https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mEQ0ono8mg
From one of user comment
Summary of points made in the Art of the Start presentation, he started out with the central advice :
Make meaning, do not go in wanting to make money
- Make people's lives better.
- Right a wrong
- Make sure something good continues
Specific advice :
- Think different.. really different
- Do not be afraid to polarize people
- Find a few soul mates to support you.. no one can do it alone.. you will fall and need help to get back up on your feet
- Avoid missions, use a three word mantra that reflects what you mean... be specific, keep it simple, ask for input from women.. they are not as obsessed with "killing"
- Weave a mat: set definite milestones of deliverables that add value to our company, set clear assumptions, define tasks
- Niche yourself .. unique is not enough if people do not value it ..being valued is not eough if there are too many competitors. ensure you have a unique product that people value.
- Master pitching.. pitching is the process of seeking agreement .. pitching is not just about money. an entrepreneur is pitching all the time. follow the rule 10-20--30 10 slides delivered in 20 minutes with a min font of 30
- Hire people who are passionate about the product .. ignore what is irrelevant.. proven record in the wrong environment is not an asse.. hire better than yourself (if you are an A and hire a B , B will hire a C and C will hire a D). if you are not super excited about the candidate, do not hire them.
- Lower barriers to entry.. do not ask customers to have a ph.d. in something before they can use your product
- "See the cloud" talk to the customers you have and see what they like and build on it. do not try to convert atheists.. focus on believers (even if weak) and agnostics. enable people to test drive your product and "suck down/across not just up.. sometimes decisions are made by people down in hierarchy
- Do the right thing the right way.. help people even f they cannot help you.. pay society back
- Be tight with money.. do not expect to raise lots and if you do, spend it wisely
- If what you have is gold, the right people will come to touch it.. (Guy's golden touch.. if it is gold, i will touch it)
- Remember your responsibility is to the company not to your buddies.
- Before you start a company you need to be roughed up and to understand how hard it is to win a customer.. work in startups that fail..
- Learn to understand the difference between correlation and causation.. if a turkey is flying in a tornado, it is not because the turkey can fly.. it is because in a tornado, anything will fly.