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My Startup has 30 Days to Live

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Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#101

Post by jpdoctor »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #58
jpdoctor wrote: post #38

> I’m scared. Congratulations: You're normal. Look at it this way: You are commanding on a battlefield, there are a helluva lot of guys about to die. If you freeze up, they all die. So make some fucking decisions, save as many as you can. Throw some into the line of fire for the sake of the others. It's what battlefield commanders do. The gods have chosen you for this role, rise up and do your best. You will make som…

I think commanding on the Battlefield is the wrong metaphor, we use it a lot but its not a battle, its a sport. When you tell your developer you can't afford to pay him any more it isn't that he (or she) "dies" its that they move on to their next job. Is it painful? Of course. But it isn't death. Sports analogies work better since there is always next season with some of the same and some different players. You decid…

> Is it painful? Of course. But it isn't death.

No, but firing somebody who is the head of household and has major medical issues at home, is a helluva lot more serious than 4th down.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#102

Post by unimpressive »

ooutpa wrote: post #96
enraged_camel wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A barber shop is a new, fledgling business, but it is not a startup. PG wrote an essay on this - you should read it.

Oh come on. Just because Paul wrote something does not suddenly make it fact. The word 'startup' is at least a few hundreds years old, most likely from the word 'upstart' - the action of starting up. Startup as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary: A fledgling business enterprise. Startup as defined in the Oxford dictionary: A newly established business.

We're talking about startups in the Silicon Valley Business vernacular, which has some strange definitions for common words. (See: Disrupt)

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#103

Post by ooutpa »

greghinch wrote: post #29

I'm going to say this knowing that I may get down voted to heck. And I don't mean it as a "told you so" to the OP, but rather hopefully some cautionary advice for would-be founders. I have come to the opinion that if you are bootstrapping, you have no business calling your company a startup. You are building a small business. And there is nothing shameful about this. You are among solid companions with your local plu…

I love the subtle patronization in your post. "You are building a small business." "You are among solid companions with your local plumbers, restaurants, and barbers."

My brother in-law has a bootstrapped SaaS company making six figures per month at a profit margin of almost 100%.

Is he building a small business? Is he among his local plumbers and barbers?

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#104

Post by ihaveajob »

enraged_camel wrote: post #84
dkrich wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's your definition of a startup. Most people (myself included) think of a startup simply as a new, fledgling business. Every business starts with nothing. Your aspirations, whether they are to become billion-dollar or just side income are irrelevant. They can lead to some bone-headed decisions along the way though.

A barber shop is a new, fledgling business, but it is not a startup. PG wrote an essay on this - you should read it.

(Not the OP) I've read PG's article, and it makes sense, but it narrowly fits YC's model and leaves out lean, bootstrapped companies. For that reason, I prefer Steve Blank's definition: "An organization in search of a repeatable, scalable business model". There's a good discussion here: http://www.quora.com/What-is-the-definition-of-a-startup

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#105

Post by lakey »

hahnfeld wrote: post #74
lakey wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good points, but has any VC in history actually underpinned growth from 100 to 100,000 customers in a month? Users, perhaps, but users are different creatures to customers. What's the value of that kind of user growth? It very much depends on the quality of the user, and the startup's ability to convert users to customers. The Techcrunch effect might give you rapid user growth, but are these the right kind of users f…

This unfairly generalizes and vilifies early stage investors. There are plenty of proper, professional VC's who are sufficiently patient and not focused on faux success. Remember, a typical VC fund has a life of 7-10 years. That's plenty of time to develop a company properly and focus on the things which build REAL value. Perhaps the devil is in the details here, but OP implies that he took accelerator/angel money --…

You're right, I've gone and confused accelerators with VCs. And no, not all VCs are short-termists.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#106

Post by dennisgorelik »

alsostayinganon wrote: post #67

The grass is always greener on the other side. I too am running a startup with a downward trajectory. We have more like 6-12 months of runway left but things aren't looking good. Our path tracks your alternate reality. I started a project several years ago that took off. It wasn't meant to be a business at the beginning but once it started getting traction I slowly devoted more and more time to it. It was "profitable…

What's your company web site and what are web sites of competitors?

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#107

Post by dkrich »

enraged_camel wrote: post #84
dkrich wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's your definition of a startup. Most people (myself included) think of a startup simply as a new, fledgling business. Every business starts with nothing. Your aspirations, whether they are to become billion-dollar or just side income are irrelevant. They can lead to some bone-headed decisions along the way though.

A barber shop is a new, fledgling business, but it is not a startup. PG wrote an essay on this - you should read it.

And why isn't a barber shop a startup? Great Clips and Super Cuts were once new, fledgling businesses.

Not charging money, taking VC investment, joining an incubator, and creating a stupid name that ends in "fy" or "ly" a startup does not make.

BTW, I've read the essay. I like most of what he writes, but I have a fundamental disagreement on this one and just because it comes from the hands of PG does not make it gospel.

What does this mean, "designed to grow fast?" Only technology businesses can achieve overnight billion dollar valuations, so are we saying that anything that is not in the field of tech is not a startup? If you are aiming to become the next Google, Facebook, or Twitter, good luck to you but you're going to fail. Most businesses that drive our economy were not overnight success stories. Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and Macy's were once single store fronts whose founders were not aiming for "hocky-stick" growth out of the gate.

Ask John Paul DeJoria about what a startup is. The guy started by selling fucking shampoo to salons out of his car in Los Angeles when he was 36 and now owns Patron. Yes, the Tequila company. Watch this video for some perspective: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hndfUwPpzyQ

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#109

Post by alsostayinganon »

dennisgorelik wrote: post #106
alsostayinganon wrote: post #67

The grass is always greener on the other side. I too am running a startup with a downward trajectory. We have more like 6-12 months of runway left but things aren't looking good. Our path tracks your alternate reality. I started a project several years ago that took off. It wasn't meant to be a business at the beginning but once it started getting traction I slowly devoted more and more time to it. It was "profitable…

What's your company web site and what are web sites of competitors?

Created a throwaway account because I'd like to stay anon.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#110

Post by ooutpa »

unimpressive wrote: post #102
ooutpa wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh come on. Just because Paul wrote something does not suddenly make it fact. The word 'startup' is at least a few hundreds years old, most likely from the word 'upstart' - the action of starting up. Startup as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary: A fledgling business enterprise. Startup as defined in the Oxford dictionary: A newly established business.

We're talking about startups in the Silicon Valley Business vernacular, which has some strange definitions for common words. (See: Disrupt)

You see, I can get behind the usage of the word 'Disrupt' - to interrupt the normal course or unity of - Because that's often what happens when a startup enters a market to take market share from entrenched competitors who have been sailing along with a legacy for years.

But I can't get behind changing the meaning of the word 'startup' based on geographic location. The meaning is literally in the word. To start up a new venture. Nothing about 5% weekly growth. Nothing about seeking a business model - because when the word was coined nobody had to 'seek' a business model, people just paid money for goods and services. There's your business model. Of course that part has become a little lost in Silicon Valley recently.

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