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The problem is that "if you build it they will come" DOESN'T WORK in a field where thousands of startups are competing for the same set of eyeballs. Unless you
by il 18y ago
The problem is that "if you build it they will come" DOESN'T WORK in a field where thousands of startups are competing for the same set of eyeballs. Unless you market aggressively, and cut costs enough to survive longer than your competitors, you will fail, guaranteed.
- noodle 18y ago"if you build it they will come" doesn't mean you don't also market or cut costs. its about focus, not exclusivity. product comes first. i get the feeling that "lack of spine" in the OP is implying that the focus isn't on the bottom dollar or self promotion, is all. focus on the product doesn't garner the direct results like the other two will.
- Zak 18y agoIf you're two guys, two laptops and a server in an apartment, there aren't many costs to cut. That's the typical YC company. Marketing doesn't seem to do as much for a new company as PR, and simply being YC-funded is a big boost in that area.
- il 18y agoHeh, maybe I'm a bit biased, as at one point I used to work for a startup(not YC) that was only 3 guys in an apartment, but also spent thousands of dollars a month on hosting for a site that had only a hundred or visitors a day, because they were expecting that any day now, "they will come" and viral growth will make them huge. Being YC-funded is a boost, but without marketing and efficiency, it's not enough. There have been numerous YC-funded startups that ran out of money.