4 ms·

At which number would you no longer make the point you just made? 100 failed startups? 50,000? You’ve got a lot of faith in people. My number is maybe 5.

always_good 9y ago
Dunno, depends on the kinds of startups you're trying to create. For example, I don't think you're "bad at startups" just because you create more ambitious ones with a higher chance of failure. Some people are at a place where they can take more risks, it doesn't make them an abject failure.
gargarplex 9y ago
I've been seriously, actively interested in building a tech biz or startup since 2003. In 2003, I started selling chat bots on the Internet. In 2005, I cofounded an affiliate marketing website that cracked the Alexa top 10k In 2007, I built an app that scaled to 100k MAUs and was acquired for $20K In 2009, I started a SaaS but couldn't break $~600/month in revenue. In 2010, I built a business that ran for over 5 years and supported me entirely for two of them, but probably grossed less than $100K total revenue. But it couldn't grow, as I struggled to find a repeatable and predictable customer acquisition channel. In 2013, I got involved in Bitcoin. Finally one home run after a portfolio of mediocrity. [I am choosing to omit various projects from this list, but between 2003-present, there have been a lot.] In 2013, I also started doing stock market research with ruby. In 2015, my work had attracted enough momentum to bring on an outside angel investor and even piloted the strategy in the markets with $1.5MM. Didn't perform that well; investors withdrew their capital. In 2017, I started a SaaS that is currently doing ~$2800/month in revenue. I also did consulting. I grossed about $190K this year from my business efforts - note, that's nearly 10 times faster (in terms of growing revenue) than I was 7 years ago. I also fixed a major hole in my previous business skillset, i.e., predictably acquiring customers - something I could never do for the biz in 2010. Furthermore, I have a lot more emotional maturity than I did 7 years ago - though Sam Altman was precociously mature, with the "emotional maturity of a 40 year old" (Paul Graham, on meeting Stanford undergraduate Sam Altman). So I can tell you definitively, that: - My skills are expanding due to systematically resolving the deficiencies in previous attempts. - These improvements are a result of deliberate practice. - Some people may have the ancillary skills, resources or characteristics that position them to perform better from early on - YC seems to be adept at identifying these people, but also credit them for making 1,500+ bets. - My best success to-date has been as a result of luck. I'm 30 years old now.
- JamesBarney 9y ago
  Would you mind going into a little more detail about the hole that you plugged and how you plugged it?
  - gargarplex 9y ago
    For me it was learning all about sales. I actually got a job selling industrial equipment specifically for this purpose. I learned that a good sales person is an agent who advances the best interests of the buyer as well as the seller. I also had the epiphany that my ads and website are - essentially - salespeople, selling to exactly one visitor at a time. So if I can't sell without the website, I can't sell with the website. But once I can sell, and then once my website can sell in my stead, it's about getting the website in front of as many people as possible - just like a productive sales rep will make many phone calls per day. Just as a salesperson will tailor her approach based on the market or personality of the buyer, a good website should do so as well. Therefore, I have segmented mailing lists, different landing pages for different buyer types, and so forth. You may also find this comment I wrote about a year ago useful as well, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13283234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13283234
    - user5994461 9y ago
      +1 Sales and marketing is as important as the software. They can't exist without each other.
- ChristianGeek 9y ago
  Bitcoin is not a win until you sell it at a profit (which you may have done...I’m just saying.)
- sihui_io 9y ago
  Thanks a lot for sharing. I'm impressed by your perseverance and so glad to see things have been working out for you lately. Best of Luck!

always_good 9y ago

Dunno, depends on the kinds of startups you're trying to create. For example, I don't think you're "bad at startups" just because you create more ambitious ones with a higher chance of failure. Some people are at a place where they can take more risks, it doesn't make them an abject failure.

gargarplex 9y ago

I've been seriously, actively interested in building a tech biz or startup since 2003. In 2003, I started selling chat bots on the Internet. In 2005, I cofounded an affiliate marketing website that cracked the Alexa top 10k In 2007, I built an app that scaled to 100k MAUs and was acquired for $20K In 2009, I started a SaaS but couldn't break $~600/month in revenue. In 2010, I built a business that ran for over 5 years and supported me entirely for two of them, but probably grossed less than $100K total revenue. But it couldn't grow, as I struggled to find a repeatable and predictable customer acquisition channel. In 2013, I got involved in Bitcoin. Finally one home run after a portfolio of mediocrity. [I am choosing to omit various projects from this list, but between 2003-present, there have been a lot.] In 2013, I also started doing stock market research with ruby. In 2015, my work had attracted enough momentum to bring on an outside angel investor and even piloted the strategy in the markets with $1.5MM. Didn't perform that well; investors withdrew their capital. In 2017, I started a SaaS that is currently doing ~$2800/month in revenue. I also did consulting. I grossed about $190K this year from my business efforts - note, that's nearly 10 times faster (in terms of growing revenue) than I was 7 years ago. I also fixed a major hole in my previous business skillset, i.e., predictably acquiring customers - something I could never do for the biz in 2010. Furthermore, I have a lot more emotional maturity than I did 7 years ago - though Sam Altman was precociously mature, with the "emotional maturity of a 40 year old" (Paul Graham, on meeting Stanford undergraduate Sam Altman). So I can tell you definitively, that: - My skills are expanding due to systematically resolving the deficiencies in previous attempts. - These improvements are a result of deliberate practice. - Some people may have the ancillary skills, resources or characteristics that position them to perform better from early on - YC seems to be adept at identifying these people, but also credit them for making 1,500+ bets. - My best success to-date has been as a result of luck. I'm 30 years old now.

JamesBarney 9y ago
Would you mind going into a little more detail about the hole that you plugged and how you plugged it?
- gargarplex 9y ago
  For me it was learning all about sales. I actually got a job selling industrial equipment specifically for this purpose. I learned that a good sales person is an agent who advances the best interests of the buyer as well as the seller. I also had the epiphany that my ads and website are - essentially - salespeople, selling to exactly one visitor at a time. So if I can't sell without the website, I can't sell with the website. But once I can sell, and then once my website can sell in my stead, it's about getting the website in front of as many people as possible - just like a productive sales rep will make many phone calls per day. Just as a salesperson will tailor her approach based on the market or personality of the buyer, a good website should do so as well. Therefore, I have segmented mailing lists, different landing pages for different buyer types, and so forth. You may also find this comment I wrote about a year ago useful as well, https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13283234 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13283234
  - user5994461 9y ago
    +1 Sales and marketing is as important as the software. They can't exist without each other.
ChristianGeek 9y ago
Bitcoin is not a win until you sell it at a profit (which you may have done...I’m just saying.)
sihui_io 9y ago
Thanks a lot for sharing. I'm impressed by your perseverance and so glad to see things have been working out for you lately. Best of Luck!