Ask HN: I have a startup idea, the project is 90% done. But..

Here are a few things that might help:

1. Build the core product and launch a beta soon. Release early, release often. This will help you gauge the response and adapt. This will help you remove uncertainty about your own launch/idea etc.

2. You should definitely try to involve atleast one more person. As a lone founder, sometimes things can be a little dull.. However this should not mean you should force yourself to look at co-founders.. it's a tricky situation.. But, go out and talk to people, and meet more people and i'm sure you will come across people you want to work with.

3. Even if you do find someone to work along with, things can still be quite challenging for start-ups. It's something you should be prepared to face upto. This is exactly what makes the process rewarding and you should look at what you are learning from the process.

Find a smart friend who has similar motivations as you do, even if they don't want to work with you. It's unbelievably helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off of.

Secondly, don't rule out working for someone else before you start your own company. It's very helpful to figure out what your strengths and weaknesses really are on someone else's dime. Of course, there are plenty of reasons not to work for a big company, but this is one reason to work for a big company. In a big company, you're forced to work with a variety of different people you might not work with on your own. This gives you an idea of what types of people you work well with, what kinds of people you don't, and will also make you appreciate working for a smaller company (at least it will if you're cut out for a smaller company).

I didn't read the OPs question like "woe is me" at all.

I've been in their shoes. Feeling isolated, having doubts despite my optimistic nature, lacking sources of good advice. I'm sure it's a familiar story for many HNers.

I wasn't born knowing Paul Graham or the Church of Lean. I didn't always live in a city rife with smart people building startups.

It's a slow, steady process of learning, adjusting, and learning again. That the OP is here asking questions and seeking advice shows me they're on the right path.

Cool. I'm Malaysian too but located in East Malaysia. I'm working alone on a web project too. From my experience, going alone is emotionally tough, working first may help find people who share the same ambition. Don't give up...."how can you fail if you don't give up" :) Tell yourself you're going to take 4 years (or more if you're still young) and giving it all you have. Even if you fail, you would have gained valuable experience and knowledge.

Be careful of saying that the software is done and launching it big. What you have is probably a product that you think what others will want. Until you get feedback and slowly releasing it to the world, you do not know. Probably getting those unmotivated people around you to try your software might be helpful as a start.

I think historically there's been a higher chance of failure but as long as you learn from the mistakes, you'll do fine. Fail fast.

fyi, I used to lecture CS in Malaysia :) and I failed trying to launch an ecommerce site in Malaysia. But I'm at it again.:)

This article may shed some light on your dilemma http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2008/10/03/harnessing-e...

Keep reading and learning. If you don't already know, I find the following things helpful - http://ecorner.stanford.edu/ - http://steveblank.com - twitter

It's not about the idea. It's the execution. If it's a good idea, someone else is probably doing the same thing...unless you have a crazy idea. Know your competition and realised that you are one person against probably a whole team of people if it's not a niche enough market you're targeting.

Well that's my opinion anyway...:)

No one understands you? Hang out online where people do. You're already here on Hacker News, so nothing to worry about.

Now, back to your 90% done project... ship something sooner rather than later. You're probably still missing a lot! If you think coding is most of the work, you are wrong. How will people know about your project (apart from telling us here on HN)?

It's not something to worry about, on the contrary. It's a great learning experience. So ship and iterate.