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Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

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Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#21

Post by richardw »

Put your toe into the water, cheaply. Take one idea and start building your thinking around it, on 'paper'. Think about problems you'll have to solve, look at the market for it, maybe write some code. Think about what success with that idea would feel like - some ideas you might not want to follow for a few years.

This way you can try a few ideas without committing too many resources. Just keep moving forward every week until you find something that really grabs you and where you think you have an edge. Then hammer it.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#23

Post by danielharan »

nudge wrote: post #3

What in your life would you pay for, that does not exist? What do you know others will pay for, that does not exist? What is your unique intersection of talents, interests and experiences, that might allow you to find a new angle on something? Don't start with the idea of "a startup". Look for a way you can make life sufficiently better for a sufficient number of people/companies with sufficient ability and willingne…

"What in your life would you pay for, that does not exist?"

Oh, hells no. Geeks should NOT do this. We have enough dating sites and bug trackers already, even if none exist with their ideal feature set.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#24

Post by danielharan »

1- Pick a technology that's going to change a >$1B industry or create one.

2- Go talk to people in those industries to test out product ideas. Don't do this haphazardly: read 4 Steps to the Epiphany. Its editing is brutal (well, non-existent), but the ideas are vital. It doesn't matter if your original idea is shit; talking with people that have problems and money to resolve them will give you more.

3- Find a co-founder with complementary strengths. They can't just be a business person.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#25

Post by chmike »

If you have many idea and interest and whan to start a business (earning money), then you are in a good position. My advice would be to sort the idea by ease of testing and potential benefits. Use this sorting as heuristic and try them out and see what sticks.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#26

Post by chmike »

If you have many idea and interest and whan to start a business (earning money), then you are in a good position. My advice would be to sort the idea by ease of testing and potential benefits. Use this sorting as heuristic and try them out and see what sticks.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#27

Post by swombat »

nyef wrote: post #2

I'm a big fan of throwing things against the wall until something sticks. Success is not about having THE great idea; it's about being persistent and determined. Don't think too much about HOW to start, just START! Then never give up, and success will come (probably sooner rather than later).

I agree. If I was starting from scratch at this point, this is what I'd do: launch a new product every month. Don't worry too much about whether it really is The One, just get it out and focus on getting feedback/users/etc. It's likely that within a year, something will stick enough to deserve further attention. Meanwhile, you'll amass gargantuan amounts of experience.

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#28

Post by webwright »

WHY do you want to do a startup? Because it's fashionable?

Working at a startup is a good goal-- it's a fun work environment with a small tight-knit team.

STARTING a startup should be fueled by either a missionary zeal or a desire to gamble with 2+ years of your life to make a big pile of money (the average time to liquidity for VC backed startups is ~7 years). If you don't have one of those two, I can all but promise you'll burn out and/or get bored.

My advice: wait for an idea/market that you love to pop into your head that you can't ignore. In the meantime, work at a startup for a decent salary (don't sacrifice much salary for options-- it's a sucker's bet).

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#29

Post by hungry_hungry »

webwright wrote: post #28

WHY do you want to do a startup? Because it's fashionable? Working at a startup is a good goal-- it's a fun work environment with a small tight-knit team. STARTING a startup should be fueled by either a missionary zeal or a desire to gamble with 2+ years of your life to make a big pile of money (the average time to liquidity for VC backed startups is ~7 years). If you don't have one of those two, I can all but promis…

These are good questions...

I want to start a startup because I: - Want to do something I care about, slash it's meaningful to me. I'm tired of realizing other people's ideas. - I want to make important decisions and have responsibility for their repercussions. - I want to create a lifestyle that I'd enjoy more for myself, including not having to be tied to a specific location. - I want to do something 'important' (a relative term, I know). I'm tired of wasting my time and talent on silly projects and bug fixes. - Money is important but not everything. Ideally I'd be earning as much as I do now from my corporate gig but that's not even necessary.

I'm willing to gamble a couple of years of my life, but as I said, I'm not sure what to do/make. I agree that working for options is a sucker's bet, hence leaving a previous startup after working there a year.

Thanks for getting me to clarify this. ~Henry

Re: Ask HN: I really want to start a startup but I don't know what to do.

#30

Post by hungry_hungry »

nudge wrote: post #3

What in your life would you pay for, that does not exist? What do you know others will pay for, that does not exist? What is your unique intersection of talents, interests and experiences, that might allow you to find a new angle on something? Don't start with the idea of "a startup". Look for a way you can make life sufficiently better for a sufficient number of people/companies with sufficient ability and willingne…

This is part of what holds me back. I have a lot of ideas for startups but I'm not sure that some/any of them will be revenue-generating.

Maybe a better starting point for me is to post some of the ideas and see what kinds of responses those get.

However, picking a project that will generate money does not necessarily mesh with making the project that is most interesting to me, which adds to my confusion.

~Henry

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