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So, I guess I'll be the wet blanket here. It's pretty clear to me reading this that this person and their partner were nowhere near ready to found a startup.

by 3am 14y ago

So, I guess I'll be the wet blanket here. It's pretty clear to me reading this that this person and their partner were nowhere near ready to found a startup. It highlighted the potential benefits for some people of getting a corporate(ish) job, learning about the business world, and learning the trade a little more before trying to starting a company. It's like the demotivator for "Mistakes", this is probably best as a cautionary tail for people that have a startup itch, but don't necessarily have the necessary skills yet. I mean, this really talked about business and technology problems, but even assume they hit lighting in a bottle with the business model and didn't run into the technical issues, does it sounds like they would have been able to capitalize on it? I got a feeling that it was organized in an ad hoc way, and they weren't set up as an llc/s-corp/etc, had equity agreements, or basic contracts (otherwise, how did the one artist change not know they terms of the business, or opt out so quickly?) I feel like they would have ended up in trouble with the IRS, in a lawsuit with each other, or getting screwed by a less than scrupulous VC. That said, everyone is better off from sharing, and I thank the author for it.

avenger123 14y ago
You know, I respectfully really disagree with you. Based on the blog, I get the sense that the founders are in their early twenties. At that age, no one is "ready" for a startup. I doubt that Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, etc. were ready to start their company. At that age, you just do it, since the risks are low. Unless your parents are wealthy or you have access to a lot of money, at that age its unlikely that a lot of money is on the line. Sure, they "wasted" time on this startup but this is valuable for the next company they will build. Also, if there was a lot of money involved (and it wasn't their's) its likely that the business would not have gone as far as stakeholders would have wanted validation.
- dquail 14y ago
  Age is largely irrelevant. I'd argue that no one is truly ready to found a startup.
dave_sullivan 14y ago
Hmmm, not sure about that. I mean, it's clear to me that their startup failed. But "nowhere near ready to found a startup"? What does that even mean? Where do I get my secret decoder badge of startup readiness exactly? Reading through it, I saw and empathized with their mistakes--they decided they'd found validation before they really had. They kept it going too long. They ignored the writing on the wall for too long. But aren't those always the tough questions? When should a founder give up versus persevere? It's not a straightforward answer and as a business owner I find it frustrating when I see people (particularly other business owners) suggest it is. Bottom line though--everyone needs to decide for themselves if they want to go into business for themselves. But are they "ready"? Who the hell knows? There isn't a list of required skills and credentials for this position.
- 3am 14y ago
  Regarding being ready to found a startup, I'll fall back on the Justice Stewart's line that, "I know it when I see it". When I was a young kid, I had an idea that I was going to have a plant store (really. I had just learned about splitting African violets) that would have 'low price days' and 'high price days'. I swear. They idea was that people would be so grateful for the low price days that they would go to the high price days to help keep the place in business. This would have been an idiotic company. You ask when the authors of the blog post should have given up vs persevere? I would say either when the drew up the business plan or after the beta when the found that people didn't like their product and that they couldn't execute on their idea. I'm unromantic on this point. To me a startup is to make money (as a profitable business or on the exit), not find creative outlet or have a life experience. I'd rather see 20-somethings blow the ~$5K spent on EC2 hosting apps with fundamentally broken business models instead on (AirBnB) trips through Europe or South America and getting a little bit interesting as people first. It's up to them, but (to avenger123's point) almost nobody is a Jobs, a Zuckerberg, or a Musk. Most startups fail. Plenty of YC class startups fail, and they're the winners of a highly selective process with access to unbelievable connections.
dquail 14y ago
I'm not sure anyone is completely ready to found a startup. If you are, you're probably not all that hungry. Obviously a line, but these guys demonstrated plenty of competence.
flyinRyan 14y ago
So what are you suggesting people do? Go get a "corporate-ish" job first? Personally, I agree with the sentiment of others: no one is "ready" you just have to try. Going the corporate route first has a high chance of getting you addicted to a steady income. Once that happens you'll probably never be able to do a startup because you can't take the salary hit.
- 3am 14y ago
  I'm saying that founding a startup is not terribly different than founding a bakery, it's just the ROI characteristics of the business model are better. If one's skills are lacking in marketing, the basics of business/contract/tax law, time managment, accounting, or the core competency of the business then it's probably a bad idea. Some people are rockstars and can learn these skills on the fly, most can't. So my point is this: if someone is not a rockstar and they don't already have these skills, they can learn a huge amount by joining small companies in their C or D rounds (ie, corporate-ish) and practice those skills by applying them in a structure where it's likely they have more experience coworkers to learn from. Then they can found a startup when they have the tools and an idea they're passionate about. If a person can "get addicted to a steady income" then their financial planning sucks or they aren't committed enough. Better off they don't bother and waste time and capital that could go to people that give a damn.

