NSX2

8 ms·

31.
by NSX2 19y ago
Perhaps you're aware that these days VCs are exponentially more likely to invest in you if you have paying customers than if you have a solution you think is interesting but nobody else agrees with you enough to pay you for it. And I think
32.
by NSX2 19y ago
Good for him. I'm sure he, like all VCs everywhere, says exactly what he means and would never tell an audience of prospective entrepreneurs what they want to hear just so he doesn't narrow his own investment options in the future. Not su
33.
by NSX2 19y ago
On another note, I just looked at your profile and read some of your articles. Why take issues with "my understanding of Google" when it turns out I'm making a similar point to what you wrote about in terms of being humble enough to put pr
34.
by NSX2 19y ago
Nope. I think you're just redefining execution and idea to blur the line so that what is the result of a good idea is now under the category of execution. Why the hell are people still arguing this point. In my mind the argument of "execut
35.
by NSX2 19y ago
Sadly, I am not a heavy drinker. Usually 1 six-pack of Sapporo Light and 1 six-pack of some sort of Belgian white ale is my "thing." But for what that's worth, that comes out to about $16 per week. Which I have full confidence I'll get to
36.
by NSX2 19y ago
Uh ... not sure what business plans your talking about, but I would take the worst business plan any VC gets and wager that more people would pay money for whatever it describes, however poorly, then stuff that most programmers put up on th
37.
by NSX2 19y ago
How could that possibly be when this post comes after yours?
38.
by NSX2 19y ago
My understanding of Google may not be accurate, but my understanding of why people hand their money over to Google is probably as accurate as it is possible to be. Misunderstandings of any details you have in mind aside, in general Google t
39.
by NSX2 19y ago
> Trying to create some kind of voting mechanism to supersede them is like trying to beat a market economy with a planned one. HUH??? I'm not sure what this has to do with planned economies and such, but if you put it that way, I se
40.
by NSX2 19y ago
Okay, let's review reality. This "bored developer" is apparently not PG. So PG's opinions/thoughts are not relevant here, since obviously this particular "bored developer" is straying from that view. For example, PG said you don't even r
41.
by NSX2 19y ago
Not to mention that even an informal business plan forces you to do away with your own fluff and focus on stone-cold reality that will not go away until you address the questions it poses.
42.
by NSX2 19y ago
I don't see how most of your post has anything to do with what this post is about. This post is not about a "pithy homily". It's not intended to "inspire" anybody with platitudes. This is about understanding the underlying reality of what
43.
by NSX2 19y ago
Okay, notice I'm saying "great business", not "startup." There are millions of "startups" working on cool technical challenges, of which almost none will become great businesses. When all those things you described were happening, almost n
44.
by NSX2 19y ago
Right. Case in point. Even though you can get to them through personal connections, you're reluctant to "waste their time." So what about people who can't get to them through 2 degrees of contact. What if they wanted to contact them wit
45.
by NSX2 19y ago
Yes but how do you know it's worth your time to open and read in the first place? He's suggesting like a "digg" or "reddit" on behalf of those people, ie, "the public" reads your suggested email and vote up those they think is worth it for
46.
by NSX2 19y ago
Um ... I'm not 100% sure, but I suspect what the poster had in mind was a little bit different. I'm thinking perhaps he meant like if you wanted to get in touch with Bill Gates or Larry Page or Steve Jobs or something like that. That's a
47.
by NSX2 19y ago
I think he's saying it's like an organically-derived algorithm that meets halfway between "I don't know you so I'm skeptical of your value" and "I may be skeptical but if this many people think it's worthwile, perhaps I'll take a look." I d
48.
Figure this out and you may have a business.
20 points by NSX2 19y ago|21 comments
49.
by NSX2 19y ago
Actually I taught myself how to program to a limited extent as an undergrad when I needed help from a professor to complete an independent study course and he agreed to help me if I learned enough MatLab and Mathematica to manipulate data a
50.
by NSX2 19y ago
That's ok. Just tell them that you have an awesome "ability to execute" dime-a-dozen ideas. According to their theories, that, the capital they would subsequently invest and their "value-added" should help you all become multi-billionaire
51.
by NSX2 19y ago
The hard part is not writing a business plan. The hard part is tossing all the junk out.
52.
by NSX2 19y ago
Actually, this illustrates my point perfectly. By a lot of accounts, Coffee Connection came out with a similar, but much better tasting ("better executed" as you put it) drink. But though their execution was better, they got bought out by
53.
by NSX2 19y ago
Well, I just went to the link you provided and aside from 90% of the ideas being well-intentioned but half-baked, I can't help but notice there are no business ideas. So, to answer your question, no, there aren't. Why would anybody waste
54.
by NSX2 19y ago
Exactly. And it doesn't even have to be "economic worth" it could be a time/money saving solution that let's some one devote an extra 1 hour to playing with their kids. That's a worthy cause as any. You won't get published in any journal,
55.
by NSX2 19y ago
Not sure what you mean. I'm not posting this as an "argument with myself" as you put it. The poster above said that Yahoo wasn't an interesting technical challenge, just a useful approach to a common problem. Then I just acknowledged tha
56.
by NSX2 19y ago
Thank you. Sometimes speaking with some of the programmers I have I suspect they think they're doing a startup, but in reality they're doing an extension of their academic programme and just secretly hoping that somehow they'll wind up ma
57.
by NSX2 19y ago
> I've got a great idea: Crappucino - A frappucion with > extra sugar on top. Where are my millions? No, I'M sorry but I don't quite think YOU know what a "great idea" is about. Frappacino was a great idea where it took off in Cali
58.
by NSX2 19y ago
That's my point exactly. They focused on what people wanted more than a challenging technical problem. That makes them the exception to most programmers I've come across who are fascinated with technical challenges so obscure the resoluti
59.
by NSX2 19y ago
What does this have to do with programmers? Aside from the fact that I'm talking about programmers and you're extending this to include "all technically-minded people everywhere", in general you're citing exceptions to my observations. Exa
60.
by NSX2 19y ago
Anonymous = I don't have to tip my hat to people who can come up with ideas / admit that good business ideas are not as easy as everyone says they are / share any resulting credit/profits from application of ideas because nobody knows who I

More ›