9 ms·

"I Have a Startup" - Midwest vs Bay Area

24 points by garbowza 18y ago

dangrover 18y ago
I'm from rural Vermont and more recently Boston. I'm moving to the Bay Area next week. I'm really curious to see how pronounced this effect is.
- jaspertheghost 18y ago
  I started a company in Chicago and moved to the Bay Area. the differences are almost exactly what was described in the article. I jumped from a fairly large and prestigious company to start the company and people automatically were incredulous that I would quit. There is no area like the Bay Area for starting company in terms of emotional well being and having fellow entrepreneurs in the same boat.
- wushupork 18y ago
  I'm from Chicago as well and I also find it hard for even my friends to understand why I would bother doing a startup. The people who do understand or relate are fellow tech startups of which there are quite a few actually.
papa 18y ago
I'm in the Bay Area, but really I find the "I have a startup" only has the desired affect on similarly afflicted individuals. If I say the same thing to my relatives, no matter where they live, I get the same blank stares. I personally think it's not "where" but "who".
- jmtulloss 18y ago
  I've noticed this too, but all my relatives are from the Midwest!
- Shooter 18y ago
  I used to have this "blank stare" problem with some of my relatives and former colleagues when they asked what I was working on. I finally realized I was often just being too technical or was using industry-specific terms people weren't familiar with...and sometimes I was being too specific or too general in my explanations. Like I expected everyone else to have the same background and interests as I do. I finally tried putting myself in their shoes. If you're too general, you will sound evasive or apologetic. If you're too specific, it's easy to sound boring. It's a difficult balance to be specific enough that you keep their interest, but not so specific you confuse them or flip their "Techy-talk OFF switch." I try to use very common analogies and to speak as simply and directly as possible. I usually just explain the selling proposition and/or business model of the startup without any additional information about "how we do it" or "in what industry" or "who our competitors are," etc. If they want more details, they can ask. I've ended up with a few stock answers I use for every one of my startups. I usually just state the problem, and my solution to that problem, in layman's terms. That usually gets the best response. People usually start asking more specific questions, and we go from there. I try to explain what my startup does, and to convey my passion for the business without sounding too much like a pushy salesman or a nut ;-) If the startup is profitable, I add that tidbit. I actually went from getting blank stares to getting new business and referrals. A simple, clear answer about the benefits your business offers can literally turn people into customers on the spot...or at least promoters of you and your ideas. Genuine enthusiasm and passion is memorable, and people are drawn to it.
male_salmon 18y ago
Isn't this exactly what PG said in his Cities and Ambition - http://www.paulgraham.com/cities.html http://www.paulgraham.com/cities.html - essay? How much does it matter what message a city sends? Empirically, the answer seems to be: a lot. You might think that if you had enough strength of mind to do great things, you'd be able to transcend your environment. Where you live should make at most a couple percent difference. But if you look at the historical evidence, it seems to matter more than that. Most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places where that sort of thing was done at the time.
- thingsilearned 18y ago
  Yup, its very much the same point but narrower in focus and less eloquently stated. I should have linked to his article in mine.
strlen 18y ago
Not always true. I'm in Bay Area, but when I left a big co to join a start-up, I got the question of "why would you quit a big company to join a small place?" and got blank stares as an explanation. By default joining start-ups, founding businesses just isn't what educated intelligentsia do. If pg is right, that will change.
tom_rath 18y ago
Having a higher level of respect and more assurance will make a huge difference in your general happiness and future success. I'm not too sure about that. If other people's opinions will strongly influence your mood and business outlook, entrepreneurship might not be for you. For myself, visualizing how those politely nodding and smiling "that's nice" people would one day be green with envy was a delightful motivator. These days, the condescension is gone and smiles are a bit tighter.
- garbowza 18y ago
  I disagree. Morale is huge deal within a startup. Startups are emotional rollercoasters, and if your environment is always negatively affecting your morale, the lows will eventually drag down your productivity. That doesn't mean you aren't fit for entrepreneurship - if so, why are the majority of successful web startups clustered in the Bay Area?
  - tom_rath 18y ago
