

Advice for my first startup? - scottmagdalein

Looking for a little wisdom from the ycom crowd. I'm just getting started on a little idea that's going to be my first foray into the web startup world.<p>I'd love to hear any/all advice you have for me as I get started.<p>Backstory: I've been in the web world as an executive-type for several years, but never started my own company. I'm not a developer or designer, I just have an idea and a really clear roadmap for what I want to see happen.<p>Would love to hear your thoughts.
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nostrademons
Ignore everything but:

a.) Figuring out who your customers are and what they want.

b.) Building that.

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samratjp
On top of nostrademons advice, find people who you (and they) can work along
with. They will be your family and so you better get along with them well or
else perish. If you are building a technology based company, you should be
very clear to your cofounder(s) (hopefully some smart technical ones) about
what you can bring to the table.

Honestly, talk about your idea and see if people really care about it enough.

Of course, I've also seen this - some really smart business folks writing long
business plans and then tell me, "This is our product X [a web based solution
often times] that we're trying to build, there's a need for it, etc... Oh, and
we just need a website - we could maybe use a part time web developer?" Of
course, there is nothing wrong with not knowing where to start, but it's
really good to test your assumptions from the get go.

And it doesn't hurt to have advisors - as in people who have done this kind of
stuff before. You'd be amazed how much people can share over a piece of pastry
and coffee :-)

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SRSimko
The question is a bit vague but I would be ready for the following:

\- Your road map may appear clear now but expect to pivot \- Don't believe all
the hype with your first success, keep working hard \- Marketing and standing
out in the crowd is difficult \- Start building relationships now with
influencers who you'd like to engage later

Without more on actually what you need advice on is tough but all I can say is
be ready for highs and lows and try keep plugging away.

Best of Luck

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lakeeffect
"have an idea and a really clear roadmap" Then whats the question? Do you have
a developer and a designer with whom you are working? If you want to get a
general idea of startups read PG's Essays.

<http://www.paulgraham.com/articles.html>

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photon_off
Don't believe all the advice you hear. Some of it contradicts itself, and not
all of it will work for you. Use your best judgment and keep your goals in
mind.

