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Startup Common Sense

42floors.com

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Re: Startup Common Sense

#31

Post by rafd »

tieTYT wrote: post #26

How much of this applies to creating a game? Honest question.

On the one hand, entertainment products are difficult to capture by the current startup rhetoric because (1) the audience/market is broad, (2) the user doesn't have a problem (well, perhaps "boredom"), both of which put a damper on the customer development method.

Nonetheless, there's still a lot to apply. Identifying early adopter players and a channel to them, measuring retention and other analytics, iterating and releasing frequently, creating a viral loop -- these are all concepts that apply to game dev.

At some point, I think most games do try a "big launch" because ads and top 10 lists is how a majority of people find new games (even indie games now have the Humble Bundle as a consolidated channel). Another reason for big launches is the fake market dynamics of the app store: a one time boost when launching, and a positive feedback loop for downloads. But even with big launches, a lot of testing and tweaking is done internally (and it's standard practice on the app store to test the release in single markets, likes say Canada, because the app store stats are independent for each market)

Re: Startup Common Sense

#32

Post by namenotrequired »

benologist wrote: post #30
namenotrequired wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

42floors are in the business of office spaces in startup hubs. To me HN, with its largely startup-minded audience, seems to be a great place for them to advertise.

It would be very difficult to for any service to have no audience on HN, not because HN is relevant to whatever they're peddling but because HN has a large audience . Startups pooping out startup-fluff advertisement-articles chasing that precious 0.x% clickthrough rates to their homepage is boring and a stupid 'plan b' for growing your business. Companies that actually have relevance to this community have no problem…

Those companies are relevant to almost all of us because they're (at least partly) B2C. 42floors is B2B, they rely on lower quantities of customers that each pay more.

In other words, it's not that the majority of us are in the target audience of 42floors. But a large portion of the people they do want to target - people that want to or are starting a startup - do happen to be here. It's like precision vs. recall. That's why I believe HN is especially interesting to 42floors.

Re: Startup Common Sense

#33

Post by aagha »

7Figures2Commas wrote: post #2

Here's some common sense: if you're the CEO of a startup, you should be focused on your own company. Period. This might come off as overly harsh, but it's absolutely true: taking 45-plus minutes out of your day to engage in an "argumentative" call with "the brother of a friend" who has a "world-changing idea" is a waste of time. As is blogging about it. Your job as CEO is not to advise other entrepreneurs or to preac…

"Your job as CEO is not to advise other entrepreneurs..."

Wow. What a sad comment to read. Being a CEO means being a leader, and not just of those that work for you, but to serve as a leader and thus guide others that are trying to trek the same path you've taken (and might re-take).

Re: Startup Common Sense

#34

Post by tieTYT »

rafd wrote: post #31
tieTYT wrote: post #26

How much of this applies to creating a game? Honest question.

On the one hand, entertainment products are difficult to capture by the current startup rhetoric because (1) the audience/market is broad, (2) the user doesn't have a problem (well, perhaps "boredom"), both of which put a damper on the customer development method. Nonetheless, there's still a lot to apply. Identifying early adopter players and a channel to them, measuring retention and other analytics, iterating and…

Really good info. I'd love (and even prefer) to release my game today so I can get feedback earlier. But in its current state (shitty graphics, no tutorial, 50% of the intended features implemented) I'm lost as to if that would be good or bad. Common sense dictates the best way is the "big launch" you're talking about.

I think I can make a good/great game eventually given a long enough time with many feedback cycles, but I'm not sure if the user base for games ever grow that way. It seems that you get your one chance to be amazing from the start or you wasted all your time.

My plan is to get to a point where I can have people in coffee shops try it before I make it public or have a very tiny private beta eventually. But I wish there was a way I could get feedback sooner from more than friends and family.

Re: Startup Common Sense

#35

Post by ulisesrmzroche »

7Figures2Commas wrote: post #7
pitt1980 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

CEOs don't get 45 descretionary minutes?

When you choose to be the CEO of a company and you hire employees, you're no longer just working for yourself. How a CEO spends his time means everything to the company and its employees. I don't know how you would you feel if you worked at the OP's startup, but I would have a problem with the notion that the person ultimately responsible for making payroll found it worthwhile and enjoyable to spend 45-plus minutes d…

You don't practice what you preach, dude. How is this helping you make payroll?

Re: Startup Common Sense

#36

Post by ulisesrmzroche »

7Figures2Commas wrote: post #8
nemesisj wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow I couldn't disagree more. I have a rule that I'll never turn down a 30-45 minute catchup with someone who needs some advice, or wants a sounding board, or just wants to talk about something they're excited about. Life is about people, and has a funny way of turning things around so that those kinds of meetings grow into friendships, business connections, and sometimes of course - nothing at all. Most people agree…

I'm not suggesting that there's no room for developing and maintaining relationships. But when you're the CEO of a company with employees and/or investors, you need to prioritize and filter, and you need to recognize the important, worthwhile conversations from the unimportant, unproductive ones. Spending an hour of your time arguing with a person who doesn't want your advice in the first place and won't even tell yo…

You're not gonna bill me for reading your comments, are you?

