| Some learnings from circa 6 years in startups, applicable to startups: 1. Only listen to people who have walked the walk. Many people with limited tech exp will try to advise you on how to build products/tell you what to do, don't listen to them unless they've done it successfully and it was they that did it -- not some other team they 'advised' or 'managed'. 2. Write stuff down. Promised a raise at X funding point? Write it down. Bring it up and don't let it go. 3. Avoid surrounding yourself with people who sound corporate unless you want to sound like that. 4. Be careful about hiring/working with big co folks for small companies/startups. They often bring politics etc. in and seem on average to be less creative. This is a sweeping generalization and a bit harsh, but basically if you want to be involved with startups, associate with people from startups. Build your network around that. 5. Be careful with first time founders, and
see if you can get a gauge on their empathy. A good way to do this is invite them out to lunch and see how they treat the wait staff. 6. Build side projects and don't be afraid to look stupid/ask questions. That's how you get to be the best. |
I guess I'm wondering what the mean time per startup is.