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I faced the credential trap and the biggest problem in overcoming it were my ex-peers. When I decided to be an entrepreneur and leaving the traditional path of
by tferris 14y ago
I faced the credential trap and the biggest problem in overcoming it were my ex-peers. When I decided to be an entrepreneur and leaving the traditional path of gathering strong brands on my CV all my peers -- employees striving for 'big' job titles at popular corporations -- derided me. The last sentence of any conversation with them was a pitiful 'Good luck man!' and this made me angry.
The best thing I could do was to stop seeing or meeting them since it crushed me everytime and I was questioning what I was doing. Once I succeeded being an entrepreneur and building my own brand looking back was much easier and you know that you chose the right path and pity you ex-peers sticking on the same crappy job titles, doing stuff nobody cares about.
YC solves that problem since it's now a huge brand and people tell you in the first sentence that they are YC alumni but actually any angel or VC who invests in you (or even cofounders) is gradually solving your credential trap. Being with other entrepreneurs helps too. So you shouldn't chase the 'YC dream' too much since it could defocus. As an entrepreneur you have to learn to be confident without the need of external brands, anyway. Just build something great, get traction and the rest will come by itself.
- gamblor956 14y agoYC solves that problem since it's now a huge brand and people tell you in the first sentence that they are YC alumni but actually any angel or VC who invests in you (or even cofounders) is gradually solving your credential trap. For those without the YC credentials, this description of YC is exactly the credentials problem in a nutshell. In fact, it sounds exactly like the "old boy's club" mentality that still pervades companies run by Ivy league graduates. In both cases, once you've acquired the credentials your string of success (or failures) is not meaningfully taken into account because people are willing to accept the credentials (rather than your actual track record) as a proxy your chance of success.
- pg 14y agoThe difference between the two cases is that in a startup, your customers determine whether you're successful, and they are not in fact "willing to accept the credentials." The only thing being funded by YC automatically gets anyone is a first meeting with most investors. It won't close the round for you (if only we could promise that), and it certainly won't get you customers.
- ihopngo 14y agoBut the majority of YC companies close their round, right? It wouldn't make much sense for you to leverage them into a great position, just to have them shot down.