4 ms·

Would you say that most of what PG says also can be discounted by your logic? If you're capable of writing one of the first successful web/e-commerce sites and

by raghus 18y ago

Would you say that most of what PG says also can be discounted by your logic? If you're capable of writing one of the first successful web/e-commerce sites and creating a new Lisp dialect and starting a new type of venture firm and writing popular essays, chances are....

swombat 18y ago
As far as I can tell from his articles, PG was pretty focused on Viaweb when it was starting up - not working on it 10 hours a week while holding a full-time job. I'm attacking the idea that anyone can start a successful startup with 10 hours a week - not the idea that anyone can start a successful startup (although I'd say even there there's a bar, but it's much lower). DHH, in this article, presents a method that he suggest applies to anybody. I'm just saying it doesn't apply to anybody.
- sethg 18y ago
  He's not saying that anyone can start a successful startup in 10 hours per week. Quite the contrary: "Odds are you’ll fail. Just as odds are you’ll fail if you take millions of VC money, hire a staff of twenty, and spend 120 hours/week on it." The take-home point of the essay, ISTM, is that if you only have 10 hours a week for your startup, those 10 hours can still be well spent.
- tptacek 18y ago
  A lot of things that applied to Graham in the mid-90s no longer apply. The 37signals lessons are still fresh; they're operating in the current business climate. If you weren't working in 1996 (unless you graduated early, you were in high school, swombat) I'll say: do not underestimate how silly things were back then.
  - davidw 18y ago
    > The 37signals lessons are still fresh; they're operating in the current business climate. The book "Growing a Business", written in the '80ies, about a gardening catalog company of all things, has a lot of the same lessons as "getting real", and to boot comes with its very own ISBN. Here's my summary of it (but go buy it, it's a good one): http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/4/growing-a-business http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/4/growing-a-business
    - tptacek 18y ago
      I'm not sure "Getting Real" sums up 37Signals' business anymore. Since they wrote that, they seem to have melded it with Joel's "hire smart people and keep them happy" strategy. But this looks like an awesome book, and I just bought it. Thanks!
    - jamongkad 18y ago
      At first I was like another link to another business book about blah blah blah but after reading the short summary you provided. I must say sir if I could upvote you thrice I would. Looks like an awesome book! I tend to put more weight on age old principles than the conflicting advice I get from most blog roll submissions here. Thank you!

by raghus 18y ago

swombat 18y ago

As far as I can tell from his articles, PG was pretty focused on Viaweb when it was starting up - not working on it 10 hours a week while holding a full-time job. I'm attacking the idea that anyone can start a successful startup with 10 hours a week - not the idea that anyone can start a successful startup (although I'd say even there there's a bar, but it's much lower). DHH, in this article, presents a method that he suggest applies to anybody. I'm just saying it doesn't apply to anybody.

sethg 18y ago
He's not saying that anyone can start a successful startup in 10 hours per week. Quite the contrary: "Odds are you’ll fail. Just as odds are you’ll fail if you take millions of VC money, hire a staff of twenty, and spend 120 hours/week on it." The take-home point of the essay, ISTM, is that if you only have 10 hours a week for your startup, those 10 hours can still be well spent.
tptacek 18y ago
A lot of things that applied to Graham in the mid-90s no longer apply. The 37signals lessons are still fresh; they're operating in the current business climate. If you weren't working in 1996 (unless you graduated early, you were in high school, swombat) I'll say: do not underestimate how silly things were back then.
- davidw 18y ago
  > The 37signals lessons are still fresh; they're operating in the current business climate. The book "Growing a Business", written in the '80ies, about a gardening catalog company of all things, has a lot of the same lessons as "getting real", and to boot comes with its very own ISBN. Here's my summary of it (but go buy it, it's a good one): http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/4/growing-a-business http://www.squeezedbooks.com/book/show/4/growing-a-business
  - tptacek 18y ago
    I'm not sure "Getting Real" sums up 37Signals' business anymore. Since they wrote that, they seem to have melded it with Joel's "hire smart people and keep them happy" strategy. But this looks like an awesome book, and I just bought it. Thanks!
  - jamongkad 18y ago
    At first I was like another link to another business book about blah blah blah but after reading the short summary you provided. I must say sir if I could upvote you thrice I would. Looks like an awesome book! I tend to put more weight on age old principles than the conflicting advice I get from most blog roll submissions here. Thank you!