 am, and the habit to get out of bed early provides an opening for other activities to spend an hour on the other three weekdays (whether that is reading, writing, meditating/praying, exercising, journalling).

BTW, it helps that I've got some running friends waiting at 6:00 am on Wednesdays and Fridays. That 'social obligation' to show up is also a good reason to get out of bed, knowing that some friends are waiting for me.

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#106

Post by kluck »

- Concentrate on one thing.

- Make something you need and would pay for. If it already exists somewhere, find a good reason why you need to do it at all (and not just use the existing thing).

- No donations, let people pay for it.

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#107

Post by akuji1993 »

brainless wrote: post #98

I have been a wantrepreneur for a very long time. Like yourself I have tried and failed multiple ideas. I have worked with about 10 startups (including some my own). I know (and have had honest reflections from others) that I have caliber to work things out. But I have realized the biggest issue is lack of perseverance - I jump ideas too often. Any idea (unless I am super lucky) will need years of patient hand holdin…

On your page, there is a mistake (Setember). Also you should probably switch the standard React favicon to your own one.

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#108

Post by TomK32 »

brainless wrote: post #98

I have been a wantrepreneur for a very long time. Like yourself I have tried and failed multiple ideas. I have worked with about 10 startups (including some my own). I know (and have had honest reflections from others) that I have caliber to work things out. But I have realized the biggest issue is lack of perseverance - I jump ideas too often. Any idea (unless I am super lucky) will need years of patient hand holdin…

I'd love to subscribe to a newsletter but didn't see one. Sure twitter is nice and I use it a lot, but you have to be one more channels.

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#109

Post by rhizome »

bored wrote: post #40
Alex3917 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're a wannapreneur if: - You talk to people about your ideas, but never build anything - You build something without first talking to people - You build something and never try to sell it If you build something that people say they'll pay for and then they don't actually pay for it then this is problematic, but also normal and doesn't make you a wannapreneur. At that point it's just part of the struggle.

Or if you fall in love with the initial idea and never iterate.

There are several sites I wish would roll back a few iterations. Flickr, Chowhound, Slashdot..

Re: Ask HN: Am I just a wantrepreneur?

#110

Post by brainless »

jschulenklopper wrote: post #102
brainless wrote: post #98

I have been a wantrepreneur for a very long time. Like yourself I have tried and failed multiple ideas. I have worked with about 10 startups (including some my own). I know (and have had honest reflections from others) that I have caliber to work things out. But I have realized the biggest issue is lack of perseverance - I jump ideas too often. Any idea (unless I am super lucky) will need years of patient hand holdin…

> So on Jan 1, 2017 I promised myself I will stick to one of my ideas. I did, now [...] So I am still sticking to the one I started this year. As a team we have good goals till Dec 2017 and then first quarter 2018. We have not planned beyond. Which is a great idea - I tried to do the same, but it continues to be hard to suppress other nice/promising/interesting ideas that surface every once in a while. BTW, perhaps i…

I have a lot of attention, focus or hyperfocus issues. Plus poor social life for many years and also mild-depression.

The only way through has been the hard one - string discipline, pushing myself into building good long term friendship, traveling, having hobbies (learning drums now).

It is very easy for people like us to lose focus and jump to the next nice idea. I have lost so much time this way.

Sorry the timeline in my post was incorrect, had just woken up :P

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