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> If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. I'd have to agree. Instead of "company", think "domain

> If your tech startup should succeeds or fails in spite of the particular corporate credit you choose. I'd have to agree. Instead of "company", think "domain name." Instead of "health insurance", think "I'm in my 20's and don't need it." Instead of "company credit card", think "don't spend anything." Instead of "design/eng. help", think "no budget, DIY", "co-founder" or at most Craigslist gigs. Or just keep working the day job until the above is obvious.

hayksaakian 6y ago
being young, broke, and healthy helped me get my first company going without being distracted by decision fatigue because often times the decision was made for me. having a handful of mentors who can tell you "you're asking the wrong questions, ask yourself X instead" saved me a lot of time early on.
- redis_mlc 6y ago
  Yes, "focus is the new IQ." A couple of founders have said, "Almost any choice works out fine." meaning don't waste a lot of time doing analysis.
randmeerkat 6y ago
Telling someone they don’t need health insurance is irresponsible, there’s plenty of things that can go wrong in your 20s, like a car accident. If they decided not to have that while running a startup not only would they potentially lose their first mover advantage, they’d be saddled in crippling medical debt. One’s health should always come first, you don’t appreciate it until you don’t have it.
- tonyedgecombe 6y ago
  I'm surprised private healthcare isn't more of a drain on the American economy. I often wonder how many businesses aren't started because of that cost.
  - jasonv 6y ago
    It’s not a requirement to offer health insurance in the US. If you make someone an offer and it doesn’t Include health insurance, and they accept, and the individual mandate isn’t enforced anymore, then theres no additional burden on the company. I’ve been offered jobs without health insurance and didn’t accept them. I’ve contracted for those companies as I’m my own company and have had a group health plan for myself and others/partners. Figure the premium can be $1000-1200/per. Getting it is easy. You call a broker (usually for group plans you need to go through a broker), fill out a couple of forms, produce a few paystubs, apply, and enroll.
    - randmeerkat 6y ago
      $1000 - $1200 per person per month? I know some consultants who can’t find health insurance that cheap. Are those high deductible plans?
      - jasonv 6y ago
        PPO with moderate deductibles. Are they doing individual or group plans? And sorry, this wasn’t SF proper, though when I managed a plan for 30+ employees in SF it was about $1500/per. That was high deductible with a roll-over HSA match. The broker was helpful in giving us a decent menu to choose from.
        randmeerkat 6y ago
        Thanks for the clarification, they’re on individual plans outside of CA, so probably not an apples to apples comparison.
        lotsofpulp 6y ago
        $1,500 for an individual HDHP is way on the high end, even for SF. Was the group full of 60 year olds? If it’s young people, it should be in the $500 range at most. This was the quickest data I could find: https://www.valuepenguin.com/best-cheap-health-insurance-california https://www.valuepenguin.com/best-cheap-health-insurance-cal... Also, what is a rollover HSA match? Any HSA contributions don’t come from the insurance company so I don’t see why that would affect the premium.
- redis_mlc 6y ago
  > Telling someone they don’t need health insurance is irresponsible Unless you're offering to pay it, I don't see how your opinion can be taken seriously. Most startups take about 7 years of runway, and at $500-$1,200/month for a single person, those startups won't happen.
sebmellen 6y ago
I agree with you on all but health insurance. Catastrophic life events are uncommon, but they do happen. Any founder owes it to themselves and their company to be insured so they don't become bankrupt from medical bills or die because they're unable to get proper treatment.

hayksaakian 6y ago

being young, broke, and healthy helped me get my first company going without being distracted by decision fatigue because often times the decision was made for me. having a handful of mentors who can tell you "you're asking the wrong questions, ask yourself X instead" saved me a lot of time early on.

redis_mlc 6y ago
Yes, "focus is the new IQ." A couple of founders have said, "Almost any choice works out fine." meaning don't waste a lot of time doing analysis.

randmeerkat 6y ago

Telling someone they don’t need health insurance is irresponsible, there’s plenty of things that can go wrong in your 20s, like a car accident. If they decided not to have that while running a startup not only would they potentially lose their first mover advantage, they’d be saddled in crippling medical debt. One’s health should always come first, you don’t appreciate it until you don’t have it.

tonyedgecombe 6y ago
I'm surprised private healthcare isn't more of a drain on the American economy. I often wonder how many businesses aren't started because of that cost.
- jasonv 6y ago
  It’s not a requirement to offer health insurance in the US. If you make someone an offer and it doesn’t Include health insurance, and they accept, and the individual mandate isn’t enforced anymore, then theres no additional burden on the company. I’ve been offered jobs without health insurance and didn’t accept them. I’ve contracted for those companies as I’m my own company and have had a group health plan for myself and others/partners. Figure the premium can be $1000-1200/per. Getting it is easy. You call a broker (usually for group plans you need to go through a broker), fill out a couple of forms, produce a few paystubs, apply, and enroll.
  - randmeerkat 6y ago
    $1000 - $1200 per person per month? I know some consultants who can’t find health insurance that cheap. Are those high deductible plans?
    - jasonv 6y ago
      PPO with moderate deductibles. Are they doing individual or group plans? And sorry, this wasn’t SF proper, though when I managed a plan for 30+ employees in SF it was about $1500/per. That was high deductible with a roll-over HSA match. The broker was helpful in giving us a decent menu to choose from.
      - randmeerkat 6y ago
        Thanks for the clarification, they’re on individual plans outside of CA, so probably not an apples to apples comparison.
      - lotsofpulp 6y ago
        $1,500 for an individual HDHP is way on the high end, even for SF. Was the group full of 60 year olds? If it’s young people, it should be in the $500 range at most. This was the quickest data I could find: https://www.valuepenguin.com/best-cheap-health-insurance-california https://www.valuepenguin.com/best-cheap-health-insurance-cal... Also, what is a rollover HSA match? Any HSA contributions don’t come from the insurance company so I don’t see why that would affect the premium.
redis_mlc 6y ago
> Telling someone they don’t need health insurance is irresponsible Unless you're offering to pay it, I don't see how your opinion can be taken seriously. Most startups take about 7 years of runway, and at $500-$1,200/month for a single person, those startups won't happen.

sebmellen 6y ago

I agree with you on all but health insurance. Catastrophic life events are uncommon, but they do happen. Any founder owes it to themselves and their company to be insured so they don't become bankrupt from medical bills or die because they're unable to get proper treatment.