    Respect has to be earned. If one's morale is buttressed by toadies and 'respecting' yes-men who gush about how awesome you are just because of your job title, things are more likely to go off the rails when the sun stops shining. By all means mix with like-minded people, but your morale and motivation shouldn't depend upon whether or not your neighbour thinks you're 'cool'.
    - potatolicious 18y ago
      This doesn't really have to do with yes-men. We're not talking about people who feel negatively about your company, but rather the fact that you run one at all. The kind of scorn the article author talks about is not "oh man, there's no future in (field)", but rather "why in the world would you risk running your own company?!". The latter certainly still calls for a thick skin, but it would help if your closest friends and family were supportive about the concept.
      - tom_rath 18y ago
fallentimes 18y ago
One of my favorite quotes: "Being a startup founder in SF is like being an actor/model in LA."
- jaspertheghost 18y ago
  And being a venture capitalist is like being a producer ?!? :-0 ! I kid because I love exclamation QuEsTiOn mArK
Shooter 18y ago
"I have a startup" seems a very ODD way of saying what you do when people ask, anyway. It is almost intentionally oblique. Even as a serial entrepreneur, I would probably have a similar "midwestern" reaction if someone said that when I asked them what they did...it's just a weird, passionless answer. If you ask a person at a big corporation what they do, they don't usually say "I have a job with a big corporation." Do they? Instead, they would usually say something like "I work in accounting for the largest trucking company in the US." or "I'm a salesman with a company that makes office copiers." Boring, but at least it's an honest answer. An entrepreneur should be able to muster much more passion than "I have a startup" when asked what it is they do. People tend to respond positively when you show passion and enthusiasm and speak directly about what you do. Even if you have to 'dumb it down' for them to understand (or omit secret information.) Maybe this guy should have enthusiastically said, "Yeah, I'm working on a really neat piece of software that helps people to communicate better by XXX" For some reason, "I have a startup" makes me think of a few people I know that have no passion for school, but have stayed in grad school for years on end so they can avoid choosing a career. People may have pity or confusion in their voice only because what you're saying has a cop-out or apologetic vibe to it...?
- thingsilearned 18y ago
  This is an great point! Saying that you're working on some excellent software and what its trying to do may be the best way to approach the conversation, especially in the midwest... Once you describe what you're doing, then you'll be asked who you work for, and when you say yourself the idea of a startup will be better explained. I'm always hesitant to do so because I feel that describing what project you work on doesn't describe the hours you work, the responsibilities, and all the extras that come with a startup.
  - mhartl 18y ago
    N.B. In case it wasn't clear, thingsilearned is the author of the post.
- monkeyboy 18y ago
  I think you're taking the discussion a bit too seriously and missing the point. I'm pretty sure the blog post wasn't a verbatim conversation, but most people who have lived in the Bay Area and worked on a startup recognize the difference in reaction between people in that area versus people in other parts of the country.
bradgessler 18y ago
The bay area is special from a funding/VC perspective. After pitching in Chicago, Boston, and SF; I've come to realize what makes the valley special: there are so damn many investors that they don't all know each other which reduces "group think." In cities like Chicago, there are a handful of VCs that all talk to each other. If you pitch to one and they don't like your idea, they trade notes with their other VC buddies in the area and that's it. Your done. Pack up your bags and head to the next city. I could count the number of funded Chicago web startups with one hand. In the valley there are so many investors with so much more experience willing to fund ideas that investors from other areas simply wouldn't touch. If you pitch to one guy and he doesn't like it, go pitch to another investor... and another... and another... it will be a while before you exhaust this list. From my experience the bay area doesn't suffer from the same group think problems that most other areas in the world suffer from; including a sizable city like Chicago.
mattmaroon 18y ago
I don't think that's fair at all. I find Midwesterners my age or below to be just as excited about internet startups as anyone. The guy who plays poker for a living in Las Vegas is just another gambler, the guy who does it in Indiana is a rock star. Same thing with internet entrepreneurs. I know all of the above first hand. The big difference is that in the Bay Area, people significantly older than myself still get it. In the Midwest they're still not sure what this newfangled Facebook is all about. </sweeping generalization>
jmtame 18y ago
Illinois has a bad entrepreneurial scene too. Everyone pushes you to get employment, it's nauseating after a while.