Re: Startup Common Sense

#37

Post by scheff »

jaf12duke wrote: post #21
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #2

Here's some common sense: if you're the CEO of a startup, you should be focused on your own company. Period. This might come off as overly harsh, but it's absolutely true: taking 45-plus minutes out of your day to engage in an "argumentative" call with "the brother of a friend" who has a "world-changing idea" is a waste of time. As is blogging about it. Your job as CEO is not to advise other entrepreneurs or to preac…

OP here. In past startups I would have agreed with you. When I did my first startup, I worked on it exclusively. I skipped vacations. I skipped classes (I was in school at the time). I did practically nothing else. I burned out. The title of CEO doesn't define me as a person. I'm just a guy that started a company. I get stressed. I need help at times. I have things I like doing unrelated to my company. Blogging is on…

I found your post insightful and beneficial. Experienced much of it myself. Also, I've had similar arguments with other wannabe entrepreneurs at the start of their path. Hopefully the HN community can benefit from your experiences.

Re: Startup Common Sense

#38

Post by btilly »

tieTYT wrote: post #34
rafd wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the one hand, entertainment products are difficult to capture by the current startup rhetoric because (1) the audience/market is broad, (2) the user doesn't have a problem (well, perhaps "boredom"), both of which put a damper on the customer development method. Nonetheless, there's still a lot to apply. Identifying early adopter players and a channel to them, measuring retention and other analytics, iterating and…

Really good info. I'd love (and even prefer) to release my game today so I can get feedback earlier. But in its current state (shitty graphics, no tutorial, 50% of the intended features implemented) I'm lost as to if that would be good or bad. Common sense dictates the best way is the "big launch" you're talking about. I think I can make a good/great game eventually given a long enough time with many feedback cycles,…

Minecraft was publicly released as an early alpha in 2009, and there was not a full release until 2011. Thisstands as an example proving that a clearly unfinished game can be released and iterated into a much better game than the developer could have created in isolation.

The trick was that the state was described honestly. It was offered cheaply. Upgrades were always free, but the next version always cost more. This set expectations properly.

If Notch can do it, and you want to, maybe you should try it.

Re: Startup Common Sense

#39

Post by tieTYT »

btilly wrote: post #38
tieTYT wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Really good info. I'd love (and even prefer) to release my game today so I can get feedback earlier. But in its current state (shitty graphics, no tutorial, 50% of the intended features implemented) I'm lost as to if that would be good or bad. Common sense dictates the best way is the "big launch" you're talking about. I think I can make a good/great game eventually given a long enough time with many feedback cycles,…

Minecraft was publicly released as an early alpha in 2009, and there was not a full release until 2011. Thisstands as an example proving that a clearly unfinished game can be released and iterated into a much better game than the developer could have created in isolation. The trick was that the state was described honestly. It was offered cheaply. Upgrades were always free, but the next version always cost more. This…

Do you happen to know if he charged from the get-go?

Re: Startup Common Sense

#40

Post by 7Figures2Commas »

jaf12duke wrote: post #21
7Figures2Commas wrote: post #2

Here's some common sense: if you're the CEO of a startup, you should be focused on your own company. Period. This might come off as overly harsh, but it's absolutely true: taking 45-plus minutes out of your day to engage in an "argumentative" call with "the brother of a friend" who has a "world-changing idea" is a waste of time. As is blogging about it. Your job as CEO is not to advise other entrepreneurs or to preac…

OP here. In past startups I would have agreed with you. When I did my first startup, I worked on it exclusively. I skipped vacations. I skipped classes (I was in school at the time). I did practically nothing else. I burned out. The title of CEO doesn't define me as a person. I'm just a guy that started a company. I get stressed. I need help at times. I have things I like doing unrelated to my company. Blogging is on…

You and others have read more into my comment than is there. I wrote, "If you're the CEO of a startup, you should be focused on your own company. Period." Maintaining an appropriate level of focus on your company does not require that you work 16 hours a day, neglecting your own health and personal relationships in the process. Burn out is a symptom of working too much. But working too much is usually the symptom of an inability to prioritize and filter.

In my experience, the difference between successful entrepreneurs who have a healthy balance between their personal and professional lives and those who don't is that the former prioritize and filter and the latter don't.

There are 24 hours in a day and each hour is precious. As the CEO of a young company, you probably have a significant amount that needs to get done each day, and you and your employees are counting on your ability to "get it done." If you're spending an hour on an "argumentative" phone call about startup philosophy with somebody who has an idea, you're trading an hour of time that can be used to benefit you or your company for an hour of time with a person who clearly prefers conflict to counsel. Let's talk about you, not your company, for a moment: in an hour, you could easily fit in a vigorous workout, take a power nap, enjoy a lunch with a friend or relative, or cook a meal for your significant other.

In reality, of course, the decision to give an hour to an individual who won't even reveal what he's working on sans NDA doesn't mean that you have an hour less work to do. It just means that you'll need to make it up, today or tomorrow, increasing the likelihood that you'll be "working late" and reducing the likelihood that you'll be able to fit in a vigorous workout, take a power nap, enjoy a lunch with a friend or relative, or cook a meal for your significant other. Activities that it should be noted benefit your overall well-being and are thus likely to have a positive impact on your performance as the leader of a company.

Obviously, I'm not saying "never take a phone call" or "don't be willing to provide advice." But as the CEO of a company with employees, you are important, and your time is valuable. Being unreasonably generous with it is not of benefit to your company, or you.

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