Real Founder Lessons

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A business is just a byproduct of solving a problem

(at minute 45:55)

Common Founder Issue
The very early stages of a startup look more like passion projects of the founders. Many times it’s just a single, small problem that they want to solve or just a general area of the world that needs some attention with no consideration for being a business. The addition of things like a company name, employees and . . .

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The best founders are going to be entrepreneurs no matter what

(at minute 20:38)

Common Founder Issue
I tend to believe that the best founders are going to start something no matter what. The feeling of putting something new and amazing into the world and having their ideas touch lots and lots of people is what motivates these folks. And during tough times - like the downturn in SF during the financial crisis - the . . .

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The best predictor of startup success is getting lots of small stuff done

(at minute 35:55)

Common Founder Issue
I tend to focus on startups that are very early stage. This typically means just a few passionate founders working 24/7 on an idea. Over the years I’ve struggled with how to identify the most promising teams before their businesses have had enough time to show traction.

Before even seeing this video, I . . .

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Most startup products are 10% better. 10x better is required to beat incumbents.

(at minute 16:33)

Common Founder Issue
Founders typically try to get as many users as possible as early as possible. What typically works better is for a startup to find 100 super fans initially because "it's a lot easier to take something that has a real depth of appeal - something that people really love - and grow that than it is to take . . .

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Paid advertising is the tax you pay for not being remarkable

(at minute 43:12)

Common Founder Issue
I often hear founders launch the the first version of their product and then complain that they have a "marketing problem" when initial customers aren't signing-up as quickly as expected. When this happens, I typically think this isn't a marketing issue...it's about the product.

Context
. . .

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How do you validate a new startup idea?

(at minute 5:30)

Common Founder Issue
One of the biggest struggles I notice with founders is how do they know that they are onto something (in the very early days) that has the potential of being a high-growth business.

Context
At this point in the podcast, this successful founder explains how an offshoot of a product got very early . . .

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Here's why you should share your best startup ideas with lots of people

(at minute 16:13)

Common Founder Issue
This is the link that I share most with new startup founders. Many new founders worry about people stealing their ideas. But even once they get past this notion, it takes a while to truly appreciate (and be able to mentally accept) feedback from other people. And even once that happens, being able to reconcile their . . .

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Archive

All Categories: all(113) podcast(102) process(88) focus(80) product(70) counterintuitive things(65) product market fit(64) business model validation(60) solving a problem(58) mvp(57) unique playbook(48) traction(43) founders(40) my favorites(36) execution(35) first principles(33) hustle(33) video(32) value proposition(32) this week in startups(30) jason calacanis(28) ycombinator(24) persistency(24) engagement(23) lean startup(20) resiliency(19) super fans(19) psychological friction(16) vision(16) customer discovery(15) niche products(15) purpose(15) stanford university(13) growth(13) vc(12) creativity(11) raising capital(11) aaron harris(10) micromanagement(10) marketing(10) michael sacca(9) financing(9) nextview ventures(9) scalability(9) pattern matching(9) matt goldman(9) jay acunzo(9) pivot(9) delusion(9) team(8) competition(8) sidenote(7) rocketship.fm(7) advisors(7) bootstrapping(7) mixergy(5) risk(5) how i built this(5) retention(5) wharton business radio(5) joelle steiniger(5) hypepotamus(4) joelle goldman(4) andrew warner(4) sam altman(4) focus groups(4) timing(4) a16z(4) culture(4) brand(4) kat manalac(3) 33voices(3) distribution(2) recode decode(2) domain expertise(2) product hunt radio(2) dorm room tycoon(2) eric ries(2) network effect(2) listen to entire podcast(2) masters of scale(2) kara swisher(2) startups for the rest of us(2) twenty minute vc(1) fred wilson(1) tim ferriss(1) chris sacca(1) loose threads(1) joshua reeves(1) mentoring(1) founder's journey(1) indie.vc(1) mentors(1) accelerators(1) time(1) optimal living daily(1) home

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