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>>Well, start-up means a new company that is after ultra fast growth. I don't think many people will agree on this definition. A new restaurant that is after

>>Well, start-up means a new company that is after ultra fast growth. I don't think many people will agree on this definition. A new restaurant that is after ultra fast growth is not a startup. It's a small business. A new software company that attempts to innovate in a small niche is unlikely to achieve ultra fast growth but it is a startup. To me, the difference between a startup and a small business is that a startup's goal is to innovate and its success depends on that innovation sticking. Quick growth is just one (possible) characteristic of this territory. That's why most startups tend to be in the tech sector: most innovations use technology.

k__ 10y ago
A restaurant doesn't get b/millions of customers, so it's, per definition, not a start-up.
- MOARDONGZPLZ 10y ago
  But you just said a startup is a new company after ultra fast growth. Now you're adding to the definition after someone questioned it?
  - k__ 10y ago
    I know, but what has this to do with a restaurant not getting this growth?
- VLM 10y ago
  Sure you can. Subway keeps showing up on lists of fastest growing franchises by $/year. Boston Market explosively grew on a percentage basis, for awhile. I'm not saying those have startup culture or startup financing or startup working conditions or startup salaries, but at least in theory there's no reason a "startup burger joint" couldn't be engineered, the marketplace is very friendly toward carpet bombing the planet with franchises (for a real world example consider a starbucks on every corner and every corner has a starbucks). VC funded franchised restaurant is not unheard of per google. That's before you get into fads. Remember frozen yogurt? On a percentage basis that growth rate was incredible, and there were attempts to franchise, although that food fad went nowhere in the long run.
kansface 10y ago
> A startup is a company designed to grow fast. Being newly founded does not in itself make a company a startup. Nor is it necessary for a startup to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of "exit." The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with startups follows from growth. -- http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html

k__ 10y ago

A restaurant doesn't get b/millions of customers, so it's, per definition, not a start-up.

MOARDONGZPLZ 10y ago
But you just said a startup is a new company after ultra fast growth. Now you're adding to the definition after someone questioned it?
- k__ 10y ago
  I know, but what has this to do with a restaurant not getting this growth?
VLM 10y ago
Sure you can. Subway keeps showing up on lists of fastest growing franchises by $/year. Boston Market explosively grew on a percentage basis, for awhile. I'm not saying those have startup culture or startup financing or startup working conditions or startup salaries, but at least in theory there's no reason a "startup burger joint" couldn't be engineered, the marketplace is very friendly toward carpet bombing the planet with franchises (for a real world example consider a starbucks on every corner and every corner has a starbucks). VC funded franchised restaurant is not unheard of per google. That's before you get into fads. Remember frozen yogurt? On a percentage basis that growth rate was incredible, and there were attempts to franchise, although that food fad went nowhere in the long run.

kansface 10y ago

> A startup is a company designed to grow fast. Being newly founded does not in itself make a company a startup. Nor is it necessary for a startup to work on technology, or take venture funding, or have some sort of "exit." The only essential thing is growth. Everything else we associate with startups follows from growth. -- http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html