4 ms·

Best book on early stage startups period. And it's barely 100 pages long. My favorite quote from it: “Someone should definitely make an X!” “Have you looked

Best book on early stage startups period. And it's barely 100 pages long. My favorite quote from it: “Someone should definitely make an X!” “Have you looked for an X?” “No, why?” “There are like 10 different kinds of X.” “Well I didn't really need it anyway.” Long story short, that person is a complainer, not a customer. They’re stuck in the la-la-land of imagining they’re the sort of person who finds clever ways to solve the petty annoyances of their day.

jack335 5y ago
Exactly! I think it is q bit over 100 pages (140) but still really short. It was recommended so many times to me so I really wanted to make a short summary. The thing with separating complainers from customer is a great learning as well. If you just see complainers maybe the problem isn't that important ;)
- macando 5y ago
  Correct. It's 136p long. I remember it as no more than 85p. It's that good. > If you just see complainers maybe the problem isn't that important ;) Good point.
WalterBright 5y ago
I had a conversation in the 90s with an acquaintance: A: What the world really needs is a native Java compiler. That would be really great! You should write one. W: I wrote one for Symantec. You can buy it today. A: I don't want it.
- Torwald 5y ago
  He just wanted to be nice.
  - WalterBright 5y ago
    I wasn't angry with him, or even annoyed. I simply learned long ago that people who don't have skin in the game rarely give good game advice. People pitch me all the time what programs I should write. I've written many products over the years, some were successes, others were failures. A common thread has emerged: all the failures were pitched by others. All the successes were ones I wrote to please myself, and everyone told me I was a unique snowflake and nobody else would want it and I would fail.
    - macando 5y ago
      > I simply learned long ago that people who don't have skin in the game rarely give good game advice. This is highly quotable.
- andi999 5y ago
  I even did that to myself. I thought about a great product. I was convinced, so I wanted to build it (it would also fulfill my need). Of course then I did research if it already exists. It did. I didn't want it.
  - jjoonathan 5y ago
    Yep. I've done that too.
- goohle 5y ago
  I don't want paid compiler too. Native compiler for Java for Android exists (APK precompiler) and it's great. It's possible to make good java compiler into native code and then sell it to a big corp, but I'm not a big corp, so it's good idea, but I'm not a target audience for it.
  - throwaway743 5y ago
    Android was not around in the 90s
Cthulhu_ 5y ago
> And it's barely 100 pages long. I'd like to quote this and add kudos for that. There's a lot of books that could be a blog post, needlessly padded out. 100 pages sounds a lot more manageable.
- macando 5y ago
  Most non-fiction books could be long essays at best. Books are usually padded with needless repetition and anecdotes.
  - 12ian34 5y ago
    Really agree with this. If you have time I'd appreciate to hear some of your favourite high-value concise non-fiction books of any discipline...?
    - pikrzyszto 5y ago
      a lot of scientific books are like that, for example the art of computer programming.
    - macando 5y ago
      My other favorites are Traction, Peopleware and Made to Stick. However, they are 230+ pages long. Pretty consise, but I think they could have been shorter. There aren't many non-fiction books that are 150p and less. Hmmm
phkahler 5y ago
>> My favorite quote from it: “Someone should definitely make an X!” “Have you looked for an X?” “No, why?” Reminds me of the classic line and omition from the dating world: "He's a great guy, he'd make a great husband." ... for somebody else.
sputr 5y ago
I had a very similar experience starting a (new) political party, of all things. We had an "innovative" name, so we got loads of "You should change your name to X" and "You're not getting elected because you're named Z not Y". Lots of my team was really worried about it. But I always told them to ask these people if that's the reason why they are not voting for us. There were only two answers: (1) "Nah, I'm still voting for you, but OTHER people MIGHT not." and (2) "Nah, i would not vote for you even if you were named X or Y" It really taught me to stop assuming things.
- jjoonathan 5y ago
  Yeah, I learned this one watching Soylent, the meal-replacement drink: everyone was talking about it, saying how awful the name was. It clearly wasn't a bad name, though, because it made everyone talk about it, and nobody actually mistook the real product for the fictional namesake.
  - Jiro 5y ago
    People make decisions at the margin. What you'll actually get is that a lot of people will become a small percentage less likely to buy it. Some of those people will be driven over the edge, since they were just barely going to buy it and now just barely weren't. But none of those people, when asked, will tell you "the stupid name was why we didn't buy it". At best they'll point to a lot of reasons of which the name is only one. At worst, they'll just point to a general sense of distrust that is 5% caused by the stupid name, and not even be able to analyze their own motivations well enough to answer the question. In other words, "would you not buy/not vote because of this problem" is a bad method of analysis, and will tell you that it had no effect when it actually did.
    - jjoonathan 5y ago
      Next to the wild success of the viral marketing campaign that sliver of people is completely insignificant. I'm sure the name did push a few people over the edge, but it pushed everyone to spread the word. Sure, you could postulate the existence of an alternative brand that was equally viral without the negative connotations -- but that would be nothing more than wishful thinking.
mritchie712 5y ago
You might like Traction [1] by DuckDuckGo's founder. It has a similar no nonsense feel to it, but a broader scope of all around growth. I liked it so much I built an app [2] around the framework from in the book (with Gabriel's permission). 1 - https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Cu... 2 - https://www.wax.run https://www.wax.run
- macando 5y ago
  Traction is in my top 5 of non-fiction books. [2] looks interesting
  - mritchie712 5y ago
    Thanks! If you want to give it a try, I'd like to get your feedback on the onboarding flow (it's still very new). Let me know, I'm mike@wax.run
handrous 5y ago
God, I get that one, unsolicited, All. The. Time. It may be the only kind of unsolicited "idea for a product" I've ever gotten, actually. "You make apps? I have a great app idea that'll make you rich! All of us in [profession] would use it! You see... [explains idea].... It would save me hours every week and no one's done it yet, for some reason!" Me: searches the App Store You mean like any of these first five results that are all literally the exact thing you're describing, are targeted at your profession, and that you want sooooo much that you've never even bothered to search for it and plunk down consults screen $14.99?"
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- snarf21 5y ago
  So true. My experience is that those people have "one weird requirement" that is unique to them that other tools don't include so instead of getting 90% of the the performance benefit, they'd rather complain and not change that one step. What they really want is for you to automate their exact current process. I had a friend of a friend pitch me something like that and they had the whole "and you can sell it to everyone in our industry". There were upset when I pointed out that no one else in that industry has their specific process and requirements. They just wanted it for free.

