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Its not a matter of doing, I'm motivated enough to put time in. The problem is what to build. In any set of ideas, some are more obvious in their usefulness. S

Its not a matter of doing, I'm motivated enough to put time in. The problem is what to build. In any set of ideas, some are more obvious in their usefulness. Some just seem cool. If you look at the biggest consumer apps in their earliest stages, they almost all were ideas that "seemed cool" and lacked obvious usefulness (it was hard to see what problem they solved). The problem is that way more of those apps fail vs ones that have utility. Hope that clarifies what I'm confused on.

_pius 13y ago
The problem is what to build. You're over-thinking things. Easiest actionable advice is to build whatever excites you. A great way to do this is to build something that would have at least one user: you. Maybe it's "just" something "cool" or maybe it solves a pressing problem. Don't get caught up in all of this up-front analysis where you try to build the perfect thing timed with some magical market moment. Instead, build a quick prototype if and when you feel excited about an idea. If your enthusiasm wanes early or you finish it and you realize it's not going to work out, it's OK ... wrap a bow around it and move on to the next thing. edit: You seem to be looking for a magic bullet in the form of a Paul Graham essay. If so, this may be your best hope: http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html
- dvt 13y ago
  Pretty much what this gentleman said! :D
lutusp 13y ago
> Its not a matter of doing, I'm motivated enough to put time in. The problem is what to build. You need to wake up to the fact that no one is going to reveal specific steps to personal success. At least, not ones that work. If someone knew a surefire way to achieve success, he would do it himself and leave you out.
- coralreef 13y ago
  Have you read PG's essays? They are the closest thing you can get to a guideline to success. They make complete sense, and they are insanely valuable. His essays on wealth and startup ideas are absolutely true. I don't think you understand what I'm asking for.
  - lutusp 13y ago
    > Have you read PG's essays? They are the closest thing you can get to a guideline to success. If they were a guideline to success, he would practice them instead of writing about them, and he would be richer than Bill Gates. There are no guidelines to success. Success isn't about guidelines, it's about a mixture of chance and a prepared mind. And you prepare your mind by gathering life experience. > His essays on wealth and startup ideas are absolutely true. Whoever "PG" is (you don't say), his advice is either useless or is based on a success that owes more to chance than to a winning system. Do you really think top business executives make 100 million dollars a year by applying deterministic success recipes they read in a book? > I don't think you understand what I'm asking for. No, believe me, as a successful programmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Writer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Writer), I can tell you that it is you who don't understand what you're asking for.
    - jaredsohn 13y ago
      >Whoever "PG" is (you don't say), Paul Graham of Y Combinator (i.e. the accelerator that runs this site). :)
phaus 13y ago
>Almost all were ideas that "seemed cool" and lacked obvious usefulness. This is just plain wrong. I can't think of a single major consumer app that lacked obvious usefulness. There was absolutely nothing cool about Facebook aside from it's ability to solve a problem more effectively than it's predecessors.

_pius 13y ago

The problem is what to build. You're over-thinking things. Easiest actionable advice is to build whatever excites you. A great way to do this is to build something that would have at least one user: you. Maybe it's "just" something "cool" or maybe it solves a pressing problem. Don't get caught up in all of this up-front analysis where you try to build the perfect thing timed with some magical market moment. Instead, build a quick prototype if and when you feel excited about an idea. If your enthusiasm wanes early or you finish it and you realize it's not going to work out, it's OK ... wrap a bow around it and move on to the next thing. edit: You seem to be looking for a magic bullet in the form of a Paul Graham essay. If so, this may be your best hope: http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html http://www.paulgraham.com/startupideas.html

dvt 13y ago
Pretty much what this gentleman said! :D

lutusp 13y ago

> Its not a matter of doing, I'm motivated enough to put time in. The problem is what to build. You need to wake up to the fact that no one is going to reveal specific steps to personal success. At least, not ones that work. If someone knew a surefire way to achieve success, he would do it himself and leave you out.

coralreef 13y ago
Have you read PG's essays? They are the closest thing you can get to a guideline to success. They make complete sense, and they are insanely valuable. His essays on wealth and startup ideas are absolutely true. I don't think you understand what I'm asking for.
- lutusp 13y ago
  > Have you read PG's essays? They are the closest thing you can get to a guideline to success. If they were a guideline to success, he would practice them instead of writing about them, and he would be richer than Bill Gates. There are no guidelines to success. Success isn't about guidelines, it's about a mixture of chance and a prepared mind. And you prepare your mind by gathering life experience. > His essays on wealth and startup ideas are absolutely true. Whoever "PG" is (you don't say), his advice is either useless or is based on a success that owes more to chance than to a winning system. Do you really think top business executives make 100 million dollars a year by applying deterministic success recipes they read in a book? > I don't think you understand what I'm asking for. No, believe me, as a successful programmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Writer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Writer), I can tell you that it is you who don't understand what you're asking for.
  - jaredsohn 13y ago
    >Whoever "PG" is (you don't say), Paul Graham of Y Combinator (i.e. the accelerator that runs this site). :)

phaus 13y ago

>Almost all were ideas that "seemed cool" and lacked obvious usefulness. This is just plain wrong. I can't think of a single major consumer app that lacked obvious usefulness. There was absolutely nothing cool about Facebook aside from it's ability to solve a problem more effectively than it's predecessors.