YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet • Hacker News Board

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#51

Post by wenbin » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:36 AM UTC

hayksaakian wrote: post #50

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

Ultimately a lot of the trivia doesn't really matter for your success or failure. High level thinking combined with effort and luck are what helps you "make it" in my eyes. If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. This is the same problem with youtubers who have 0 subscribers obsessing over what particular camera they need to buy, all while people are growi…

Part of me agree the attitude of "you should be able to figure out things on your own".

My point is that since some tools & trivia things really don't matter, we just need good defaults and move on to do things that matter. Where to find good defaults? You can ask around in your network, or figure out these things on your own. Or just pick whatever have good social proof.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#52

Post by slimsag » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:36 AM UTC

hayksaakian wrote: post #50

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

Ultimately a lot of the trivia doesn't really matter for your success or failure. High level thinking combined with effort and luck are what helps you "make it" in my eyes. If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. This is the same problem with youtubers who have 0 subscribers obsessing over what particular camera they need to buy, all while people are growi…

Pretty sure GP is saying that making those decisions for which healthcare to get, which credit card to get, etc. take a lot of time away from high level thinking, and I’d have to agree.

If I understand, your argument seems to be “just pick any and don’t worry” or “only care about success, not the risks of having bad/no healthcare, bad credit cards, etc when your startup fails”

A youtuber debating what camera to get usually doesn’t impact their livelihood in the long run, healthcare, finances, and other aspects of running a business definitely can.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#53

Post by redis_mlc » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:39 AM UTC

hayksaakian wrote: post #50

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

Ultimately a lot of the trivia doesn't really matter for your success or failure. High level thinking combined with effort and luck are what helps you "make it" in my eyes. If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. This is the same problem with youtubers who have 0 subscribers obsessing over what particular camera they need to buy, all while people are growi…

> If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose.

I'd have to agree.

Instead of "company", think "domain name."

Instead of "health insurance", think "I'm in my 20's and don't need it."

Instead of "company credit card", think "don't spend anything."

Instead of "design/eng. help", think "no budget, DIY", "co-founder" or at most Craigslist gigs.

Or just keep working the day job until the above is obvious.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#54

Post by hayksaakian » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:52 AM UTC

redis_mlc wrote: post #53

hayksaakian wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately a lot of the trivia doesn't really matter for your success or failure. High level thinking combined with effort and luck are what helps you "make it" in my eyes. If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. This is the same problem with youtubers who have 0 subscribers obsessing over what particular camera they need to buy, all while people are growi…

> If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. I'd have to agree. Instead of "company", think "domain name." Instead of "health insurance", think "I'm in my 20's and don't need it." Instead of "company credit card", think "don't spend anything." Instead of "design/eng. help", think "no budget, DIY", "co-founder" or at most Craigslist gigs. Or just keep working…

being young, broke, and healthy helped me get my first company going without being distracted by decision fatigue because often times the decision was made for me.

having a handful of mentors who can tell you "you're asking the wrong questions, ask yourself X instead" saved me a lot of time early on.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#55

Post by hodgesrm » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 1:54 AM UTC

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

Start-up advice in one line: don't quit your day job.

Having a salary gives you the time to find customers, figure out market fit, and lay the foundation for a successful business. More than anything else it allows you to be patient, which is a virtue when starting a new business.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#56

Post by jayjohn436 » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 2:01 AM UTC

chrisweekly wrote: post #49

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

I recommend a famous book about creating companies and running / growing successful businesses called "The Hard Thing About Hard Things". The gist of it is, there is no recipe for success, no roadmap or checklist to follow. Due diligence and research / prep are one thing, but anyone requiring a "color by numbers" or "connect the dots" guide is, by definition, ill-suited for entrepreneurship.

One of the best books I have ever read. It taught me what it meant to be a product manager and how to be a professional at the workplace no matter what. I now refer to it almost every day while running my own start up which is three months old.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#57

Post by ngokevin » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 2:14 AM UTC

sirodoht wrote: post #42

It feels like YC is the mainstream thing nowadays, the traditional school of startupery. But startup founders and hackers like the naughty [0] things, not the established. [0]: https://youtu.be/4WO5kJChg3w?t=404

That's a bit over-generalized. If someone's idea of doing a naughty thing is not making something people want, not talking to users, not validating a problem, not explaining what you do clearly, I don't think they'll do well at all.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#58

Post by mtVessel » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 2:44 AM UTC

You know what's funny? I've read the promo material, signed up, and there's little mention of how this program works, whether it's synchronous, async, or what? I'm assuming it's all async, since otherwise, it would be titled "Startup School for future founders who are comfortable with open-ended commitments, because they're young, single and unemployed."

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#59

Post by tjchear » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 3:19 AM UTC

slimsag wrote: post #52

hayksaakian wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately a lot of the trivia doesn't really matter for your success or failure. High level thinking combined with effort and luck are what helps you "make it" in my eyes. If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. This is the same problem with youtubers who have 0 subscribers obsessing over what particular camera they need to buy, all while people are growi…

Pretty sure GP is saying that making those decisions for which healthcare to get, which credit card to get, etc. take a lot of time away from high level thinking, and I’d have to agree. If I understand, your argument seems to be “just pick any and don’t worry” or “only care about success, not the risks of having bad/no healthcare, bad credit cards, etc when your startup fails” A youtuber debating what camera to get u…

Trivia decisions aside, there are also seemingly trivia things that you just didn't even know you had to know or make a decision on. You don't know what you don't know, so having someone who had done it to guide a future entrepreneur on things beyond just high level guidance would be immensely helpful.

Re: YC Startup School for future founders who aren't quite ready to start yet

#60

Post by cannaceo » Sat, Oct 31, 2020, 3:19 AM UTC

wenbin wrote: post #45

YC is always doing a good job in educating people on startup things, and they truly inspire a whole generation of founders, including myself. But still, most advices we could find online are too high level, too abstract, too philosophical. Yeah there’s a need for this type of things. But as a person who is thinking to quit his/her job to start a company, they may need more actionable advices and data points, e.g., ho…

I've thought about writing the same type of book with a broader scope. HR processes, what is a PEO, types of insurance and how to shop for them, accounting/bookkeeping practices, importance of contracts, how to collect AR, how construction contractors bill and how to ask them to quote, overview of electronic signatures, retaining communications from the start, what is a payroll audit, etc.)

I'm sure there can be some other great advice in there about not spending too much on design upfront, using graphic design templates as much as possible, etc.

The reality is a lot of the stuff that can really bite you in the ass (PAGA lawsuits in CA) you only learn about when you're about to get reamed.