OK. I was at a start-up that failed called "Optimal Networks". Optimal was sold for pennies on the dollar to CompuWare (who, to this day, continues to sell the Optimal product line and make a bunch of money from it).
There are many reasons Optimal failed (a dysfunctional founding team, changing the CEO three times, impatient VCs watching the .com boom pass Optimal by).
But the most important lesson I learnt was: start your own damn company. It's much more fun to be a founder than one of the first employees.
Agreed, I think we learn more from mistakes than successes. That's why I the Blogger interview in Founders at Work is my favorite. Getting things right could just be getting lucky, but dealing with things when they go wrong takes true skill and determination.
There are many reasons Optimal failed (a dysfunctional founding team, changing the CEO three times, impatient VCs watching the .com boom pass Optimal by).
But the most important lesson I learnt was: start your own damn company. It's much more fun to be a founder than one of the first employees.