
Ask YC: What is the last task one should do before launching a startup? - moog
See title
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cperciva
Get a good night of sleep -- it might be the last you get for a long time.

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drusenko
I'd recommend giving yourself 1 extra week from the point you originally
wanted to launch. Make sure everything is finished, and give yourself 1 week
to actually use the product. Fix all the little things, and add the extra
polish, things you really wish you had time to do before. But don't delay more
than a week.

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Hexstream
Realizing that you're not at the end of the journey, you're at the end of the
start of it.

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andr
Ask YC a very vague question ;)

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falsestprophet
I highly recommend load testing. Good luck.

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ivankirigin
That is very optimistic.

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falsestprophet
I don't think so. Getting enough traffic to choke a small VPS is possible
sooner than you may expect, especially if you have not rooted out all serious
bottlenecks (which are often discovered during load testing.)

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jraines
Pick out your favorite brands of personal jet, caviar and champagne.

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LostInTheWoods
Last task: get rid of your fear, doubt and disbeleif.

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dkokelley
That all depends on what you haven't done yet. Assuming that all you need to
do is tell people about what you've got and the money will come freely and
nothing will break, I would just send out a press release announcing your
launch.

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icky
> Assuming that all you need to do is tell people about what you've got and
> the money will come freely and nothing will break,

That's a pretty big assumption... ;-)

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redorb
Take founding team to dinner.

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gojomo
Further: do this dinner at a cheap, stable, unpretentious place.

Come grand success or crushing failure, this will become the spot for
founders' reunion dinners in the years or decades to come.

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ivankirigin
"I'll have a double-double animal-style launch burger."

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dkokelley
+1 for the In-N-Out reference. Love that place.

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crystalarchives
Take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and prepare for round two:
gaining traction.

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alaskamiller
Eat a sandwich.

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ivankirigin
The pickles _must_ be on the side.

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marketer
break up with your girlfriend

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Prrometheus
Bang a really hot chick. Unless you're a chick, in which case you should bang
a really hot chick.

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sutro
Drink a bottle of Cisco RED:

<http://www.bumwine.com/cisco.html>

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dmoney
If this sounds like a good idea, you are already drunk. But if you're drunk
enough, it tastes like fruit juice! DON'T DO THIS!!

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sutro
Except for the part about fruit juice, your advice is perfect for those
considering doing a startup.

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hopeless
The last thing you need to do before launching is the first thing you remember
to do after launching ;-)

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tim2
Request clearance from the tower.

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mixmax
pray

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jbyers
Agree with yourself that you'll do whatever it takes to make it succeed.
Otherwise, don't bother.

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icky
> Agree with yourself that you'll do whatever it takes to make it succeed.

Or, conversely, "fail fast".

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jbyers
Good point, failing fast is success if you learn from it.

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jchum
Load test and optimize user experience. You have one crack at attracting
users. If your site is down, or the user experience is sluggish,that's bad
news. Make sure you have some external monitoring in place.

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walter_b_marvin
I don't know about this lack of sleep bit. I tried it and people have better
ideas and do better work when not stressed. I'd rather substitute better
planning for lack of sleep.

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bayareaguy
Close a deal to deliver your first product (or do the web-equivalent to be
sure your market is there).

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axod
Have kids :D

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nickb
Well, you're just about to give birth to one! Can you handle two?

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wastedbrains
Read some books about the startup experience, get ready to enjoy the ride.

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lyime
Do usability testing and then some more.

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ghiotion
convert everything to lisp?

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wamboldt
quit your job if you have one, and tell everyone you know about your startup
and how you will make thousands/millions soon.

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icky
... and have a 10% chance of not just having done something really dumb! ;-D

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wenbert
i would relaxxx.

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mig
pray ;)

