Archive for February, 2010

if you are running a start-up, unlearn your mba ::

Friday, February 12th, 2010

:: instead, do / remember these things:

  • learn how to write “human”
  • planning is guesswork, think about the today and tomorrow, then go from there
  • decisions in a start up are temporary, just get going
  • VC is a time bomb and one of the most harmful things you can do to a new business
  • small is not a phase in VC game; without VC, small can happily / profitably be the “all” of your business
  • making a start-up work doesn’t require founders to become workaholics – focus on the things that matter
  • you’re not going to be an over-night success

David Heineimeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails and partner at 37signals in Chicago, says that planning is guessing, and for a start-up, the focus must be on today and not on tomorrow. He argues that constraints–fiscal, temporal, or otherwise–drive innovation and effective problem-solving. The most important thing, Hansson believes, is to make a dent in the universe with your company.