3 ms·

#13 My advice is generally pessimistic. Assume you won't get money, and if someone does offer you any, assume you'll never get any more. I´m a business wannabe

#13 My advice is generally pessimistic. Assume you won't get money, and if someone does offer you any, assume you'll never get any more. I´m a business wannabe from Brazil and i just laugh when i read that one. Here we dont have ANY chances of getting money from VCs so when we start something new, specially with technology, we never expect to get money. Ramen profit system is not an option at poor countries, it´s the law.

c00p3r 17y ago
That's it. Think about self-developing as a startup. This should be one's first startup - build your own self (yes, go toward unknown, launch fast, evolve, iterate, grow).
lloydarmbrust 17y ago
I've been unconsciously practicing number #13 since the beginning of our start-up. Every time I close a deal I'm thinking, "it's not over until we start getting paid from these guys." That attitude has served me well, I mean, I've had groups back out on us after they signed an agreement. What are we going to do? Lawyers cost to much and who wants to work with someone who doesn't want to work with us? Our customers are our partners and we love them--but if the feeling's not mutual I'd rather cut it off. It's funny, I'm so optimistic about our success--I'm an entrepreneur after all--but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop when closing a new customer. BTW: I should mention that our customers are newspapers, who are notorious for taking a long time to make bad decisions . . . so when we close someone, it's time to break out the scotch.
- yason 17y ago
  That just shows you appreciate your own worth and time. Some partners and customers carry negative worth. It's important to get rid of them, or not start anything with them in the first place. You seem to recognize that you always have a position of your own: you don't merely have to take just about anything that happens to come in as you know you have better things to do as long as there isn't anything in it for you.
- Andys 17y ago
  Absolutely: I don't tell family about, or celebrate, a new deal until the money is actually in the bank.
- JoeAltmaier 17y ago
  We counted the times our Founder announced "We're funded!" - total of 21 in 2 years. We never got ANY money.

c00p3r 17y ago

That's it. Think about self-developing as a startup. This should be one's first startup - build your own self (yes, go toward unknown, launch fast, evolve, iterate, grow).

lloydarmbrust 17y ago

I've been unconsciously practicing number #13 since the beginning of our start-up. Every time I close a deal I'm thinking, "it's not over until we start getting paid from these guys." That attitude has served me well, I mean, I've had groups back out on us after they signed an agreement. What are we going to do? Lawyers cost to much and who wants to work with someone who doesn't want to work with us? Our customers are our partners and we love them--but if the feeling's not mutual I'd rather cut it off. It's funny, I'm so optimistic about our success--I'm an entrepreneur after all--but I'm always waiting for the other shoe to drop when closing a new customer. BTW: I should mention that our customers are newspapers, who are notorious for taking a long time to make bad decisions . . . so when we close someone, it's time to break out the scotch.

yason 17y ago
That just shows you appreciate your own worth and time. Some partners and customers carry negative worth. It's important to get rid of them, or not start anything with them in the first place. You seem to recognize that you always have a position of your own: you don't merely have to take just about anything that happens to come in as you know you have better things to do as long as there isn't anything in it for you.
Andys 17y ago
Absolutely: I don't tell family about, or celebrate, a new deal until the money is actually in the bank.
JoeAltmaier 17y ago
We counted the times our Founder announced "We're funded!" - total of 21 in 2 years. We never got ANY money.