

How Lean Startup Forced Me To Leave My Country - thanasisp
http://20minus.com/wp/2011/03/20/how-lean-startup-forced-me-to-leave-my-country/

======
luke_s
I found the article a bit of a puzzle - I must admit I cannot understand his
final point. The author talks about how he moved to the SF bay area, and says:

"So this is how instinctively craving for the Lean Startup’s feedback loop, i
decided to leave my home country and get to the place where internet startups
are built."

Isn't the internet, where internet startups are built? That’s were all your
users are. That’s where all the revenue comes from. I thought the whole point
of startups, was that anybody with an idea could create one without having to
live in a certain place, or have lots of money and connections.

However I admit, that I live on the other side of the world from SF, and the
probability that I don’t 'get it' is high. Can somebody who is in SF explain
what you can do there, that you can't do from anywhere else in the world with
a net connection?

~~~
thanasisp
Hey Luke! Thank you for your comments, i am the author of the article. Which
would happen to be a perfect answer to your question... Among limitless other
things, you can get feedback and support on your efforts in SF... more on that
on another post i made on "Why Europe Leaks Startups to US"
<http://goo.gl/8ijbm>

But now that i am in SF i can draw you a picture comparing the two situations.
When i was back in Greece, working on my Consumer Internet Startup product was
like operating the Pathfinder rover on Mars. If it got stuck in the mud it
could take weeks, months, or forever to get started again...

On the other hand, being here in SF, working on the same product is like
driving a Land Rover on Mars with me in it! In the unlikely situation that
i'll get stuck in the mud, i'll have helicopters lifting me off in less than
30 minutes.

But then again, why not have someone 'local' explain the difference? :)

~~~
luke_s
Hmmm, from reading your other post, it sounds like you can create a start up
anywhere, but if you want to make the 'next big thing', you will get a bost
from being in SF, because, there is a bigger network of people working on
startups, thats where the money is, and thats where the coders are.

Would that be correct?

~~~
thanasisp
exactly!

------
rmoriz
How did you get a visa for the US? This is still a big issue for EU based
founders that want to move to the valley.

~~~
thanasisp
Hey rmoriz! I plan on bloging about that exact issue right after my next
blog... Rss on ;)

~~~
aberkowitz
Would you mind elaborating ever so slightly about your visa situation?

When people leave such big cliff hangers it makes me secretly despise them for
their ability to get me transfixed until the next blog post.

~~~
thanasisp
So you are the spoiler type of guy :P

* Not one single path exists * Each one takes his own unique path * If you are to find it you will find it

------
nickfos
I believe Thanasis gives a good insight of his efforts to find the right path.
Great article. As in most situations there is no "right" path.

For people asking on what is the big difference to do something outside a
major innovation hub, this is something been discussed so many times. In fact
this question is self-contradictory, because the guy that wrote it, reads HN a
SF news incubator, which in fact started off from another city and moved to
SF! They should have an idea why they did that. In fact they explained how
beneficial this move was.

Now off course there are other hubs of innovation, but everyone has his own
reasons for deciding.

------
alexjawad
Nice article. How are you doing today with users and feedback?

~~~
thanasisp
Hi Alex! I am in an ever accelerating pace since i set foot in the U.S! I am
glad i made that decision

