bug

You have to be crazy to run a startup. 9 out of 10 times things get screwed. Be it team, customer, product, legal, investors or partnership. Nothing is certain. We have limited things in our control. The outcome like the shiny unicorn also depends on many externalities.

All we have to do is to keep heads down and take every single day as a new beginning.

Reading eBoys shows the craziness eBay went through is amazing during their IPO.

Drowning

I quit twitter temporarily because I was drowning with advice from thought leaders across the sectors. At this time Corona is one thing and financial meltdown is another.

Everyday common news is how founders are giving up entire years’ salary or the whole organization is taking a 25% pay cut.

While some VC’s are sitting next to founders, having regular one to one, webinars another is full of their advice on Twitter and blog.

At this time above everything, we need to treat humans like humans aka with respect and empathy. I liked what Manish has written.

Effort and Incentive

We are lazy. All technological advancement: the washing machine, mixer grinder, and many others invented for the same.

We don’t like changing habits as well. Making someone adapt to a new system is super challenging.

Unless we are incentivized or rewarded 10X our effort, we are not switching our existing workflow.

An incentive for your customers should be number #1 priority in the journey of product development.

luxury

Since IMF is formally announced we are in a recession, a tough time is here. They also mentioned that this one is going to be worst that 2007. I am sure time will tell us more about it.

But in the current scenario, things are messy. We are all indoors, everything is shut and the government is putting all it can to keep people’s life in priority.

Everyone will be harmed by recession including startup. I remember AB, my boss at Minio telling me: companies die when founders give up.

So if you are married to your idea, a startup you will do everything it takes to survive in this tough time. Hang in tight and this will pass.

As a founder one has no luxury to cry. You have you lead as a captain of star fleet from the front in the uncharted territory.

If running a startup was easy everyone would have been building one.


break

Twitter is a great place for connecting, learning sharing ideas. Unfortunately in the current scenario, it has a little sad for me. I am taking a couple of week’s break from it. I have discontinued my account for 20 days.