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How Not to Die

paulgraham.com

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Re: How Not to Die

#31

Post by ecuzzillo »

zach wrote: post #8

Interesting to hear about this since many of us wonder what ends up happening. Kind of an unappealing subject -- nobody wants to read Founders at Rest, right? I guess startups are like old soldiers, they just fade away. Anyone want memamp.com? It went to unregistered status a week or two ago. But this was a good handling of the subject, and good for founders to hear. What I think is great about YC's structure is that…

I would definitely read (and even buy) Founders at Rest; in Founders at Work, you get a bunch of stuff about what successful founders do, but you don't know which stuff is necessary and which stuff is coincidental. You need a bunch of negative data points to make a really correct assessment about necessary and sufficient conditions for startup success.

Re: How Not to Die

#32

Post by nostrademons »

brlewis wrote: post #20
bharath wrote: post #11

A great read as always. Unlike the usual PG, more inspiring than analytical.

What makes this inspiring is the extent to which it really is analytical; it's based on his accumulated experience with startups. Someone known for careful thinking is stating that for 90% of startups that look good based on an application and a single interview, success is only a matter of determination.

It makes sense when you think about it. The yCombinator application weeds out people who are unintelligent; the interview weeds out people who are inflexible. So anyone who gets into the program is bound to be both intelligent and flexible.

What can go wrong with startups? You can work on the problem wrong, which is hopefully averted by smarts. Or you can work on the wrong problem, which is averted by flexibility and subjecting yourself to reality checks. If you've got both of those elements, the only thing that can really go wrong is that you give up before you hit upon an idea that's useful.

Re: How Not to Die

#33

Post by danw »

zach wrote: post #8

Interesting to hear about this since many of us wonder what ends up happening. Kind of an unappealing subject -- nobody wants to read Founders at Rest, right? I guess startups are like old soldiers, they just fade away. Anyone want memamp.com? It went to unregistered status a week or two ago. But this was a good handling of the subject, and good for founders to hear. What I think is great about YC's structure is that…

openCoffee club is perfect for this. Turn up every week and you'll get to know people who you respect. They'll always ask you what you're up to and what you've done since last week. The simple fact that you don't wan't to look bad in front of them is a great motivator.

Or perhaps some kind of demo party. Everyone has to present something for 10 minutes, something they've done or learnt since last week.

Re: How Not to Die

#34

Post by danw »

mpfefferle wrote: post #30
zach wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be better, but also easier to flake on.

Why not set up regular conference calls so those of us not near a startup hub can participate?

If you can't meet up try twitter or tumblr. Every day post what you've achieved that day and what you're going to do tomorrow. If you keep it up for a week you'll feel very guilty if you stop. I've got a moleskin notebook that I use for this purpose and it works great.

Re: How Not to Die

#36

Post by benhoyt »

ph0rque wrote: post #23
benhoyt wrote: post #21

Very helpful and inspiring. Thanks! But: > We're taking on some consulting projects, but we're going to keep working on the startup. All good if you're single, but what if you've got a wife and family and just need the cash? (Okay, feel free to say you shouldn't start a startup with a family, but it's too late... :-)

Why not ask the wife to be the temporary breadwinner while you concentrate on your project?

It might be a good solution, except that we have a 6-month-old daughter. And I'm very happy that we do, but it does make startup decisions harder. :-)

Re: How Not to Die

#37

Post by timr »

ph0rque wrote: post #16
gms wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think 72% is particularly good (I think it should be higher). I'm not sure you realise just how scary the thought of failing in front of so many hard-working people is...

I think it's certainly better then when you hear about a 10% survival rate for startups, as stereotypical as that is. But you're right, it could be better. PG mentions a 90% survival rate is possible.

Yes, but the 10% figure is quoted for startups who don't have the advantage of YC's network and PR status.

Perhaps that's an obvious point, but I think it's an important one.

Re: How Not to Die

#38

Post by mpfefferle »

danw wrote: post #34
mpfefferle wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not set up regular conference calls so those of us not near a startup hub can participate?

If you can't meet up try twitter or tumblr. Every day post what you've achieved that day and what you're going to do tomorrow. If you keep it up for a week you'll feel very guilty if you stop. I've got a moleskin notebook that I use for this purpose and it works great.

I'll give that a try. Something more interactive would be nice though if only to generate conversation and set a hard deadline.

Re: How Not to Die

#39

Post by davidw »

ecuzzillo wrote: post #31
zach wrote: post #8

Interesting to hear about this since many of us wonder what ends up happening. Kind of an unappealing subject -- nobody wants to read Founders at Rest, right? I guess startups are like old soldiers, they just fade away. Anyone want memamp.com? It went to unregistered status a week or two ago. But this was a good handling of the subject, and good for founders to hear. What I think is great about YC's structure is that…

I would definitely read (and even buy) Founders at Rest; in Founders at Work, you get a bunch of stuff about what successful founders do, but you don't know which stuff is necessary and which stuff is coincidental. You need a bunch of negative data points to make a really correct assessment about necessary and sufficient conditions for startup success.

That's one of the points in 'The Black Swan'. People concentrate way too much on success stories without looking at the failure stories.

Re: How Not to Die

#40

Post by davidw »

benhoyt wrote: post #36
ph0rque wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not ask the wife to be the temporary breadwinner while you concentrate on your project?

It might be a good solution, except that we have a 6-month-old daughter. And I'm very happy that we do, but it does make startup decisions harder. :-)

You could work from home and be interrupted by the daughter, no? I have thoughts in that direction if we have kids. Not going to be easy, but at least one person is working a stable job that earns money, and if you can carve out time between the interruptions, you can get something done. Obviously I don't have kids and don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe it's even worse than I imagine!
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