171–180 of 239 posts
He has time for running? I think I know what's wrong.
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Created a throwaway account because I'd like to stay anon.
Do you mind sharing a little bit about the market space you were (are) in? Just curious more than anything.
There was ridiculous money and growth to be had early on in the Facebook gaming race but I imagine it's extremely hard to get traction now.
So, it sucks, but it happens, and it won't matter nearly as much in June 2014 as it seems to right now. Your co-founder will, hopefully, not find out about this through guessing "Is this my company?" on Twitter, but rather in hearing it from you. You may be heartbroken about it, you may cry a bit (totally OK). Then, you will put on your Responsible Adult pants, call your employee into the office, and tell them the si…
So, it sucks, but it happens, and it won't matter nearly as much in June 2014 as it seems to right now. Your co-founder will, hopefully, not find out about this through guessing "Is this my company?" on Twitter, but rather in hearing it from you. You may be heartbroken about it, you may cry a bit (totally OK). Then, you will put on your Responsible Adult pants, call your employee into the office, and tell them the si…
I would add one more thing. Before you do all this, take 2 to 3 days of absolute vacations (no email, no TV, do absolutely nothing) - this might be just a "dip" and you might be able to find a way to make things successful.
I would add, I usually give myself twenty four hours between drafting and submission of any seriously emotionally charged communications.
sometimes you don't need it, but you want to be as calm (hah) as possible.
Elon Musk put his last $3 million into Tesla to make payroll a few years ago.
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This is more about an internalized understanding of the type of business you are building for the founders than it is about external perceptions. That can be difficult for some, particularly with the prestige we in this community attribute to the word "startup". But understanding the needs of your business and how you want to grow it are key. If you're thinking of your business as a startup, that massive growth is th…
I think we understand that you believe businesses that don't aim for shoot-the-moon growth shouldn't call themselves "startups". The problem is, not everybody agrees with you. I've done both kinds of companies and don't think growth trajectory is the defining feature of a "startup". I'm also not particularly interested in debating the point, since it has very little to do with the story we're commenting on. (I also u…
As I understand it, that's the startup game. If you want to call the shots and build your own dream, don't take the money.
Makes perfect sense to me.
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I think we understand that you believe businesses that don't aim for shoot-the-moon growth shouldn't call themselves "startups". The problem is, not everybody agrees with you. I've done both kinds of companies and don't think growth trajectory is the defining feature of a "startup". I'm also not particularly interested in debating the point, since it has very little to do with the story we're commenting on. (I also u…
My only point is to offer hopefully helpful advice to the legions of folks who come to HN wanting to learn how to start their own business for the first time. Many unintentionally assume they need to operate like a startup to their own peril, when in fact they could have had a successful business if not for chasing that label. Certainly no intention of being "mean-spirited". The fact that it might come off that way l…
If you're starting up you should be questioning the ROI on everything--and trying to figure out what it may be for a VC is part of that.
There's no free l(a)unch.
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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".
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…
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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…
Edit: Also, it was only during the bubble that you saw startups go from zero to IPO in two years, and moonshot IPOs were unheard of prior to Netscape. The conventional wisdom pre-Netscape is that you had to be profitable and growing for 6-8 quarters before the IPO. A "moonshot" IPO was one that bumped 10-15% on the first day. When Boston Chicken went public their stock was up something like 50% on the first day and it was major news.