by 3am 14y ago

avenger123 14y ago

You know, I respectfully really disagree with you. Based on the blog, I get the sense that the founders are in their early twenties. At that age, no one is "ready" for a startup. I doubt that Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, etc. were ready to start their company. At that age, you just do it, since the risks are low. Unless your parents are wealthy or you have access to a lot of money, at that age its unlikely that a lot of money is on the line. Sure, they "wasted" time on this startup but this is valuable for the next company they will build. Also, if there was a lot of money involved (and it wasn't their's) its likely that the business would not have gone as far as stakeholders would have wanted validation.

dquail 14y ago
Age is largely irrelevant. I'd argue that no one is truly ready to found a startup.

dave_sullivan 14y ago

Hmmm, not sure about that. I mean, it's clear to me that their startup failed. But "nowhere near ready to found a startup"? What does that even mean? Where do I get my secret decoder badge of startup readiness exactly? Reading through it, I saw and empathized with their mistakes--they decided they'd found validation before they really had. They kept it going too long. They ignored the writing on the wall for too long. But aren't those always the tough questions? When should a founder give up versus persevere? It's not a straightforward answer and as a business owner I find it frustrating when I see people (particularly other business owners) suggest it is. Bottom line though--everyone needs to decide for themselves if they want to go into business for themselves. But are they "ready"? Who the hell knows? There isn't a list of required skills and credentials for this position.

3am 14y ago
Regarding being ready to found a startup, I'll fall back on the Justice Stewart's line that, "I know it when I see it". When I was a young kid, I had an idea that I was going to have a plant store (really. I had just learned about splitting African violets) that would have 'low price days' and 'high price days'. I swear. They idea was that people would be so grateful for the low price days that they would go to the high price days to help keep the place in business. This would have been an idiotic company. You ask when the authors of the blog post should have given up vs persevere? I would say either when the drew up the business plan or after the beta when the found that people didn't like their product and that they couldn't execute on their idea. I'm unromantic on this point. To me a startup is to make money (as a profitable business or on the exit), not find creative outlet or have a life experience. I'd rather see 20-somethings blow the ~$5K spent on EC2 hosting apps with fundamentally broken business models instead on (AirBnB) trips through Europe or South America and getting a little bit interesting as people first. It's up to them, but (to avenger123's point) almost nobody is a Jobs, a Zuckerberg, or a Musk. Most startups fail. Plenty of YC class startups fail, and they're the winners of a highly selective process with access to unbelievable connections.

dquail 14y ago

I'm not sure anyone is completely ready to found a startup. If you are, you're probably not all that hungry. Obviously a line, but these guys demonstrated plenty of competence.

flyinRyan 14y ago

So what are you suggesting people do? Go get a "corporate-ish" job first? Personally, I agree with the sentiment of others: no one is "ready" you just have to try. Going the corporate route first has a high chance of getting you addicted to a steady income. Once that happens you'll probably never be able to do a startup because you can't take the salary hit.

3am 14y ago
I'm saying that founding a startup is not terribly different than founding a bakery, it's just the ROI characteristics of the business model are better. If one's skills are lacking in marketing, the basics of business/contract/tax law, time managment, accounting, or the core competency of the business then it's probably a bad idea. Some people are rockstars and can learn these skills on the fly, most can't. So my point is this: if someone is not a rockstar and they don't already have these skills, they can learn a huge amount by joining small companies in their C or D rounds (ie, corporate-ish) and practice those skills by applying them in a structure where it's likely they have more experience coworkers to learn from. Then they can found a startup when they have the tools and an idea they're passionate about. If a person can "get addicted to a steady income" then their financial planning sucks or they aren't committed enough. Better off they don't bother and waste time and capital that could go to people that give a damn.