5 ms·

Why Not To Do a Startup - Dave McClure

18 points by michaelfairley 16y ago

pinksoda 16y ago
I saw the name Dave McClure and put on my sun glasses before clicking play. Totally necessary.
- dmor 16y ago
  if you turn on Lady Gaga too you'll get the full effect
elbenshira 16y ago
I don't care how awesome or successful this guy is; his slides are impossible to go through. Great stuff too. Don't do a start up if: (1) you love your kids or (2) you love your spouse.
- callmeed 16y ago
  What does that mean? I love my wife and 4 kids and have 2 startups (one old one new). One is doing great, the other is going to do great.
  - tptacek 16y ago
    I think that's his point.
tptacek 16y ago
Thank you. This is a convenient caricature of everything the valley stands for. It should come in handy in pointless HN arguments. Reason #484893 not to move to San Francisco: people will assume that you think like this guy does.
- cageface 16y ago
  Technology has been something that inspired me since childhood, and programming in particular has always seemed deliciously close to real-world magic. However, a lot of the business of technology these days is ugly, cynical, narcissistic and shallow. It's a pity when you think what could be accomplished if all this brainpower were redirected. There must be a thousand bright ideas like Kiva just waiting to be plucked.
- il 16y ago
  Which of his points offend you? I found myself agreeing with many of the slides, and they seem to map pretty well to successful startups.
  - tptacek 16y ago
    To put it bluntly: this slide deck is a recipe for being an investor's bitch.
- davemc500hats 16y ago
  yes, that was the point. people who shouldn't be entrepreneurs get way too excited for the wrong reasons. a reality check is likely very useful for many folks to re-consider the probabilities involved. folks who decide they still want to choose the entrepeneurial path are then at least forewarned, if not forearmed.
  - tptacek 16y ago
    You know you've gone off the rails when what you're saying was better said by C. Montgomery Burns: "I'll keep it short and sweet: Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."
pierrefar 16y ago
Notice the Bin 38 logo at the bottom left corner of the title slide. A Bin 38 meeting is what kicked off "AngelGate": http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/21/so-a-blogger-walks-into-a-bar/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/21/so-a-blogger-walks-into-a-b...
atomical 16y ago
This is pure entertainment. If you got something out of this you probably haven't read much of anything else.
- auxbuss 16y ago
  Yup, clearly a self-parody, starting with the self-mocking title. Making a point, or several, I think.
  - tptacek 16y ago
    It's tongue and cheek, but that doesn't make it a parody. Against the notion that it's satire: the fact that it doesn't make sense as satire (see slides #1, #3, #5, and #11).
  - auxbuss 16y ago
    parody != satire nor does parody => satire parody: an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. Thus, self-parody.
  - auxbuss 16y ago
    Where do we report bugs? Seems I can reply to myself, but not to the commenter.
T-R 16y ago
Articles with a negative tone seem to be on the rise lately. Maybe it's just me, but in the past I always got a more positive vibe, more like "If you want to start a startup, don't procrastinate and work hard", rather than "we try not to hire wimps" and "if you procrastinate, don't start a startup". Who is the intended audience? Has there been a recent surge in founders who don't get things done that might be dissuaded by that kind of thing? Is it a feel-good "we're not like that" kind of thing?
danhak 16y ago
This is meaningless. There are no right or wrong reasons to be anything, no less an entrepreneur. It can be freestyle. Just one of the great things about it. If McClure is trying to lay out traits he seeks in people he invests in, that's a different story. I see way too much conjecture of this sort around here. Starting a business, especially a software business in this day and age, does not have to be a thought experiment. Getting version 1 out the door should cost almost nothing but a few weekends. Just friggin' do it or stop talking about it. Your biggest successes are apt to be those you didn't anticipate.
davemc500hats 16y ago
to clarify: i was speaking up here in Seattle for Startup Day, and i was asked to do a talk on "Why Do a Startup". i wasn't feeling in a particularly positive mood, and in fact i hate when people do the duplicitous inspirational talk about startups & entrepreneurship... which is usually hard & full of fail. i thought a more realistic look at the downside of entrepreneurship would be useful, so i offered some experiences from my own early startup consulting business in the late 90's, which was a lot of stress & hassle for not much return (small exit, <$1M). i think people who realistically look at the downside of entrepreneurship are more prepared for the journey, and if they still choose the path they at least know the risks. (note: there are many lightweight forms of prototyping and startup entrepreneurship that don't have these risks, but in this case i was emphasizing the typical experience).
- skmurphy 16y ago
  "Life is pain! Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something." Wesley to the Princess in "Princess Bride" "The truth is, start-up-land is littered with mavericks, iconoclasts, drops-outs and misfits." Matt Maroon had a good post on this topic at http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ HN discussion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 I blogged about this at http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-individuals-to-form-a-startup/ http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-in... and Matt Maroon also offered advice in http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/
babeKnuth 16y ago
the points that were trying to be conveyed are a bit jumbled. i guess you had to be there.

