
Startup Advice in just three words - smartbear
http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/11539/Startup-Advice-In-Exactly-Three-Words-StartupTriplets.aspx
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edw519
Very nice. I liked all of these.

Before I scrolled down the page, I wrote down a few that I expected to see.
Oddly, none of mine were on OP's list. (Am I _that_ weird, or do we just think
differently?)

Here are mine:

    
    
      - Find a customer.
      - Satisfy their needs.
      - Get their money.
      - Use their feedback.
      - Improve your software.
      - Hit your deadlines.
      - Never give up.

~~~
Vindexus
I don't think they fit your list because they're supposed to be standalone
ones. Your second one is actually six words, not three, because it needs the
first to have context and make sense.

Still great advice though. "Find a customer" is definitely a winner.

~~~
adamsmith
'Never give up' is also awesome.

~~~
gvb
"Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great
or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and
good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming
might of the enemy."

\- Winston Churchill [http://www.school-for-
champions.com/speeches/churchill_never...](http://www.school-for-
champions.com/speeches/churchill_never_give_in.htm)

~~~
Estragon
The philosohpy he used in leading the greatest empire the world had ever seen
to a humiliating dissolution.

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pg
If I had to get it down to only 3 words, they might be "iteratively satisfy
users." Awkward, bad rhythm, and prone to double entendre, but you have to
compromise to get all that into 3 words. (My first try was "understand your
users," which sounds better but says less.)

~~~
jacquesm
How about "Keep satisfying customers"

By using the 'keep' twice you can compress more meaning in to fewer words.

It also works better for people that don't understand the word iterate, which
is in common use in English but not one that non-natives or non-programmers
would get immediately.

~~~
gruseom
_How about "Keep satisfying customers"_

Less information. "Keep" doesn't necessarily mean changing what you do. In
other words, "keep" could mean "x, x, x,...", while "iteratively" definitely
means "x1, x2, x3,..."

The greater precision is worth the awkwardness, and anyone who is unwilling to
look up a word probably shouldn't be doing a startup.

~~~
jacquesm
True, it spells it out. But you won't be keeping them without adapting.

------
grellas
Watch your back.

(Sorry, I am a lawyer).

~~~
davidmurphy
I can't upvote this enough. Learned some real sad lessons this past year.

Le sigh....

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dnewcome
There should be a startup `oblique strategies'
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies>) app somewhere to give you
a little something to reflect on when you are stuck. Brian Eno's original ones
would probably work, but maybe there are better ones for startups?

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dennykmiu
My own contribution to this amazing list is "Avoid Negative People". When we
do startups, we don’t just leverage. We levitate. We “will” our startups into
existence. And we do so by defying all laws of physics and by tapping into the
positive energy of our surrounding. We create opportunities; we don’t destroy.
Be careful with whom you hang out with. Unfortunately, my own experience is to
stay away from other failed entrepreneurs (who tend to be negative until they
bounce back). And in particular stay away from people who hold a grudge on you
or whom you have a grudge with. Don’t get mad; don’t even try to get even.
With success, you can get them all. Misery breeds misery and success breeds
success.

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RyanMcGreal
Omit needless features.

~~~
SwellJoe
"Omit needless..." was the first thing that came to mind for me before I even
started reading the list. It applies to so many things. Words, features,
expenses, options, etc. If it isn't absolutely necessary, omit it. You'll know
soon enough if it turns out to be absolutely necessary, whatever it is.

~~~
philwelch
"Omit everything needless".

~~~
ynniv
Clearly it should be "omit needlessness", otherwise you're adding something
just to fit a silly rule.

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sganesh
Kind of skewed to software startups :)

Lose the dresscode.

Use Best Tools.

Dual Monitors. Period.

Listen, Sell Later.

Ignore Everybody, Create.

Limit the features.

Live = Real Test.

No C Levels.

Distribute Authority & Accountability.

Don't over engineer.

Don't debate forever.

Share the Champagne.

------
jon_dahl
Not bad, but personally, I prefer four words: "Build something people want."

~~~
gvb
Build something desirable.

------
gcheong
Beware of advice.

~~~
davidw
Ignore silly lists:-)

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acangiano
Spell-check your posts.

~~~
dshah
Fixed, I think. Sorry about that.

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anigbrowl
My three words appear to be 'waiting for onstartups.com'.

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arnorhs
I like this post, but I don't like the self-promoting aspect of the whole
post-to-twitter thing...

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leelin
Don't Outsource Programming

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andrewljohnson
Nothing is absolute.

The following are often just wrong:

Hire generalists early. Hire specialists later. Write a blog. Avoid business
plans. Delay raising capital. Make decisions swiftly.

Moreover, I don't even know what "invest in culture" means.

~~~
dshah
#48: "Everything is debatable"

#49: "Beware trite advice"

------
alexro
Forget about competition

Focus on customers

Don't cut corners

Stay agile forever

------
ams6110
Eschew government customers

The long drawn out purchasing cycles and arcane requirements will suck time
and attention that most startups can't spare.

------
Maro
One word: persist.

------
rokhayakebe
No more advices.

Please no more.

------
arithmetic
Make epic products.

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sutro
Ramen is delicious.

------
joshu
Breathe. In. Out.

------
ice_man
Roll your own.

------
noodle
"be relentlessly resourceful"

/obvious

------
b3b0p
Solve a problem.

Make a market.

Follow your dreams.

Just do it.

------
johnl
Go team Go

