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My Startup has 30 Days to Live

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Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#131

Post by jt2190 »

Arjuna wrote: post #80
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…

"Startups are about growth." Indeed... in his essay, "Startup = Growth", PG wrote: "A startup is a company designed to grow fast. Being newly founded does not in itself make a company a startup. Nor is it necessary for a startup to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of "exit." The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with startups follows from growth. If you want to…

There isn't consensus on what the vague term "startup" means. Here's a different definition, from Steve Blank:

  > "A startup is an organization formed to search for a 
  > repeatable and scalable business model." [1]
[1] http://steveblank.com/2010/01/25/whats-a-startup-first-princ...

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#132

Post by jusben1369 »

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…

Startups are not about growth. People have to stop thinking that way. Startups are about an idea that's new and not tried before. That's why you can have a medical startup raise $10 million and produce NO GROWTH for 5 years while they work in the laboratory solving a problem and creating a business that didn't exist before. (shameless plug I wrote about this last October: http://jmlite.tumblr.com/post/33443330774/startup-idea)

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#133

Post by enraged_camel »

dkrich wrote: post #107
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.

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 gosp…

You are free to disagree with PG. Doing so doesn't change the fact that he is the sort of authority who gets cited in Wikipedia articles on the topic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startup_company

The term "startup" originated during the dot-com bubble. The very origin of the term means it is supposed to apply primarily to new tech companies who are designed to grow fast.

A barber shop is not a startup. It is a small business. This doesn't make it any less legitimate as a venture. It just distinguishes it in terms of the nature of its business and industry.

edit: if you're going to downvote, at least have the courage to voice your disagreement as a reply.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#134

Post by nhangen »

Kurtz79 wrote: post #88
nhangen wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You may have missed mine. I'm saying that aside from investment, startups and bootstrapped have many similarities. Both are focused on growth, it's just that one is smarter about it (generally). Most of the startups the OP is referring to don't have a mission other than to get acquired before they run out of money. My preference would be to call these 'startups' burnouts instead, and reserve the name for the real bus…

I completely agree with what you are saying about the "burnouts", but I think a bootstrapped business (unlike a startup) it's not necessarily focused on growth. You could start a bootstrapped business and only grow to the point where is sustainable in the long term, and just provides you with a decent level of income so that you can work on something you like and under conditions that suit you.

I don't know. I guess I've just always viewed bootstrapping as choosing revenue for financing rather than investors. I don't think boostrapping is the same as what some like to call a'lifestyle business.'

My company is bootstrapped, but we're still very focused on growth.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#135

Post by nhangen »

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.

PG isn't the only author on the topic, nor is he the most tenured. He presents one point of view from someone with interest in seeing his viewpoint prevail.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#136

Post by trotsky »

enraged_camel wrote: post #133
dkrich wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 gosp…

You are free to disagree with PG. Doing so doesn't change the fact that he is the sort of authority who gets cited in Wikipedia articles on the topic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startup_company The term "startup" originated during the dot-com bubble. The very origin of the term means it is supposed to apply primarily to new tech companies who are designed to grow fast. A barber shop is not a startup. It is a small…

The term "startup" originated during the dot-com bubble.

Wow, you get some bullshit ideas about business if you get your mba at wikipedia.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#137

Post by jusben1369 »

obviouslygreen wrote: post #73
joezydeco wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a tough spot and I've been there, as the employee that's on the fence as the management nail-bites over accounts receivable and wondering if they can make payroll. I've since learned that you keep your ears to the ground at all times , in ANY company you work for. You don't sit in your cube with your Dr Beat Headphones on, you listen to office talk. You overhear that phone call from a vendor asking where their…

This is just no way to live. If you find yourself doing this, you're either needlessly paranoid and worrying yourself into an early grave, or you're justifiably paranoid, and you should reconsider the choices you're making regarding employment. Obviously we don't all have the option to bail at any time and find other work, but if this is the kind of culture you're seeing as normal, I feel very sorry for you. Anyone i…

I think to add to OP's point. This is a smart move for any company whether large or small. Large one's do layoffs as well as small ones. You probably should be more aware when you join a startup that has a burn vs generates cash but the symptoms discussed here are the same ones that Cisco goes through prior to a big layoff as well as a 10 person startup.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#138

Post by natrius »

tptacek wrote: post #120
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…

Ah, the "hacker/cracker" debate equivalent for software entrepreneurship, complete with the person who says other people have "no business" calling themselves something if they don't meet their specific definition of that something. Bolted, of course, to the top of any thread that mentions "bootstrapping" or "VC".

I don't think this distinction is anywhere near as trivial. VC-funded companies have meaningfully different qualities than those that are just trying to build up their revenues. The author failed to internalize this distinction, and it later made him unhappy.

Re: My Startup has 30 Days to Live

#140

Post by ianterrell »

jt2190 wrote: post #131
Arjuna wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Startups are about growth." Indeed... in his essay, "Startup = Growth", PG wrote: "A startup is a company designed to grow fast. Being newly founded does not in itself make a company a startup. Nor is it necessary for a startup to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of "exit." The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with startups follows from growth. If you want to…

There isn't consensus on what the vague term "startup" means. Here's a different definition, from Steve Blank: > "A startup is an organization formed to search for a > repeatable and scalable business model." [1] [1] http://steveblank.com/2010/01/25/whats-a-startup-first-princ...

This is still a growth focused definition: "repeatable and scalable" is really saying "growable".
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