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Startup Tips from the Notorious BIG

84 points by robertjmoore 17y ago

The Notorious BIG's classic track "Ten Crack Commandments" is decomposed to reveal ten useful tips for startup founders.

onreact-com 17y ago
Don't get shot by the competition?
- gdp 17y ago
  Or do. Dying is fabulous for record sales. Perhaps the same applies to startups.
  - onreact-com 17y ago
    Reminds me of that movie where the failed writer sets himself on fire to make his book sell.
yan 17y ago
I was just thinking about BIG recently. He was 24 when he was murdered; what he achieved in his short life is just staggering.
- zandorg 17y ago
  Except for that whole 'was a crack dealer' thing...
- alaskamiller 17y ago
  And Tupac was 25.
- mynameishere 17y ago
  What did he achieve?
  - iron_ball 17y ago
    Wikipedia exists for a reason. Or were you being sarcastic? Because if so, please explain why you think he did not achieve much.
tezza 17y ago
Dr Dre has the follow tips: You better get a vest, then invest in something To protect your head and neck I don't think he was talking about kit from ThinkGeek
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
jacquesm 17y ago
There are many ways to interpret those lyrics, here is mine: #1 -> don't brag. common sense #2 -> never let them know your next move, is not exactly about innovation, it's about being unpredictable so it's harder to hit you. For crack dealers this makes sense. Innovation in the drugs scene would be to come out with a new way to get high (which crack actually was...). #3 -> never trust nobody: Paranoia is the hallmark of the true junkie, as well as of the dealers scene. It serves no place in business, you have to learn how to trust people. Key employees, business partners and so on. This is coming from somebody that has been burnt once. I'd rather get burned again than to live my life in fear of what my partners could be doing to screw me over. And patents are totally against my principles, time to market is what it is all about and the internet has made that easier than ever before. You actually can make a killing on an idea+good execution these days. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't investigate if there is a fire when you see smoke. Paranoia spoils the atmosphere like nothing else will though, so use with caution. #4 never get high on your own supply: crack dealers parlance to make sure you understand the difference between the stuff you've got for trade and for personal use. If you can't make that difference you'll use up your trade stash and you'll be out of business. For regular business people this is bs, if you would not use your own product you're basically telling people that it is not good enough for you. The chairman of a major car brand had better drive his own product, not a competitors or the press would have a field day with it. #5 don't sell to friends and family: I've got mixed feelings about that one. It's true that you might not get the best feedback possible that way, but look at it from another angle, if they won't use your product, how on earth are you going to sell to perfect strangers. And discounts for friends, family and employees are quite ok, especially if the product is virtual. #6 no credit -> agreed 100%, but also the other way around, take no credit for the company unless you absolutely have to. Very few startups need (large) lines of credit. If you're working on something virtual there are only a few things that will actually cost money. It's probably better to save for a bit and then to execute than to load up your fledgeling startup with interest payments right from day #1. #7 separate family and business -> It depends. Some people work great as a team, even though they are family, some people can't even go to a birthday party together even though they are family. Just as with strangers with family it is important to have your responsibilities and rights absolutely clear. It's a lack of clarity and confusion that will lead to trouble, not whether someone is family or not. #8 no weight -> this relates to not carrying stuff so that when you get stopped for a check you don't happen to have a load of stuff on you, so use dead drops and so on. Good advice in the drugs world. This is good advice, so keep your passwords where you can get at them but nobody else can, preferably in your head. #9 I don't understand the slang, so no comment #10 is