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I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

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Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#291

Post by webmaven »

poulpy123 wrote: post #41

there was a huge huge problem with his startup, and it wasn't the economic model but the fact he was providing medical advice without any medical expertise. I don't know if it's allowed in the US, but it's at least ethically troublesome. And I guess the doctors had no reason to use a service made by a guy without expertise, the data coming from some outsourced workers without any third party validation (no putting th…

It is entirely possible to provide analysis without crossing the line into giving advice: Eg. "Drug A works for more patients in your demographic¹, Drug B has fewer and milder side effects²."

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#292

Post by webmaven »

system2 wrote: post #192

"So I borrow my parents’ car" made me chuckle. Also, do not quit your job before you make money from any one of your side projects. Also, do not trust contractors if you cannot handle it yourself without them. I can see why so many things wrong but I believe the author also noticed these major flaws/mistakes and wrote himself. And if I called all my tiny projects or websites I built startups, I'd be the startup king…

> And if I called all my tiny projects or websites I built startups, I'd be the startup king of America.

Serial entrepreneurs are so yesterday. You're a parallel entrepreneur!

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#293

Post by eyelidlessness »

ironmagma wrote: post #288
eyelidlessness wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s make this simpler still: > But I wasn’t even advocating for eliminating money.

You claim that "making the world better and making money are inherently in conflict." My understanding of this sentence is that one cannot make money while making the world better. It follows then that it is bad to be making money, since it makes the world worse. If it is bad to be making money, it would be better to not be doing so. If money is not being made, this is the same as money being eliminated, as it ceases…

Fine I’ll link the damn Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic

Things can be in conflict without being in combat. Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. My whole point was to identify how the two could be reconciled for the purpose of the endeavor, even while still being in conflict. Please tell me where you still don’t understand why I’m not arguing with a strawman argument you keep trying to assign to me.

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#294

Post by unityByFreedom »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #293
ironmagma wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You claim that "making the world better and making money are inherently in conflict." My understanding of this sentence is that one cannot make money while making the world better. It follows then that it is bad to be making money, since it makes the world worse. If it is bad to be making money, it would be better to not be doing so. If money is not being made, this is the same as money being eliminated, as it ceases…

Fine I’ll link the damn Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic Things can be in conflict without being in combat. Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. My whole point was to identify how the two could be reconciled for the purpose of the endeavor, even while still being in conflict. Please tell me where you still don’t understand why I’m not…

> Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other.

Conflict does imply one thing stands opposed to another. I would not agree that making money inherently makes the world a worse place. Rather, the existence of money facilitates trade and makes the world better because it allows us to specialize in our respective trades. If I'm a farmer who raises chickens, money makes it so I don't have to trade for things with chickens.

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#295

Post by ironmagma »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #293
ironmagma wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You claim that "making the world better and making money are inherently in conflict." My understanding of this sentence is that one cannot make money while making the world better. It follows then that it is bad to be making money, since it makes the world worse. If it is bad to be making money, it would be better to not be doing so. If money is not being made, this is the same as money being eliminated, as it ceases…

Fine I’ll link the damn Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic Things can be in conflict without being in combat. Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. My whole point was to identify how the two could be reconciled for the purpose of the endeavor, even while still being in conflict. Please tell me where you still don’t understand why I’m not…

That is a bizarre distinction, one I’ve never heard of and certainly can’t find any information about “logical combat.” I’d be interested to know where you learned of this dichotomy.

If this semantic issue is the source of the disagreement, what we have here is a failure to communicate.

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#296

Post by parksy »

Possibly a lot of the 40k went into branding and other fluff, but something in the core engine might have intrinsic value even if its extrinsic value wasn't properly realised or couldn't find a place in the market as a standalone product.

It would be nice if there were some kind of universal project "retirement home" where these sorts of things could go to pasture, caretakers could prod at the idea and pull it apart, find the intrinsic value if any, and integrate the guts of it into some broader universal API. Such a platform of trinkets that solve tiny everyday problems that individually have little value might actually be useful in any sort of recommendation engine. API calls could be metered so the original creators of each piece get some kind of return however small.

Give me 40k and some failed IPs to play with and I'll deliver a prototype in a few months...

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#297

Post by eyelidlessness »

ironmagma wrote: post #295
eyelidlessness wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fine I’ll link the damn Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic Things can be in conflict without being in combat. Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. My whole point was to identify how the two could be reconciled for the purpose of the endeavor, even while still being in conflict. Please tell me where you still don’t understand why I’m not…

That is a bizarre distinction, one I’ve never heard of and certainly can’t find any information about “logical combat.” I’d be interested to know where you learned of this dichotomy. If this semantic issue is the source of the disagreement, what we have here is a failure to communicate.

My goodness there is a wealth of literature specifically available from the link I posted. Counterposing ideas is a basic tenet or philosophy. The tension between them is a fundamental underpinning of the complexity of living in society. It’s a whole world of ideas to explore if you want to. Grab a book if you’re curious.

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#298

Post by eyelidlessness »

unityByFreedom wrote: post #294
eyelidlessness wrote: post #293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fine I’ll link the damn Wikipedia page. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic Things can be in conflict without being in combat. Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. My whole point was to identify how the two could be reconciled for the purpose of the endeavor, even while still being in conflict. Please tell me where you still don’t understand why I’m not…

> Acknowledging that one thing conflicts with another doesn’t mean one must extinguish the other. Conflict does imply one thing stands opposed to another. I would not agree that making money inherently makes the world a worse place. Rather, the existence of money facilitates trade and makes the world better because it allows us to specialize in our respective trades. If I'm a farmer who raises chickens, money makes i…

> I would not agree that making money inherently makes the world a worse place.

I didn’t say that it does. But I think you’re more interested in justifying making money than understanding the conflict I’m identifying.

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#299

Post by 12907835202 »

RobertDeNiro wrote: post #103
red0point wrote: post #22

I think the takeaway from the blog post is wrong and comments focusing on building a faster MVP miss the point. Not everything is a startup. This is a research project - and should be approached that way. There should be donors, a foundation, free access to all participants, reputation-building by writing (& publishing in reputable journals / conferences) studies about its efficacy, a board of doctors actually review…

Yeah. Tons of people use Web MD, but its also free. I'm pretty sure I would use glacier MD if given the choice, but if you asked me to pay for it I likely would not. There is a similar enough service called labdoor. They review protein powders and tell you which one is best. As far as I know it's free and still in business. The business plan the author came up with here is just bad.

It looks like labdoor makes money through affiliates or letting companies list on the site.

Glacier could have done similar.

It would also work if it included delivery.

If you're sick at home with the flu or a migrain and can get an uber eats style delivery that's already a great product. Couple it with the "science" or "maths" choosing the right product for you and it could have lift off.

I'd love to read a similar article that discussed a wide range of possible business plans.

As it is I'm not sure the author had multiple (or even one??) business plans

Re: I wasted $40k on a fantastic startup idea (2020)

#300

Post by scyzoryk_xyz »

kdkirsch wrote: post #191

I’m a physician. I really appreciate Tom’s enthusiasm, but I think that enthusiasm led him to overestimate the significance of the problem. Moreover he didn’t really understand for whom he was building this product. At first he thought it would be a consumer product. But he realized that consumers would not pay/subscribe and later learned that advertising wouldn’t work. Next he thought doctors would pay because “Doct…

I’ve been a PM in a small healthcare tech company run by engineers over the past few years and this 100%.
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