4 ms·

I get why people want to be in a start-up, but I don't get why a lot of these people won't look at starting their own company that doesn't fit into the "start-u

by socrates1998 11y ago

I get why people want to be in a start-up, but I don't get why a lot of these people won't look at starting their own company that doesn't fit into the "start-up" framework. Why does everyone have to try to be the next Google? Why isn't it okay to start a company and just want to build it consistently and be profitable from the start? I get that it's the nature of the types of businesses that get VC money. I just don't get the hype attached to it. You are setting yourself up for failure, especially by telling everyone that you are "killing it" and your new product is going to "change the world". That is just asking for failure. You don't have to "Kill it" to be successful and you don't have to change the world to be a good person. It actually makes you look naive and stupid when your "start-up" fails because you were bragging about it for the year or two that it existed.

AndrewKemendo 11y ago
Why isn't it okay to start a company and just want to build it consistently and be profitable from the start? It is "ok" and done all the time, all over the world. It's just not exciting or newsworthy. Just look at dry cleaners - they are everywhere, and usually family owned small businesses that do well enough to put kids through college. In some cases they are even using exciting new technologies to make the process more efficient. It's not exciting though Maybe you don't need that, which is also ok, but there is no sense in vilifying that. The people doing startups are self selecting as people who want to be involved in something that impacts a lot of people, very quickly. The Valley is full of people who want to do moonshot exciting stuff - even if it doesn't seem exciting to a lot of people outside of it.
paulkon 11y ago
I think a startup which claims they're going to change the world should break up the process into bite-sized phases. Early on, it's simpler to function as a small business; one which caters to a niche sector of the target market. One which thoroughly understands the needs and satisfactions of customers in that niche. One that creates a solid, self-sustaining feedback loop within the company to address those needs before moving forward. Putting the cart before the horse hurts worse than dying from not having any customer's at all. There's a natural progression to how large companies grew from children to fully-functioning adults. It's akin to using a slow cooker vs. throwing the steak into a microwave and wondering why it doesn't taste good.
prostoalex 11y ago
There's nothing wrong with a small business or a consulting shop, but Valley operates on "get big fast" mentality. You will have a hard time attracting good talent if your vision is to become a decent small business.

AndrewKemendo 11y ago

Why isn't it okay to start a company and just want to build it consistently and be profitable from the start? It is "ok" and done all the time, all over the world. It's just not exciting or newsworthy. Just look at dry cleaners - they are everywhere, and usually family owned small businesses that do well enough to put kids through college. In some cases they are even using exciting new technologies to make the process more efficient. It's not exciting though Maybe you don't need that, which is also ok, but there is no sense in vilifying that. The people doing startups are self selecting as people who want to be involved in something that impacts a lot of people, very quickly. The Valley is full of people who want to do moonshot exciting stuff - even if it doesn't seem exciting to a lot of people outside of it.

paulkon 11y ago

I think a startup which claims they're going to change the world should break up the process into bite-sized phases. Early on, it's simpler to function as a small business; one which caters to a niche sector of the target market. One which thoroughly understands the needs and satisfactions of customers in that niche. One that creates a solid, self-sustaining feedback loop within the company to address those needs before moving forward. Putting the cart before the horse hurts worse than dying from not having any customer's at all. There's a natural progression to how large companies grew from children to fully-functioning adults. It's akin to using a slow cooker vs. throwing the steak into a microwave and wondering why it doesn't taste good.

prostoalex 11y ago

There's nothing wrong with a small business or a consulting shop, but Valley operates on "get big fast" mentality. You will have a hard time attracting good talent if your vision is to become a decent small business.