about accepting drugs that you can not pay for, in other words consignment sales. Bad move for a crack pusher. For a business it's a way to finance real world stuff that they are sure they can move, it's a lot cheaper than going to the bank which is why it's done all over the world. But mostly in the physical goods trade. Hard to 'consign' a bucket of bits. The equity or loan question is a tough one, each startup sooner or later has to face it and if and when the time comes you'll have to weigh the price of equity very carefully against a standard loan. So, no offense to the late Notorious BIG, but the interpretations were a little stretched. If anybody should get any weird ideas about me because of the above, I grew up in a city with a very lively drugs scene, but I never even smoked a cigarette.
ZitchDog 17y ago
They forgot the most obvious - "Mo money, mo problems" "I dumb down for my audience, double my dollars." -- Jay-Z
- auston 17y ago
  That's a really good one (in reference to UI)
rokhayakebe 17y ago
"It was all a dream. I used to read Techcrunch & Hacker News. Dropbox and Posterous up on the Frontpage. Pushing new features on the server. Every day Ask HN, ..." Ok let me work on this. Obviously I suck at rapping.
run4yourlives 17y ago
You guys remind me of Michael Bolton from office space. All that hip-hop knowledge. :-)
- yan 17y ago
  Hip hop has an immense amount of culture in it. As with anything, there is terrible rap that is empty of anything worthwhile, and there is hip hop that beautifully embeds the struggles and hopes of a generation and a creative outlet for those that otherwise would not have one.
  - run4yourlives 17y ago
    It's a joke man, laugh a little.
    - yan 17y ago
      I wasn't offended :P Sorry, I probably have came off as a bit tight-laced
- onreact-com 17y ago
  Yeah, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGz30pAveXs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGz30pAveXs ;-)
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
ckinnan 17y ago
Top 5 Startup Hip Hop Songs: 1. I'm a Hustler - JayZ 2. Piggy Bank - 50 cent 3. Lose Yourself - Eminem 4. Life Is ...Too $hort - Too Short 5. Forgot About Dre - Dr Dre
- dbz 17y ago
  Well, I don't know about the rest of them but number 3, lose yourself, seems to be about his life- rapping. Not about start ups. "Palms are sweaty, knees weak- arms are heave, vomit on your sweater already- mom's spaghetti." Ect. Ect. He seems to be talking about the rap battle he is about to have..you know, like in the movie 8 mile..
- erlanger 17y ago
  Downvoted for Piggy Bank alone.
mburney 17y ago
I can't believe I never noticed the connection between web startups and gangsta rap until now.
- onreact-com 17y ago
  Most well known rappers start their own labels.
  - mburney 17y ago
    I think a fantastic example of this startup/hip hop analogy is Cash Money records, which started very low budget and applied the "release early and often" philosophy.
nuweborder 17y ago
Not only have hiphop artists been rhyming about business, and making references to the industry, but they have been conducting legitimate businesses outside of rapping, for years. From Run DMC's major sponsorship with Adidas, to Russell Simmon's and Phat Farm, but also 50 Cent's deal with Vitamen Water and Coca Cola, Jay-Z's minority stake in the New Jersey Nets, and much more. But now days, rappers are actually getting into the web startup game as well. LL Cool J has created Boomdizzle.com, TI runs Streetcred.com, Dame Dash heads up Blocksavvy.com, and Russell Simmons now has Globalgrind.com. HipHop music lovers are heavy web users, and loyal consumers. And hiphop artists and record label moguls are capitalizing on that fact, by bringing their current following, and their buying power, to their other business ventures, including their web startups.
nuweborder 17y ago
Not only am I a big B.I.G. fan, I agree with the article's interpretation of the song. Great tips. For years I have though of startups in the same way. When I created my web startup (http://www.bidrealm.net http://www.bidrealm.net), I worked by these same rules. And now someone has actually written it down, and related it to a hiphop legend at that. In short, startups need to protect what they've created in every way, dont mix business with pleasure, nor business with family, keep costs low, and debt minimal if not at zero, and dont trust anyone 100%.
deleted 17y ago
[deleted]

