YC startup class notes 2

in #startup7 years ago

Startup can be very counterintuitive. It is like skiing. The list of counterintuitive for startup:

  1. There are many skiing instructor compare to running instructor. Because skiing is more counterintuitive.
  2. Don't hire distasteful people. Work with people you have known for a long time.
  3. what you need to succeed in startup is not being expertise in startup.
  4. Understand your user is much better compare to understand how to start a startup. A lot of failure is happened because founder ignored their users.

Growing fast. Make something that user really love.
Startup are consuming. You can't have vacation because things happens... You have to deal with it. You can only learn how to start a startup by doing it. Success can take away your serendipity.
If you unsure whether you can do it or not, you need to try it.
Success startup always started as side project.
How to work on a good side project:

  1. learn a lot of about things that matters.
  2. work on problem that interest you.
  3. with people you like and respect.

You don't have to be technology in startup.
Live in the future. Know something that ought to be exist. For example, a person just want to talk to his girlfriend through internet. So he developed a software that send sound package through internet.
General interests and curiosity would be your foundations.