This is what kills me about the "startups are really hard" stats: it perpetuates the "you're bad if you're a failure" mantra. There have been numerous posts say

This is what kills me about the "startups are really hard" stats: it perpetuates the "you're bad if you're a failure" mantra. There have been numerous posts saying how a failing startup is not a failure and something to be congratulated here in the US, particularly in the Valley. Someone recently posted an article as to why entrepreneurship is lagging behind in Japan for exactly this reason. So why scare entrepreneurs here in America? I've learned, without even having started my own company, that if you build something...ANYTHING...it can only be a good thing. If I created a project and the best stat I ever received was that 5 people used it, the WORST possible thing that could happen is I spent a couple of bucks on hosting, and now I can demo it to every future job I decide to take. If you build something in your spare time, it shows passion, initiative and excitement. Who doesn't want to hire someone like that?