84 points by robertjmoore 17y ago

The Notorious BIG's classic track "Ten Crack Commandments" is decomposed to reveal ten useful tips for startup founders.

onreact-com 17y ago

Don't get shot by the competition?

gdp 17y ago
Or do. Dying is fabulous for record sales. Perhaps the same applies to startups.
- onreact-com 17y ago
  Reminds me of that movie where the failed writer sets himself on fire to make his book sell.

yan 17y ago

I was just thinking about BIG recently. He was 24 when he was murdered; what he achieved in his short life is just staggering.

zandorg 17y ago
Except for that whole 'was a crack dealer' thing...
alaskamiller 17y ago
And Tupac was 25.
mynameishere 17y ago
What did he achieve?
- iron_ball 17y ago
  Wikipedia exists for a reason. Or were you being sarcastic? Because if so, please explain why you think he did not achieve much.

tezza 17y ago

Dr Dre has the follow tips: You better get a vest, then invest in something To protect your head and neck I don't think he was talking about kit from ThinkGeek

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

jacquesm 17y ago

There are many ways to interpret those lyrics, here is mine: #1 -> don't brag. common sense #2 -> never let them know your next move, is not exactly about innovation, it's about being unpredictable so it's harder to hit you. For crack dealers this makes sense. Innovation in the drugs scene would be to come out with a new way to get high (which crack actually was...). #3 -> never trust nobody: Paranoia is the hallmark of the true junkie, as well as of the dealers scene. It serves no place in business, you have to learn how to trust people. Key employees, business partners and so on. This is coming from somebody that has been burnt once. I'd rather get burned again than to live my life in fear of what my partners could be doing to screw me over. And patents are totally against my principles, time to market is what it is all about and the internet has made that easier than ever before. You actually can make a killing on an idea+good execution these days. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't investigate if there is a fire when you see smoke. Paranoia spoils the atmosphere like nothing else will though, so use with caution. #4 never get high on your own supply: crack dealers parlance to make sure you understand the difference between the stuff you've got for trade and for personal use. If you can't make that difference you'll use up your trade stash and you'll be out of business. For regular business people this is bs, if you would not use your own product you're basically telling people that it is not good enough for you. The chairman of a major car brand had better drive his own product, not a competitors or the press would have a field day with it. #5 don't sell to friends and family: I've got mixed feelings about that one. It's true that you might not get the best feedback possible that way, but look at it from another angle, if they won't use your product, how on earth are you going to sell to perfect strangers. And discounts for friends, family and employees are quite ok, especially if the product is virtual. #6 no credit -> agreed 100%, but also the other way around, take no credit for the company unless you absolutely have to. Very few startups need (large) lines of credit. If you're working on something virtual there are only a few things that will actually cost money. It's probably better to save for a bit and then to execute than to load up your fledgeling startup with interest payments right from day #1. #7 separate family and business -> It depends. Some people work great as a team, even though they are family, some people can't even go to a birthday party together even though they are family. Just as with strangers with family it is important to have your responsibilities and rights absolutely clear. It's a lack of clarity and confusion that will lead to trouble, not whether someone is family or not. #8 no weight -> this relates to not carrying stuff so that when you get stopped for a check you don't happen to have a load of stuff on you, so use dead drops and so on. Good advice in the drugs world. This is good advice, so keep your passwords where you can get at them but nobody else can, preferably in your head. #9 I don't understand the slang, so no comment #10 is about accepting drugs that you can not pay for, in other words consignment sales. Bad move for a crack pusher. For a business it's a way to finance real world stuff that they are sure they can move, it's a lot cheaper than going to the bank which is why it's done all over the world. But mostly in the physical goods trade. Hard to 'consign' a bucket of bits. The equity or loan question is a tough one, each startup sooner or later has to face it and if and when the time comes you'll have to weigh the price of equity very carefully against a standard loan. So, no offense to the late Notorious BIG, but the interpretations were a little stretched. If anybody should get any weird ideas about me because of the above, I grew up in a city with a very lively drugs scene, but I never even smoked a cigarette.

ZitchDog 17y ago

They forgot the most obvious - "Mo money, mo problems" "I dumb down for my audience, double my dollars." -- Jay-Z

auston 17y ago
That's a really good one (in reference to UI)

rokhayakebe 17y ago

"It was all a dream. I used to read Techcrunch & Hacker News. Dropbox and Posterous up on the Frontpage. Pushing new features on the server. Every day Ask HN, ..." Ok let me work on this. Obviously I suck at rapping.

run4yourlives 17y ago

You guys remind me of Michael Bolton from office space. All that hip-hop knowledge. :-)

yan 17y ago
Hip hop has an immense amount of culture in it. As with anything, there is terrible rap that is empty of anything worthwhile, and there is hip hop that beautifully embeds the struggles and hopes of a generation and a creative outlet for those that otherwise would not have one.
- run4yourlives 17y ago
  It's a joke man, laugh a little.
  - yan 17y ago
    I wasn't offended :P Sorry, I probably have came off as a bit tight-laced
onreact-com 17y ago
Yeah, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGz30pAveXs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGz30pAveXs ;-)

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

ckinnan 17y ago

Top 5 Startup Hip Hop Songs: 1. I'm a Hustler - JayZ 2. Piggy Bank - 50 cent 3. Lose Yourself - Eminem 4. Life Is ...Too $hort - Too Short 5. Forgot About Dre - Dr Dre

dbz 17y ago
Well, I don't know about the rest of them but number 3, lose yourself, seems to be about his life- rapping. Not about start ups. "Palms are sweaty, knees weak- arms are heave, vomit on your sweater already- mom's spaghetti." Ect. Ect. He seems to be talking about the rap battle he is about to have..you know, like in the movie 8 mile..
erlanger 17y ago
Downvoted for Piggy Bank alone.

mburney 17y ago

I can't believe I never noticed the connection between web startups and gangsta rap until now.

onreact-com 17y ago
Most well known rappers start their own labels.
- mburney 17y ago
  I think a fantastic example of this startup/hip hop analogy is Cash Money records, which started very low budget and applied the "release early and often" philosophy.

nuweborder 17y ago

Not only have hiphop artists been rhyming about business, and making references to the industry, but they have been conducting legitimate businesses outside of rapping, for years. From Run DMC's major sponsorship with Adidas, to Russell Simmon's and Phat Farm, but also 50 Cent's deal with Vitamen Water and Coca Cola, Jay-Z's minority stake in the New Jersey Nets, and much more. But now days, rappers are actually getting into the web startup game as well. LL Cool J has created Boomdizzle.com, TI runs Streetcred.com, Dame Dash heads up Blocksavvy.com, and Russell Simmons now has Globalgrind.com. HipHop music lovers are heavy web users, and loyal consumers. And hiphop artists and record label moguls are capitalizing on that fact, by bringing their current following, and their buying power, to their other business ventures, including their web startups.

nuweborder 17y ago

Not only am I a big B.I.G. fan, I agree with the article's interpretation of the song. Great tips. For years I have though of startups in the same way. When I created my web startup (http://www.bidrealm.net http://www.bidrealm.net), I worked by these same rules. And now someone has actually written it down, and related it to a hiphop legend at that. In short, startups need to protect what they've created in every way, dont mix business with pleasure, nor business with family, keep costs low, and debt minimal if not at zero, and dont trust anyone 100%.

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]