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The need for a "startup hustler" is a myth. Of all the startups I know of out here in SF and SV, I can't think of any good ones that have needed this kind of pe
by mjackson 14y ago
The need for a "startup hustler" is a myth. Of all the startups I know of out here in SF and SV, I can't think of any good ones that have needed this kind of person around.
The part about impatience is especially dangerous. Being impatient with your business is a good way to produce something of low quality because you just didn't take the time to get it right.
- alagu 14y agoTrue that you don't have to hire a "hustler" in specific, but a hustler needs to emerge in a startup. It definitely moves things forward, especially in B2B.
- ericflo 14y agoI disagree. Having someone to go out and make deals OR report back that the market isn't there, to pitch to investors, or to form partnerships with other companies is invaluable. Many of the great companies I respect the most here in SF and SV succeeded in part because they had someone that filled this role (be they a founder or otherwise.)
- jason_tko 14y agoIt's less about the "startup hustler", and more about people who are extremely resourceful. "Hustler" is an easy and convenient title for people who are not checking in code, but are still out making deals and building partnerships. All businesses are simultaneously vulnerable to both launching too quickly and waiting too long. Waiting too long is similarly a good way to produce something that's either irrelevant or sucks because it hasn't been subjected to rounds of iterative improvements based on customer feedback. An impatient founder who is 100% focused on their opinion of the best way forward, and frenetically works on that while involving the team can be a tremendous boost to company-wide productivity.
- astrofinch 14y agoWell, Microsoft sold an interpreter they had not written yet... But yeah, I'm having a hard time coming up with many famous entrepreneurs who seem like a good fit for the hustler stereotype. My guess is that you need a certain amount of hustle to be in the game at all, but you don't need the high level implied by the term "hustler".
- pinchyfingers 14y agoRichard Branson, Felix Dennis, 50 Cent, Neil Patel
- coryl 14y agoIt depends on the type of startup, doesn't it? You may need someone to knock down doors and get sales or deals done. Take for example Hipmunk. Their beautiful UX counts for nothing if they don't have flight data. And to get that data, they need partnerships and agreements with providers who probably see their idea as a threat.
- pbreit 14y agoI would say it's the opposite. Except for deep tech companies, hustling is the most important attribute a startup can have these days. And it's not just sales. It's everything. Having people that make stuff happen is extremely valuable.
- freshfey 14y agoIt's not a myth, it's maybe even one of the reasons why startups are failing. If building would solve all your business problems, we wouldn't have the famous 9 out of 10 startups fail statistic in the tech world.
- EricDeb 14y agoI do not know the back-story but I think of Groupon as being a startup composed of "hustlers." They created a tremendously successful yet obviously fragile niche in online retail. I think they knew from the beginning it was not sustainable because they drew a huge amount of investment and simply kept the money as I understand.