4 ms·

Tim Draper: Now's the 'best time' to start a business

4 points by GVRV 17y ago

swombat 17y ago
I feel devastated. Everyone keeps writing articles about how now is the best time to start a business (this must be the third of fourth I've read in the last month). But I've already started my business a couple of years ago! If now is the time to start a business, as everyone keeps repeating over and over again, should I kill my current business and start a new one? After all, if my current business succeeds, I will not be able to get the accolade that it was started in a recession. Does that impact my business's chances of becoming a GE or Coca-Cola? After all, my current business was started just before a recession, so it probably doesn't count. All in all, I'm extremely confused by all this advice about it being the best time to start a business now. Were any successful businesses started outside of recessions? Did anyone do some statistical analysis to figure out whether they'd have had a better chance if they had waited for a recession to start? Perhaps everyone should optimise their business starting time to find the best time to start a business. Or maybe the question of whether there is a recession when you start your business has very little correlation with whether or not your business will be successful. Just maybe. In which case, what are all these "best time to start a business" people trying to sell us?
- davidw 17y ago
  A closely related question that requires careful thought is the best age to start a business at and how best to factor that data into your plans.
- herval 17y ago
  Does the article say that if you didn't start your business during a recession you will fail? "if A then B" doesn't imply in "if C then not B", as far as logic goes...
  - swombat 17y ago
    Well, you know, starting a business is hard enough as it is - wouldn't want to do it at the wrong time. Best to find out what the "best" time is and do it then, right?
    - herval 17y ago
      exactly -- timing usually plays a very important role on most things in life - getting to business is definitely one of them... launch products too soon and you'll be maybe too much ahead of your time to sustain a business without sales until it picks up. Launch it too late and the market will be flooded already.

4 points by GVRV 17y ago

I feel devastated. Everyone keeps writing articles about how now is the best time to start a business (this must be the third of fourth I've read in the last month). But I've already started my business a couple of years ago! If now is the time to start a business, as everyone keeps repeating over and over again, should I kill my current business and start a new one? After all, if my current business succeeds, I will not be able to get the accolade that it was started in a recession. Does that impact my business's chances of becoming a GE or Coca-Cola? After all, my current business was started just before a recession, so it probably doesn't count. All in all, I'm extremely confused by all this advice about it being the best time to start a business now. Were any successful businesses started outside of recessions? Did anyone do some statistical analysis to figure out whether they'd have had a better chance if they had waited for a recession to start? Perhaps everyone should optimise their business starting time to find the best time to start a business. Or maybe the question of whether there is a recession when you start your business has very little correlation with whether or not your business will be successful. Just maybe. In which case, what are all these "best time to start a business" people trying to sell us?

davidw 17y ago
A closely related question that requires careful thought is the best age to start a business at and how best to factor that data into your plans.
herval 17y ago
Does the article say that if you didn't start your business during a recession you will fail? "if A then B" doesn't imply in "if C then not B", as far as logic goes...
- swombat 17y ago
  Well, you know, starting a business is hard enough as it is - wouldn't want to do it at the wrong time. Best to find out what the "best" time is and do it then, right?
  - herval 17y ago
    exactly -- timing usually plays a very important role on most things in life - getting to business is definitely one of them... launch products too soon and you'll be maybe too much ahead of your time to sustain a business without sales until it picks up. Launch it too late and the market will be flooded already.