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Startup Advice in just three words
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- edw519 17y agoVery nice. I liked all of these. Before I scrolled down the page, I wrote down a few that I expected to see. Oddly, none of mine were on OP's list. (Am I that weird, or do we just think differently?) Here are mine: - Find a customer. - Satisfy their needs. - Get their money. - Use their feedback. - Improve your software. - Hit your deadlines. - Never give up.
- dshah 17y agoWow! Yours are really good, and have a nice rhythm to them.
- Vindexus 17y agoI don't think they fit your list because they're supposed to be standalone ones. Your second one is actually six words, not three, because it needs the first to have context and make sense. Still great advice though. "Find a customer" is definitely a winner.
- adamsmith 17y ago'Never give up' is also awesome.
- gvb 17y ago"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." - Winston Churchill http://www.school-for-champions.com/speeches/churchill_never_give_in.htm http://www.school-for-champions.com/speeches/churchill_never...
- Estragon 17y agoThe philosohpy he used in leading the greatest empire the world had ever seen to a humiliating dissolution.
- chrischen 17y agoPersonally I think "never give up" should be the one tip given to founders if there can only be one.
- sunny_s 17y agoI went to a residential school whose motto was "Never Give In" I was there for 8 yrs. Luckily, this trait is instilled very well in me. Our school song might be worth a read for some. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_School,_Sanawar#School_song http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_School,_Sanawar#School...
- Technophilis 17y agoSatisfy Customers' Needs. (this makes it three)
- jpwagner 17y agoyou don't think differently at all... find a customer = sell something today (22) satisfy their needs = support customers maniacally (7) get their money = recognize revenue consistently (19) use their feedback = decide with data (17) improve your software = improve product daily (18) hit your deadlines (nice addition) "never give up" is "persist through downturns" (16), but I'll give you this one for improved wording
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- acangiano 17y agoSpell-check your posts.
- dshah 17y agoFixed, I think. Sorry about that.
- andrewljohnson 17y agoNothing is absolute. The following are often just wrong: Hire generalists early. Hire specialists later. Write a blog. Avoid business plans. Delay raising capital. Make decisions swiftly. Moreover, I don't even know what "invest in culture" means.
- RyanMcGreal 17y agoOmit needless features.
- joshu 17y agoAn exceedingly good one, both for the advice and the reference.
- SwellJoe 17y ago"Omit needless..." was the first thing that came to mind for me before I even started reading the list. It applies to so many things. Words, features, expenses, options, etc. If it isn't absolutely necessary, omit it. You'll know soon enough if it turns out to be absolutely necessary, whatever it is.
- anigbrowl 17y agoMy three words appear to be 'waiting for onstartups.com'.
- gcheong 17y agoBeware of advice.
- davidw 17y agoIgnore silly lists:-)
- jon_dahl 17y agoNot bad, but personally, I prefer four words: "Build something people want."
- gvb 17y agoBuild something desirable.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- sganesh 17y agoKind of skewed to software startups :) Lose the dresscode. Use Best Tools. Dual Monitors. Period. Listen, Sell Later. Ignore Everybody, Create. Limit the features. Live = Real Test. No C Levels. Distribute Authority & Accountability. Don't over engineer. Don't debate forever. Share the Champagne.
- rokhayakebe 17y agoNo more advices. Please no more.
- pg 17y agoIf I had to get it down to only 3 words, they might be "iteratively satisfy users." Awkward, bad rhythm, and prone to double entendre, but you have to compromise to get all that into 3 words. (My first try was "understand your users," which sounds better but says less.)
- dshah 17y agoLike yours a lot. Variations: iteratively create awesomeness create happiness iteratively
- nfnaaron 17y agoSatisfy users. Iterate. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
- jacquesm 17y agoHow about "Keep satisfying customers" By using the 'keep' twice you can compress more meaning in to fewer words. It also works better for people that don't understand the word iterate, which is in common use in English but not one that non-natives or non-programmers would get immediately.
- gruseom 17y agoHow about "Keep satisfying customers" Less information. "Keep" doesn't necessarily mean changing what you do. In other words, "keep" could mean "x, x, x,...", while "iteratively" definitely means "x1, x2, x3,..." The greater precision is worth the awkwardness, and anyone who is unwilling to look up a word probably shouldn't be doing a startup.
- jacquesm 17y agoTrue, it spells it out. But you won't be keeping them without adapting.
- nostrademons 17y ago"Make something wanted", which is the passive voice for your "Make something people want." It's also technically more accurate, as many dog food and pet supply companies have found out. ;-)
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- grellas 17y agoWatch your back. (Sorry, I am a lawyer).
- davidmurphy 17y agoI can't upvote this enough. Learned some real sad lessons this past year. Le sigh....
- dnewcome 17y agoThere should be a startup `oblique strategies' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies) app somewhere to give you a little something to reflect on when you are stuck. Brian Eno's original ones would probably work, but maybe there are better ones for startups?
- Maro 17y agoOne word: persist.
- leelin 17y agoDon't Outsource Programming
- alexro 17y agoForget about competition Focus on customers Don't cut corners Stay agile forever
- ams6110 17y agoEschew government customers The long drawn out purchasing cycles and arcane requirements will suck time and attention that most startups can't spare.
- ice_man 17y agoRoll your own.
- johnl 17y agoGo team Go
- b3b0p 17y agoSolve a problem. Make a market. Follow your dreams. Just do it.
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- noodle 17y ago"be relentlessly resourceful" /obvious
- joshu 17y agoBreathe. In. Out.
- sutro 17y agoRamen is delicious.
- arithmetic 17y agoMake epic products.
- arnorhs 17y agoI like this post, but I don't like the self-promoting aspect of the whole post-to-twitter thing...
- dennykmiu 17y agoMy own contribution to this amazing list is "Avoid Negative People". When we do startups, we don’t just leverage. We levitate. We “will” our startups into existence. And we do so by defying all laws of physics and by tapping into the positive energy of our surrounding. We create opportunities; we don’t destroy. Be careful with whom you hang out with. Unfortunately, my own experience is to stay away from other failed entrepreneurs (who tend to be negative until they bounce back). And in particular stay away from people who hold a grudge on you or whom you have a grudge with. Don’t get mad; don’t even try to get even. With success, you can get them all. Misery breeds misery and success breeds success.