24 points by garbowza 18y ago

I'm from rural Vermont and more recently Boston. I'm moving to the Bay Area next week. I'm really curious to see how pronounced this effect is.

jaspertheghost 18y ago
I started a company in Chicago and moved to the Bay Area. the differences are almost exactly what was described in the article. I jumped from a fairly large and prestigious company to start the company and people automatically were incredulous that I would quit. There is no area like the Bay Area for starting company in terms of emotional well being and having fellow entrepreneurs in the same boat.
wushupork 18y ago
I'm from Chicago as well and I also find it hard for even my friends to understand why I would bother doing a startup. The people who do understand or relate are fellow tech startups of which there are quite a few actually.

papa 18y ago

I'm in the Bay Area, but really I find the "I have a startup" only has the desired affect on similarly afflicted individuals. If I say the same thing to my relatives, no matter where they live, I get the same blank stares. I personally think it's not "where" but "who".

jmtulloss 18y ago
I've noticed this too, but all my relatives are from the Midwest!
Shooter 18y ago
I used to have this "blank stare" problem with some of my relatives and former colleagues when they asked what I was working on. I finally realized I was often just being too technical or was using industry-specific terms people weren't familiar with...and sometimes I was being too specific or too general in my explanations. Like I expected everyone else to have the same background and interests as I do. I finally tried putting myself in their shoes. If you're too general, you will sound evasive or apologetic. If you're too specific, it's easy to sound boring. It's a difficult balance to be specific enough that you keep their interest, but not so specific you confuse them or flip their "Techy-talk OFF switch." I try to use very common analogies and to speak as simply and directly as possible. I usually just explain the selling proposition and/or business model of the startup without any additional information about "how we do it" or "in what industry" or "who our competitors are," etc. If they want more details, they can ask. I've ended up with a few stock answers I use for every one of my startups. I usually just state the problem, and my solution to that problem, in layman's terms. That usually gets the best response. People usually start asking more specific questions, and we go from there. I try to explain what my startup does, and to convey my passion for the business without sounding too much like a pushy salesman or a nut ;-) If the startup is profitable, I add that tidbit. I actually went from getting blank stares to getting new business and referrals. A simple, clear answer about the benefits your business offers can literally turn people into customers on the spot...or at least promoters of you and your ideas. Genuine enthusiasm and passion is memorable, and people are drawn to it.

male_salmon 18y ago

Isn't this exactly what PG said in his Cities and Ambition - http://www.paulgraham.com/cities.html http://www.paulgraham.com/cities.html - essay? How much does it matter what message a city sends? Empirically, the answer seems to be: a lot. You might think that if you had enough strength of mind to do great things, you'd be able to transcend your environment. Where you live should make at most a couple percent difference. But if you look at the historical evidence, it seems to matter more than that. Most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places where that sort of thing was done at the time.

thingsilearned 18y ago
Yup, its very much the same point but narrower in focus and less eloquently stated. I should have linked to his article in mine.

strlen 18y ago

Not always true. I'm in Bay Area, but when I left a big co to join a start-up, I got the question of "why would you quit a big company to join a small place?" and got blank stares as an explanation. By default joining start-ups, founding businesses just isn't what educated intelligentsia do. If pg is right, that will change.

tom_rath 18y ago

Having a higher level of respect and more assurance will make a huge difference in your general happiness and future success. I'm not too sure about that. If other people's opinions will strongly influence your mood and business outlook, entrepreneurship might not be for you. For myself, visualizing how those politely nodding and smiling "that's nice" people would one day be green with envy was a delightful motivator. These days, the condescension is gone and smiles are a bit tighter.

