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In my first failed start-up, I did what is now considered "standard advice" here on Hacker News and it was an utter failure (which might explain why I still que

by edw519 16y ago

In my first failed start-up, I did what is now considered "standard advice" here on Hacker News and it was an utter failure (which might explain why I still question all advice, no matter how "standard"). The software was a small business system for manufacturers and distributors. I was the technical person, my co-founder was the business person. How we did things: - We determined the customers' most critical requirements. - We built what they needed from those requirements. - We installed the hardware and software. - We got them up and running in "test mode". - We adjusted, reworked, and went live. What ended up happening: - Critical features were invariably missed. I had to add them. - There was always some scaling issue we missed. Always. - Architecture had to be reworked with every install. - My co-founder was able to sell far faster than I could build. - My co-founder was unable to help me build. - Customers became disillusioned. - I collapsed, vowing never to go through this again. What I now believe: - Make sure your MVP is enough. - Beware being consumed by customer service. - The first two founders must be technical. - Your architecture must scale, even if your app doesn't. - Always be brutally honest with each other at all times. - Make sure all your failures are recoverable ones. - Plan for 40 hours/week. Stop working at 80. - Never quit. Start over, but never quit.

revorad 16y ago
Ed, thanks so much for an alternative view backed by experience. It's good to remember that advice is good for picking some heuristics, but the devil is in the details.
- revorad 16y ago
  If someone says "that's impossible", you can interpret it as: "According to my limited experience and very narrow understanding of reality, it's very unlikely." An oldie but goodie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZxP0i9ah8E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZxP0i9ah8E
mattmanser 16y ago
Great post, but I can't help but notice: My co-founder was able to sell far faster than I could build Customers became disillusioned I collapsed Which comes across in the albeit very brief description as the root of your problem, it sounds like you didn't actually follow that "standard advice". That reads like you started scaling before the product was actually viable, which is borne out by your first point of what you've learnt. I also think I disagree with point 3 of your conclusions, if your partner had been raising funds instead of selling you could have employed more people to get the product ready. Easily said with hindsight I guess.
- flyosity 16y ago
  It's actually incredibly rare for a non-hacker co-founder (aka, a biz guy) to sell faster than the technology can keep up. I'd say this is normally a good scenario to be in as it continuously pushes you to build and build and build rather than sit back on your haunches. Also, it's better than a biz-focused co-founder who doesn't sell anything. Then you're just dead in the water. I think the key is to find a biz person who's moving just as quickly as you are, and you move quickly together.
  - grammaton 16y ago
    "It's actually incredibly rare for a non-hacker co-founder (aka, a biz guy) to sell faster than the technology can keep up." Really now? In my experience it's not that rare at all. Throw in the very common scenario of management that doesn't understand the need for things like refactoring and code maintenance, and it's downright common.
  - neworbit 16y ago
    You might mean "it's somewhat rare of them to sell the product you've built and are are actually selling", but having a sales-y person go out and say "sure we do that" and then coming back and saying "new urgent feature" is totally par for the course.
- es 16y ago
  Situation may be different. Co-founder may sell fast by promising more features. If it's done without consultations with tech co-founder it may break the architecture and development cycle completely. And in case feature was promised and never delivered customers will be disillusioned.

by edw519 16y ago

revorad 16y ago

Ed, thanks so much for an alternative view backed by experience. It's good to remember that advice is good for picking some heuristics, but the devil is in the details.

revorad 16y ago
If someone says "that's impossible", you can interpret it as: "According to my limited experience and very narrow understanding of reality, it's very unlikely." An oldie but goodie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZxP0i9ah8E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZxP0i9ah8E

mattmanser 16y ago

Great post, but I can't help but notice: My co-founder was able to sell far faster than I could build Customers became disillusioned I collapsed Which comes across in the albeit very brief description as the root of your problem, it sounds like you didn't actually follow that "standard advice". That reads like you started scaling before the product was actually viable, which is borne out by your first point of what you've learnt. I also think I disagree with point 3 of your conclusions, if your partner had been raising funds instead of selling you could have employed more people to get the product ready. Easily said with hindsight I guess.

flyosity 16y ago
It's actually incredibly rare for a non-hacker co-founder (aka, a biz guy) to sell faster than the technology can keep up. I'd say this is normally a good scenario to be in as it continuously pushes you to build and build and build rather than sit back on your haunches. Also, it's better than a biz-focused co-founder who doesn't sell anything. Then you're just dead in the water. I think the key is to find a biz person who's moving just as quickly as you are, and you move quickly together.
- grammaton 16y ago
  "It's actually incredibly rare for a non-hacker co-founder (aka, a biz guy) to sell faster than the technology can keep up." Really now? In my experience it's not that rare at all. Throw in the very common scenario of management that doesn't understand the need for things like refactoring and code maintenance, and it's downright common.
- neworbit 16y ago
  You might mean "it's somewhat rare of them to sell the product you've built and are are actually selling", but having a sales-y person go out and say "sure we do that" and then coming back and saying "new urgent feature" is totally par for the course.
es 16y ago
Situation may be different. Co-founder may sell fast by promising more features. If it's done without consultations with tech co-founder it may break the architecture and development cycle completely. And in case feature was promised and never delivered customers will be disillusioned.