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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.

#31

Post by hungry_hungry »

swombat wrote: post #27
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.

This is interesting. Thanks for the suggestion. It seems like this could be inefficient in the short term but perhaps the best way to get things rolling. ~Henry

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

#32

Post by hungry_hungry »

oxygen wrote: post #8

I was in a 'similar' stage 2 years ago. I grouped with 3 of my friends and started having conversations on a daily basis. All of us came from different background -tech, finance, marketing, research; but had the same start-up itch. We threw ideas on the wall, critiqued them, followed up with some research. Eventually we found our start-up idea which btw has evolved into something completely different in 2 years. So:…

Great idea, Oxy, thanks for sharing this too. I like the idea of socializing this process as well as working on it daily. ~Henry

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

#33

Post by hungry_hungry »

xenophanes wrote: post #16

First make a small startup that sells ideas for startups. Even if sales don't pick up, it might come in handy.

Haha, totally thought of this one already. Also, it may be a great way to learn some new platforms/technologies. ~Henry

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

#34

Post by DanielRibeiro »

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…

I agree that the idea is secondary, as it usually changes. I'd really recommend you read Paul Graham's essay to understand his arguments that ideas are secondary, that co-founders matter a lot, and why you should/ should not start a startup.

As a getting started, you may found useful the summary I've crafted a while ago: http://metaphysicaldeveloper.wordpress.com/2010/04/30/scrapb...

After delving into these ideas, choosing the actual idea to pursue, I found that using swot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysis) analysis can be useful. Several questions from the application for YC are also useful (and can be categorized into Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) for fine graining: http://files.dropbox.com/u/2/app.html. Note that this application form is old, but the questions are still relevant.

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

#35

Post by DanielRibeiro »

xenophanes wrote: post #16

First make a small startup that sells ideas for startups. Even if sales don't pick up, it might come in handy.

PG was very eloquent on his take as why this might not be such a great idea (from http://www.paulgraham.com/ideas.html): Actually, startup ideas are not million dollar ideas, and here's an experiment you can try to prove it: just try to sell one. Nothing evolves faster than markets. The fact that there's no market for startup ideas suggests there's no demand. Which means, in the narrow sense of the word, that startup ideas are worthless.

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

#36

Post by logic »

hungry_hungry wrote: post #30
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

A project that you never start is guaranteed to not be revenue-generating.

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

#37

Post by seunosewa »

hungry_hungry wrote: post #29
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…

If you don't have any ideas of your own you should be happy to help others with their ideas until you get yours!

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

#38

Post by nudge »

hungry_hungry wrote: post #30
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

It is entirely sensible not to go ahead with a startup if you're not sure about whether and how it would be a successful business. You'll never know for sure, but it makes sense to have a good idea of whether you have a market, for example, before putting in all the work of building the thing.

Putting out your ideas and getting responses is a good way to start. Start an ASK HN post, explain what you're doing, and put each idea as its own reply to your post. Then people can reply to each idea separately, and you'll get a conversation on that.

Remember: the idea itself isn't always fascinating to hear. Basecamp - project management for teams; Posterous - simple blogging. And so on. So don't worry if your ideas get an "It's been done" response. What matters is whether there is room in the market for you, for your price point, for your feature set, for your marketing strategy, and so on.

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

#40

Post by webwright »

hungry_hungry wrote: post #29
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…

check this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc&feature=playe...

Don't "do what you love"... "Love what you do". Aim at something rewarding in autonomy and mastery rather than holding out for a "cause" (if you want to maximize happiness). If you find a cause ("something important") anytime during this process, you can chase that too. But if you look at 100 people who really love what they do with their lives, I think it's surprising how few of those jobs fall into the "something important" bucket.

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