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Be Relentlessly Resourceful

paulgraham.com

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Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#21

Post by pg »

chris11 wrote: post #2

PG, I would be really interested in your experiences teaching people to relentlessly resourceful. How have you brought out resourcefulness in your startup founders?

Me: Why don't you just do x?

Founders: Could we really do x?

Me: Sure, why not? Can't hurt to try. How hard can it be to do at least version 1 of x?

Founders: Ok [dubiously] we'll try it.

A few days later:

Founders: Pg, check out this demo of x. It was a lot harder than we expected, but we just got it working. While we were working on it, we thought "what if we did y..."

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#22

Post by pg »

anuraggoel wrote: post #7

I guess the (surprisingly) restrained reception to 'How to be an angel investor' forced pg to explicitly point out its key takeaway for founders and write a whole new essay for it. He just doesn't stop trying to do good - a different kind of relentless resourcefulness.

I was going to do this anyway. I decided to as soon as I wrote that paragraph in the angel essay. (I would never decide what to write based on how many points a previous essay got, either high or low. It only works to write about what I'm currently interested in.)

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#23

Post by chris11 »

pg wrote: post #21
chris11 wrote: post #2

PG, I would be really interested in your experiences teaching people to relentlessly resourceful. How have you brought out resourcefulness in your startup founders?

Me: Why don't you just do x? Founders: Could we really do x? Me: Sure, why not? Can't hurt to try. How hard can it be to do at least version 1 of x? Founders: Ok [dubiously] we'll try it. A few days later: Founders: Pg, check out this demo of x. It was a lot harder than we expected, but we just got it working. While we were working on it, we thought "what if we did y..."

Thanks for replying.

I guess I usually see someone accomplish some really hard task I assume they have some high level of innate ability or other advantage, when what really happens is that that they just started it and then dealt with any problems as they came up.

Hopefully I'll keep this in mind when ever I'm tempted to think that I need some big break or big idea to accomplish a goal.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#24

Post by anuraggoel »

pg wrote: post #22
anuraggoel wrote: post #7

I guess the (surprisingly) restrained reception to 'How to be an angel investor' forced pg to explicitly point out its key takeaway for founders and write a whole new essay for it. He just doesn't stop trying to do good - a different kind of relentless resourcefulness.

I was going to do this anyway. I decided to as soon as I wrote that paragraph in the angel essay. (I would never decide what to write based on how many points a previous essay got, either high or low. It only works to write about what I'm currently interested in.)

And I was beginning to think reading your essays and HN comments was sufficient to authoritatively reason about your motives.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#25

Post by aristus »

In spanish you might say "un barbaro". It's literally "a barbarian" but with the implication of native cunning, resourcefulness, drive, and few inhibitions. It's someone who always wins because he figures out a way.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#26

Post by pg »

chris11 wrote: post #23
pg wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me: Why don't you just do x? Founders: Could we really do x? Me: Sure, why not? Can't hurt to try. How hard can it be to do at least version 1 of x? Founders: Ok [dubiously] we'll try it. A few days later: Founders: Pg, check out this demo of x. It was a lot harder than we expected, but we just got it working. While we were working on it, we thought "what if we did y..."

Thanks for replying. I guess I usually see someone accomplish some really hard task I assume they have some high level of innate ability or other advantage, when what really happens is that that they just started it and then dealt with any problems as they came up. Hopefully I'll keep this in mind when ever I'm tempted to think that I need some big break or big idea to accomplish a goal.

We may help out with the occasional idea too. I don't mean to suggest that the preceding conversation is the only one. There so many different types of conversations about so many different problems.

It's not just me, either. There are also the other three YC partners, plus a constant stream of outside experts who meet with all the startups and talk to them about what they're working on.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#27

Post by pg »

joechung wrote: post #10

Isn't the antonym of hapless opportunistic (without its negative connotation)?

Opportunistic (without its negative connotation) = resourceful. That gets you the direction of the vector, then you add relentlessly as the magnitude.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#29

Post by swombat »

Just a small niggle, but don't you mean "helpless" as opposed to "hapless"?

Helpless: "unable to help oneself; weak or dependent"

Hapless: "unlucky; luckless; unfortunate."

It seems to me that helpless has exactly the definition you seek. "Relentlessly resourceful" founders are able to help themselves, strong, and independent.

I know you disagree with the dictionary definition, but could it be that the two meanings merged in your mind? They're not really merged in mine... I see "hapless" as relating to luck, whereas helpless is relating to ability. It seems unnecessary to propose a new meaning for "hapless" when "helpless" fits the bill perfectly.

Handily enough, the antonyms of "helpless" are: ( http://thesaurus.reference.com/browse/helpless )

able, capable, competent, enterprising, independent, resourceful, skilled, strong

Which seems to be exactly what you're aiming for. On the other hand, the antonyms of "hapless" are: " fortuitous, fortunate, lucky, well-off", which is not really what you mean, I imagine.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#30

Post by pg »

swombat wrote: post #29

Just a small niggle, but don't you mean "helpless" as opposed to "hapless"? Helpless: "unable to help oneself; weak or dependent" Hapless: "unlucky; luckless; unfortunate." It seems to me that helpless has exactly the definition you seek. "Relentlessly resourceful" founders are able to help themselves, strong, and independent. I know you disagree with the dictionary definition, but could it be that the two meanings m…

No, I meant hapless, but as it's really used, not the obsolete definitions in most dictionaries.

Hapless means bad stuff is happening to you. Helpless just means you couldn't defend yourself if it did.

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