

Songkick (YC s07) in the Financial Times - A little chat about finding backing - hailpixel
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/832391ce-62f8-11dd-9fd0-0000779fd2ac.html

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swombat
_Before you can have a successful business, you need other people to back
you._

Nice. First sentence, and I'm already in full disagreement with this article.

Perhaps it would be better phrased the other way around:

 _If you have a successful business, other people will back you._

While I don't dismiss the use of getting other people to join you in your
business venture, and certainly a single-person start-up might always appear a
bit dubious, there is no _need_ for "backing" in a funding sense, which is
what this article implies. Certainly, it can help, but it's by no means
necessary.

~~~
skmurphy
The second sentence elaborates in a useful way that broadens it beyond
funding:

"This validation might take the form of an investor or that first major
customer. It could be a serial entrepreneur joining your board, or a highly
regarded salesman agreeing to work for you."

A friend of mine has a phrase "it takes a village to raise a start-up" by
which he means that you end up asking many many folks for help and advice.
That's what this article provides examples of: entrepreneurs that were able to
ask for help were better able to succeed.