I saw the name Dave McClure and put on my sun glasses before clicking play. Totally necessary.

dmor 16y ago
if you turn on Lady Gaga too you'll get the full effect

I don't care how awesome or successful this guy is; his slides are impossible to go through. Great stuff too. Don't do a start up if: (1) you love your kids or (2) you love your spouse.

callmeed 16y ago
What does that mean? I love my wife and 4 kids and have 2 startups (one old one new). One is doing great, the other is going to do great.
- tptacek 16y ago
  I think that's his point.

tptacek 16y ago

Thank you. This is a convenient caricature of everything the valley stands for. It should come in handy in pointless HN arguments. Reason #484893 not to move to San Francisco: people will assume that you think like this guy does.

cageface 16y ago
Technology has been something that inspired me since childhood, and programming in particular has always seemed deliciously close to real-world magic. However, a lot of the business of technology these days is ugly, cynical, narcissistic and shallow. It's a pity when you think what could be accomplished if all this brainpower were redirected. There must be a thousand bright ideas like Kiva just waiting to be plucked.
il 16y ago
Which of his points offend you? I found myself agreeing with many of the slides, and they seem to map pretty well to successful startups.
- tptacek 16y ago
  To put it bluntly: this slide deck is a recipe for being an investor's bitch.
davemc500hats 16y ago
yes, that was the point. people who shouldn't be entrepreneurs get way too excited for the wrong reasons. a reality check is likely very useful for many folks to re-consider the probabilities involved. folks who decide they still want to choose the entrepeneurial path are then at least forewarned, if not forearmed.
- tptacek 16y ago
  You know you've gone off the rails when what you're saying was better said by C. Montgomery Burns: "I'll keep it short and sweet: Family. Religion. Friendship. These are the three demons you must slay if you wish to succeed in business."

pierrefar 16y ago

Notice the Bin 38 logo at the bottom left corner of the title slide. A Bin 38 meeting is what kicked off "AngelGate": http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/21/so-a-blogger-walks-into-a-bar/ http://techcrunch.com/2010/09/21/so-a-blogger-walks-into-a-b...

atomical 16y ago

This is pure entertainment. If you got something out of this you probably haven't read much of anything else.

auxbuss 16y ago
Yup, clearly a self-parody, starting with the self-mocking title. Making a point, or several, I think.
- tptacek 16y ago
  It's tongue and cheek, but that doesn't make it a parody. Against the notion that it's satire: the fact that it doesn't make sense as satire (see slides #1, #3, #5, and #11).
- auxbuss 16y ago
  parody != satire nor does parody => satire parody: an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. Thus, self-parody.
- auxbuss 16y ago
  Where do we report bugs? Seems I can reply to myself, but not to the commenter.

T-R 16y ago

Articles with a negative tone seem to be on the rise lately. Maybe it's just me, but in the past I always got a more positive vibe, more like "If you want to start a startup, don't procrastinate and work hard", rather than "we try not to hire wimps" and "if you procrastinate, don't start a startup". Who is the intended audience? Has there been a recent surge in founders who don't get things done that might be dissuaded by that kind of thing? Is it a feel-good "we're not like that" kind of thing?

danhak 16y ago

This is meaningless. There are no right or wrong reasons to be anything, no less an entrepreneur. It can be freestyle. Just one of the great things about it. If McClure is trying to lay out traits he seeks in people he invests in, that's a different story. I see way too much conjecture of this sort around here. Starting a business, especially a software business in this day and age, does not have to be a thought experiment. Getting version 1 out the door should cost almost nothing but a few weekends. Just friggin' do it or stop talking about it. Your biggest successes are apt to be those you didn't anticipate.

davemc500hats 16y ago

to clarify: i was speaking up here in Seattle for Startup Day, and i was asked to do a talk on "Why Do a Startup". i wasn't feeling in a particularly positive mood, and in fact i hate when people do the duplicitous inspirational talk about startups & entrepreneurship... which is usually hard & full of fail. i thought a more realistic look at the downside of entrepreneurship would be useful, so i offered some experiences from my own early startup consulting business in the late 90's, which was a lot of stress & hassle for not much return (small exit, <$1M). i think people who realistically look at the downside of entrepreneurship are more prepared for the journey, and if they still choose the path they at least know the risks. (note: there are many lightweight forms of prototyping and startup entrepreneurship that don't have these risks, but in this case i was emphasizing the typical experience).

skmurphy 16y ago
"Life is pain! Anyone who says different is trying to sell you something." Wesley to the Princess in "Princess Bride" "The truth is, start-up-land is littered with mavericks, iconoclasts, drops-outs and misfits." Matt Maroon had a good post on this topic at http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/03/19/why-not-to-do-a-startup/ HN discussion at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140602 I blogged about this at http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-individuals-to-form-a-startup/ http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2008/12/04/we-dont-encourage-in... and Matt Maroon also offered advice in http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/ http://mattmaroon.com/2008/12/08/a-little-better-advice/

babeKnuth 16y ago

the points that were trying to be conveyed are a bit jumbled. i guess you had to be there.