

Ask HN: Who are your most influential failures? - chris_dcosta

Basically; which now defunct startups have been your biggest inspiration, most influential or their failure was your success?
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pestaa
SnackSquare[0]. It wasn't `mine` precisely, but I was considered a co-founder
(on some days; on others I was just a hired coder.) The strange situation was
because I started working on it from the first day, had verbal agreement about
equity, but was unwilling to move next to the business founder in New York.

The project was almost a child to me. You know how engineers can attach
themselves to the stuff they create. The train wrecked in the end, engineers
lost interest in moving targets and neverending milestones. It would have
saved it if we received customer feedback in the early stages.

It wasn't my first job, but first in its kind. It didn't inspire me in the way
that successful companies do -- but it certainly constantly reminds me about
the path I should be walking.

[0] <http://www.crunchbase.com/company/snacksquare>

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rmATinnovafy
I hope you are sitting down. In fact, I will allow you to go and grab a cold
one from the fridge before starting.

...

My first foray into business ( I was 14): being an Amway distributor. It
taught me the value of salesmanship. I lacked it, and made me focus on it for
years.

Then it was the idea of selling bottled water at a local political event. It
failed because me and my partner arrived there too late! It also taught me
about funding, because we borrowed some money for that. Money that we had to
pay afterwards. I did, however, drink lots of refreshing water that week.

My first auto repair business. I took out a loan to buy equipment before even
having one customer. Taught me the importance of getting customers before
buying anything. Lost 5K in that one (at age 21).

My second auto repair business. I focused on doing on-site auto repair (like
yourmechanic.com (the Y-combinator funded startup)). It failed because I
lacked the marketing resources. Also, that business model has razor thin
profit margins.

The shrink wrap business that almost was. It failed when I ordered $2K worth
of product for my first client ( a family member, no less), and had to eat the
cost (still have the prodcut!). He (his company) backed off, and left me
broke. Taught me to put everything in writing and to get deposits.

My first tech startup, which was about selling websites to doctors. I did not
believe in the idea and it led me to waste time cold-calling doctors (well,
their staff). Taught me to not do anything unless I really believe in the
idea.

A mobile carwash service that I had for a couple of months (still have the
equipment...). This one was an eye opener. First, it taught me the importance
of pricing. I was asking for $5 per car wash and it drove customers away.
Second, it was a business I wanted to operate but I did not want to do. I hate
washing cars.

I'm missing a few, but all of my failures have led me to really sit back and
negatively judge every idea I get. Innovafy was only born after I thought
about it for months. Even though it has not launched, most of the focus has
been on getting the marketing and customers, and the other on getting the
software done. For me, getting the customers are first, then comes the
software. Forget the MVP, get me the a bunch of people who will pay to have
the MVP developed before even a line of code is written. This is what I cal
MOP (Money Oriented Programming). Innovafy is at that stage right now, getting
people to pay before they even see the service. How so? Turns out that being
an avid student of marketing for more than 20 years has proven itself very
worthy.

 __*

I could publish an ebook if the interest is there.

~~~
chris_dcosta
It's a shame you don't have anything to show publicly for your latest idea,
even a landing page, because that's also a valid way of determining how your
idea will be received.

You are pre- minimum viable product by all accounts, and even with experience
that's a hard sell.

Good luck this time round though.

~~~
rmATinnovafy
Thank you.

I wish you all the very best.

------
zashapiro
Great question.

Just off the top of my head, I can think of two for me:

\- Color (taught us to lead with your product, not your fundraise or domain
name price)

\- Eventvue (a TechStars 2007 company that taught me the importance of A/B
testing and talking to your customers)

~~~
chris_dcosta
Eventvue - mmm interesting concept, I just saw a pitch from a guy who'd been
working on exactly this concept for a while.

Could be an interesting app for the Google goggles.

