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It is pretty hard to change who you are at the core. But the thing about it is that you have your own way of succeeding. You see at some point in life, you mor
by chegra 16y ago
It is pretty hard to change who you are at the core. But the thing about it is that you have your own way of succeeding. You see at some point in life, you more than likely have succeeded.
Instead of determination, you have passion. Instead of flexibility, you are a perfectionist. Instead of imagination, you can communicate well. Instead of being naughty, you are efficient. Instead of a partner, you are well connected.
The things that pg talks about takes years to develop, especially naughtiness and partnership. So instead of spending two years building a friendship to apply to yc, just go build the business. Inevitably, someone will want to join you when it is finished built.
So yes, if you are undetermined, inflexible, unimaginative, goodie to shoe, friendless, go build your dream.
Let a thousand flowers bloom.
- mcyger 16y agoWell said. There's no one "perfect person" that will succeed, although the article by PG would imply otherwise (since YC only wants entrepreneurs and start-ups that will be successful...hence the application/interview questions). The key is to use your core strengths to your advantage.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- dabent 16y ago"So instead of spending two years building a friendship to apply to yc, just go build the business. Inevitably, someone will want to join you when it is finished built." I just connected with an old friend who saw something I just built and wants to join in. If you build something that's cool, people will indeed want to join in.
- ig1 16y agoI imagine if you build something cool and get traction, YC will consider you even as a single founder.
- pg 16y agoWe do fund single founders. There were 2 this summer. We just have a higher threshold with single founders, because it's harder to succeed as one. The last 3 of the 5 we'd compromise on if the person was good in other respects. Only the first 2 are essential. It's hard to imagine a startup succeeding without at least one person who was determined and flexible. It's just the nature of the domain.
- thewordpainter 16y ago100% agree. Another way of saying that: someone has to keep the ship afloat. As for having other founders, it'll sure help when the ship is in rocky waters. Aside from the complimentary skillset, it's nice to have another founder so they can pick you up when things aren't going your way.
- bkudria 16y agoHave you ever considered funding only one person out of a team?
- netcan 16y agoI think you're right. Don't wait for things to be perfect before building. OTOH, pursuing most of these things is probably a good thing for general reasons. Hacking some non software thing, if you do not tend to do that sort of thing will probably benefit your thinking. Making friends is obviously good for you too.
- QuantumGood 16y agoGreat comment. Successful entrepreneurs are often very hard to pigeonhole, and are often classified by others in ways that surprise them. Really, one quality would be your ability to succeed in spite of how other people estimate your chances or "relevant" abilities.