
Ask YC:  What should one skimp on? - daniel-cussen
There are a lot of articles on hacker news about how important it is not to skimp on x for x = lawyers, graphic designers, people, people not in your core competency, marketing, gear, chairs, etc.  I'd like to ask the opposite:  of all the things a startup usually buys, what should one skimp on?
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dkokelley
_Of all the things a startup usually buys, what should one skimp on?_

I would say the bottom line is skimp on things that do not directly have a
significant impact on your valuation, profitability, primary product/service,
or ability to "do well" in your business.

A shorter way to say this is don't spend money on things outside of what you
are doing.

There is no reason for fancy furniture, ping-pong tables, the absolute latest
computer hardware (unless critical to your startup), or any of the other
'perks' of a stereotypical startup.

After you are beyond the initial startup phase, then you could make arguments
for nicer secondary items, to attract talent, or create a certain work
environment.

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ken
Desks. A perfectly functional desk can be constructed out of an ordinary door
in mere minutes.

[http://web.archive.org/web/20010606140033/image.pathfinder.c...](http://web.archive.org/web/20010606140033/image.pathfinder.com/time/poy/images/desk.jpg)

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xenoterracide
mm.... I would buy cheap desks. you know the $50 kind. And the cheap chairs
are always the most comfortable, believe it or not.

I can't stand working at a desk without a proper keyboard tray and mouse pad.

In many ways having a comfortable working environment is very important. But
comfortable != luxurious. Keep it cheap, just not so cheap that you can't get
work done because it's not comfortable.

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rms
>And the cheap chairs are always the most comfortable, believe it or not.

Surely spoken by someone who has never sat in an Aeron...

~~~
xenoterracide
don't even know what that is. But chair brands don't matter to me. From what I
have had to choose from in office supply/department stores. The cheap ones are
more comfy than the expensive ones on average, and especially on a cost/value
ratio.

~~~
mrtron
> But chair brands don't matter to me.

Surely spoken by someone who has never sat in an Aeron...

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skmurphy
I would worry a lot more about where you spend your time than your money.

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andr
Premature optimization.

For most Web 2.0 startups, you can also skip IE6 support, at least in the
beginning.

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aaronjames
Are you joking? IE6 is still a massive percentage of visitors. It's not hard
to do, unless you're just lazy. IE6 is definately not something to skimp on.

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xenoterracide
if you write standard html4 and make sure that you use css that IE supports
(even if it's not quite right) you can wait on the IE optimization. because it
should still work.

~~~
dkokelley
All of that in addition to the fact that most early adopters of your site will
be on FF, or really anything other than IE6(7).

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Raphael
Graphic design, if your concept or implementation is really stellar. Google
and Reddit get by just fine. I've noticed that sites such as Digg will
actually reduce graphics when redesigning the page, reducing clutter and
bandwidth at the same time.

That is, as long as your target audience isn't primarily composed of Apple
users. Then it's graphics all the way!

~~~
yan
''Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like,''
says Steve Jobs, Apple's C.E.O. ''People think it's this veneer -- that the
designers are handed this box and told, 'Make it look good!' That's not what
we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is
how it works.''

[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E7D8113BF...](http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E7D8113BF933A05752C1A9659C8B63)

~~~
mynameishere
He specified "Graphic Design" and there he is probably right, if only because
your typical hacker will un-self-consciously design a graphical monstrosity.
My answer to the OP's question is: "Everything outside your core competence".
It's relative, of course...

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asdf333
an office space, office furniture, luxury items like candy/soda

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trevelyan
Hire people with laptops and you don't need to buy a lot of computers. Build a
bigger office network when you have the money coming in to buy machines.

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motherwell
Is the answer, everything too vague? I would say the first place to skrimp is
lifestyle, and from there, build up.

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maheshcr
do not spend on people who dont understand customers

