The Startup Curve designed by Paul Graham of Y Combinator
Pinterest has what I call an “obvious secret”, the kind of insight that creates breakaway non-consensus companies. An obvious secret is when a startup has discovered a deep insight about its users, which is not obvious to the outside world, but is the key to the business’s success. However, to those who do not know this insight, the company appears to be little more than a novelty.
I’m building a team. A team of amazing people.
I’m gradually pulling a handful of these people closer to me, in blended friendship, learning, and productive work relationships. I help them as much as I can, and seek to know them personally, without ulterior motives. They’ve already…
Trust yourself and your vision, and go build something.
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via timothy1ee (http://engineering.gomiso.com/2012/02/01/youre-overthinking-it/) |
Often, there are macro changes that drive a company to be successful. There are many examples of products that launched too early (pen computing), with a later version reaching massive product / market fit (palm pilots). The best entrepreneurs ask “Why now?” - what is the meta trend that creates a window of opportunity that I can take advantage of?
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| — | -Elad Gil |
Every new employee hears the values part of the company from you and only you. Wear a suit and a crisp white shirt and a tie and tie shoes. Do it in the first five minutes of their employment. They will never forget that. Don’t discuss them, tell them. Difference between a tattoo and magic marker.
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| — | Guest post by JLM on Fred Wilson’s Blog. |
Team risk: can these people work together to build a huge business?
Technical risk: can this be built in a reasonable timeframe and with reasonable resources?
User risk: will people actually want to use this?
Revenue risk: will people actually pay for this?
Scale risk: will people use or pay for this in large numbers?
Partner risk: will any required strategic or distribution partners come on board?
Customer risk: will they be able to sell to important customers?
Funding risk: will anybody else fund this (esp seed stage, for many investors)?
Technical risk: can this be built in a reasonable timeframe and with reasonable resources?
User risk: will people actually want to use this?
Revenue risk: will people actually pay for this?
Scale risk: will people use or pay for this in large numbers?
Partner risk: will any required strategic or distribution partners come on board?
Customer risk: will they be able to sell to important customers?
Funding risk: will anybody else fund this (esp seed stage, for many investors)?
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| — | De-risking buckets via Brendan Baker |
