"Look, if you don't wanna do school... just get really good at something. If you're better than anybody else at something you will always be in demand."
- Dad
Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
21–30 of 101 posts
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#22The best advice I ever got was from a board member of a startup I was involved in some years ago. He was a member of the European parlaiment, had started two multi million dollar companies, and generally a guy that you would want to listen to. His advice came at a very early stage of our startup and was very simple: Make a prototype that looks great, nobody will care how the hell it works but it has to look good.
The most important thing I learned in my business classes sophomore year of college was to make the investor visualize your product no matter what you're pitching. So if you want 100k to buy a kiosk in your local mall, make a 3D rendering of what the kiosk is going to look like. And if you are pitching a new kind of bacon to a group of VCs, make damn sure your cofounder is cooking it in the back of the room and everyone there can smell it. Getting a picture into the other person's head is 90% of getting the money at the seed stage.
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#23That I need to suffer stupid people elegantly and silently, instead of going "That's the dumbest thing I have heard"
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#24The best advice I ever got was from a board member of a startup I was involved in some years ago. He was a member of the European parlaiment, had started two multi million dollar companies, and generally a guy that you would want to listen to. His advice came at a very early stage of our startup and was very simple: Make a prototype that looks great, nobody will care how the hell it works but it has to look good.
Beautiful design is inspiring to developers as well. I've worked on stuff on my own, but working with an artist makes me work many times harder.
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#25Limited life experiences + Over-generalization = Advice
-Paul Buchheit
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#26Three. The first is from a YC founder. I don't remember who, but he said "Always say yes." I tried that out for a while, and it has worked pretty well. A lot of where I am in my life is because I just said yes when I normally would have shrugged it off. The second is from an essay by paul graham. "When given two choices, always choose the harder one." This one has become a mantra I say over and over again to myself.…
Always say yes.
Ironically, another useful rule is "say no more often". It can help protect your sanity and your focus.
There are times when it's hard to know which of these excellent rules to apply. Perhaps the secret is to listen to your intuition. :)
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#27I have a vivid memory of being six years old and seeing my dad come in the door of the apartment we lived in at the time.
My father came from a working class family. On that day, he had already been going to night school for three years, and would continue for another four years before getting a degree in computer science (this was before the days of easy, short degree programs for adults with jobs). He wore a shirt and tie every day to his job but still looked like the kind of guy who wore coveralls to work.
He slumped. His hair, thick glasses, and briefcase were dotted with rain. He closed the apartment door, looked at me, and said, "Never become an expert in something you don't like -- because then people will want you to do it ALL THE TIME."
He was a lot happier after he got his degree, in part because I think there were more and better choices of things to become good at. (The money was better, too).
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#28Even the most beautiful paintings, the best novels, and the greatest scientific discoveries were 95% drudgery to create. The reason most people never paint beautiful paintings and write world-changing novels isn't because they aren't smart enough, but because they don't find it fun.
right. they prefer pokemon or football or something that doesn't require much thought or learning. since they are smart enough to do better, they are guilty of having immoral values. they ought to find better things fun, but instead are wasting their lives.
edit: looks like 8 people so far noticed that they are guilty and don't intend to change anything.
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#29When I was hesitant about starting a business:
"The world belongs to God, but he allows the brave to borrow it"
Re: Ask YC: What's the best advice you ever got?
#30Even the most beautiful paintings, the best novels, and the greatest scientific discoveries were 95% drudgery to create. The reason most people never paint beautiful paintings and write world-changing novels isn't because they aren't smart enough, but because they don't find it fun.
Hm, because they don't find it fun... interesting way of putting it.