garbowza 18y ago
I disagree. Morale is huge deal within a startup. Startups are emotional rollercoasters, and if your environment is always negatively affecting your morale, the lows will eventually drag down your productivity. That doesn't mean you aren't fit for entrepreneurship - if so, why are the majority of successful web startups clustered in the Bay Area?
- tom_rath 18y ago
  Respect has to be earned. If one's morale is buttressed by toadies and 'respecting' yes-men who gush about how awesome you are just because of your job title, things are more likely to go off the rails when the sun stops shining. By all means mix with like-minded people, but your morale and motivation shouldn't depend upon whether or not your neighbour thinks you're 'cool'.
  - potatolicious 18y ago
    This doesn't really have to do with yes-men. We're not talking about people who feel negatively about your company, but rather the fact that you run one at all. The kind of scorn the article author talks about is not "oh man, there's no future in (field)", but rather "why in the world would you risk running your own company?!". The latter certainly still calls for a thick skin, but it would help if your closest friends and family were supportive about the concept.
    - tom_rath 18y ago

fallentimes 18y ago

One of my favorite quotes: "Being a startup founder in SF is like being an actor/model in LA."

jaspertheghost 18y ago
And being a venture capitalist is like being a producer ?!? :-0 ! I kid because I love exclamation QuEsTiOn mArK

Shooter 18y ago

"I have a startup" seems a very ODD way of saying what you do when people ask, anyway. It is almost intentionally oblique. Even as a serial entrepreneur, I would probably have a similar "midwestern" reaction if someone said that when I asked them what they did...it's just a weird, passionless answer. If you ask a person at a big corporation what they do, they don't usually say "I have a job with a big corporation." Do they? Instead, they would usually say something like "I work in accounting for the largest trucking company in the US." or "I'm a salesman with a company that makes office copiers." Boring, but at least it's an honest answer. An entrepreneur should be able to muster much more passion than "I have a startup" when asked what it is they do. People tend to respond positively when you show passion and enthusiasm and speak directly about what you do. Even if you have to 'dumb it down' for them to understand (or omit secret information.) Maybe this guy should have enthusiastically said, "Yeah, I'm working on a really neat piece of software that helps people to communicate better by XXX" For some reason, "I have a startup" makes me think of a few people I know that have no passion for school, but have stayed in grad school for years on end so they can avoid choosing a career. People may have pity or confusion in their voice only because what you're saying has a cop-out or apologetic vibe to it...?

thingsilearned 18y ago
This is an great point! Saying that you're working on some excellent software and what its trying to do may be the best way to approach the conversation, especially in the midwest... Once you describe what you're doing, then you'll be asked who you work for, and when you say yourself the idea of a startup will be better explained. I'm always hesitant to do so because I feel that describing what project you work on doesn't describe the hours you work, the responsibilities, and all the extras that come with a startup.
- mhartl 18y ago
  N.B. In case it wasn't clear, thingsilearned is the author of the post.
monkeyboy 18y ago
I think you're taking the discussion a bit too seriously and missing the point. I'm pretty sure the blog post wasn't a verbatim conversation, but most people who have lived in the Bay Area and worked on a startup recognize the difference in reaction between people in that area versus people in other parts of the country.

bradgessler 18y ago

The bay area is special from a funding/VC perspective. After pitching in Chicago, Boston, and SF; I've come to realize what makes the valley special: there are so damn many investors that they don't all know each other which reduces "group think." In cities like Chicago, there are a handful of VCs that all talk to each other. If you pitch to one and they don't like your idea, they trade notes with their other VC buddies in the area and that's it. Your done. Pack up your bags and head to the next city. I could count the number of funded Chicago web startups with one hand. In the valley there are so many investors with so much more experience willing to fund ideas that investors from other areas simply wouldn't touch. If you pitch to one guy and he doesn't like it, go pitch to another investor... and another... and another... it will be a while before you exhaust this list. From my experience the bay area doesn't suffer from the same group think problems that most other areas in the world suffer from; including a sizable city like Chicago.

mattmaroon 18y ago

I don't think that's fair at all. I find Midwesterners my age or below to be just as excited about internet startups as anyone. The guy who plays poker for a living in Las Vegas is just another gambler, the guy who does it in Indiana is a rock star. Same thing with internet entrepreneurs. I know all of the above first hand. The big difference is that in the Bay Area, people significantly older than myself still get it. In the Midwest they're still not sure what this newfangled Facebook is all about. </sweeping generalization>

jmtame 18y ago

Illinois has a bad entrepreneurial scene too. Everyone pushes you to get employment, it's nauseating after a while.