jack335 5y ago

Exactly! I think it is q bit over 100 pages (140) but still really short. It was recommended so many times to me so I really wanted to make a short summary. The thing with separating complainers from customer is a great learning as well. If you just see complainers maybe the problem isn't that important ;)

macando 5y ago
Correct. It's 136p long. I remember it as no more than 85p. It's that good. > If you just see complainers maybe the problem isn't that important ;) Good point.

WalterBright 5y ago

I had a conversation in the 90s with an acquaintance: A: What the world really needs is a native Java compiler. That would be really great! You should write one. W: I wrote one for Symantec. You can buy it today. A: I don't want it.

Torwald 5y ago
He just wanted to be nice.
- WalterBright 5y ago
  I wasn't angry with him, or even annoyed. I simply learned long ago that people who don't have skin in the game rarely give good game advice. People pitch me all the time what programs I should write. I've written many products over the years, some were successes, others were failures. A common thread has emerged: all the failures were pitched by others. All the successes were ones I wrote to please myself, and everyone told me I was a unique snowflake and nobody else would want it and I would fail.
  - macando 5y ago
    > I simply learned long ago that people who don't have skin in the game rarely give good game advice. This is highly quotable.
andi999 5y ago
I even did that to myself. I thought about a great product. I was convinced, so I wanted to build it (it would also fulfill my need). Of course then I did research if it already exists. It did. I didn't want it.
- jjoonathan 5y ago
  Yep. I've done that too.
goohle 5y ago
I don't want paid compiler too. Native compiler for Java for Android exists (APK precompiler) and it's great. It's possible to make good java compiler into native code and then sell it to a big corp, but I'm not a big corp, so it's good idea, but I'm not a target audience for it.
- throwaway743 5y ago
  Android was not around in the 90s

Cthulhu_ 5y ago

> And it's barely 100 pages long. I'd like to quote this and add kudos for that. There's a lot of books that could be a blog post, needlessly padded out. 100 pages sounds a lot more manageable.

macando 5y ago
Most non-fiction books could be long essays at best. Books are usually padded with needless repetition and anecdotes.
- 12ian34 5y ago
  Really agree with this. If you have time I'd appreciate to hear some of your favourite high-value concise non-fiction books of any discipline...?
  - pikrzyszto 5y ago
    a lot of scientific books are like that, for example the art of computer programming.
  - macando 5y ago
    My other favorites are Traction, Peopleware and Made to Stick. However, they are 230+ pages long. Pretty consise, but I think they could have been shorter. There aren't many non-fiction books that are 150p and less. Hmmm

phkahler 5y ago

>> My favorite quote from it: “Someone should definitely make an X!” “Have you looked for an X?” “No, why?” Reminds me of the classic line and omition from the dating world: "He's a great guy, he'd make a great husband." ... for somebody else.

sputr 5y ago

I had a very similar experience starting a (new) political party, of all things. We had an "innovative" name, so we got loads of "You should change your name to X" and "You're not getting elected because you're named Z not Y". Lots of my team was really worried about it. But I always told them to ask these people if that's the reason why they are not voting for us. There were only two answers: (1) "Nah, I'm still voting for you, but OTHER people MIGHT not." and (2) "Nah, i would not vote for you even if you were named X or Y" It really taught me to stop assuming things.

jjoonathan 5y ago
Yeah, I learned this one watching Soylent, the meal-replacement drink: everyone was talking about it, saying how awful the name was. It clearly wasn't a bad name, though, because it made everyone talk about it, and nobody actually mistook the real product for the fictional namesake.
- Jiro 5y ago
  People make decisions at the margin. What you'll actually get is that a lot of people will become a small percentage less likely to buy it. Some of those people will be driven over the edge, since they were just barely going to buy it and now just barely weren't. But none of those people, when asked, will tell you "the stupid name was why we didn't buy it". At best they'll point to a lot of reasons of which the name is only one. At worst, they'll just point to a general sense of distrust that is 5% caused by the stupid name, and not even be able to analyze their own motivations well enough to answer the question. In other words, "would you not buy/not vote because of this problem" is a bad method of analysis, and will tell you that it had no effect when it actually did.
  - jjoonathan 5y ago
    Next to the wild success of the viral marketing campaign that sliver of people is completely insignificant. I'm sure the name did push a few people over the edge, but it pushed everyone to spread the word. Sure, you could postulate the existence of an alternative brand that was equally viral without the negative connotations -- but that would be nothing more than wishful thinking.

mritchie712 5y ago

You might like Traction [1] by DuckDuckGo's founder. It has a similar no nonsense feel to it, but a broader scope of all around growth. I liked it so much I built an app [2] around the framework from in the book (with Gabriel's permission). 1 - https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Customer https://www.amazon.com/Traction-Startup-Achieve-Explosive-Cu... 2 - https://www.wax.run https://www.wax.run

macando 5y ago
Traction is in my top 5 of non-fiction books. [2] looks interesting
- mritchie712 5y ago
  Thanks! If you want to give it a try, I'd like to get your feedback on the onboarding flow (it's still very new). Let me know, I'm mike@wax.run

handrous 5y ago

God, I get that one, unsolicited, All. The. Time. It may be the only kind of unsolicited "idea for a product" I've ever gotten, actually. "You make apps? I have a great app idea that'll make you rich! All of us in [profession] would use it! You see... [explains idea].... It would save me hours every week and no one's done it yet, for some reason!" Me: searches the App Store You mean like any of these first five results that are all literally the exact thing you're describing, are targeted at your profession, and that you want sooooo much that you've never even bothered to search for it and plunk down consults screen $14.99?"

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
snarf21 5y ago
So true. My experience is that those people have "one weird requirement" that is unique to them that other tools don't include so instead of getting 90% of the the performance benefit, they'd rather complain and not change that one step. What they really want is for you to automate their exact current process. I had a friend of a friend pitch me something like that and they had the whole "and you can sell it to everyone in our industry". There were upset when I pointed out that no one else in that industry has their specific process and requirements. They just wanted it for free.