
10 Things to Be Clear About Before You Start a Company - terpua
http://www.readwriteweb.com/readwritestart/2009/05/10-things-be-clear-about-before-start-company.php
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MicahWedemeyer
I disagree with the focus on VC funding, but otherwise a solid list of things
to consider.

I wonder where they get the 90% rate from, and how that matches up with time
invested? If you're still plugging away after a couple years, what's the rate
then? I would guess there's a big falloff after 6 months or a year, but if you
stay in long enough, you have a shot at some kind of success.

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skmurphy
William Hewlett had 40% and David Packard had 60%, Packard was clearly the
"senior partner" when they started, and yet they built an enduring partnership
and a company that has acted as a model for many to come after. 50-50 can be a
recipe for deadlock in the early stages of a startup.

This checklist concentrates too much on financing and not enough on customer
and market (I cannot determine if item 5 is about customer demand: it's
phrased more as a trend analysis). Raising money is not an accomplishment: it
just means you have a high paying job working for one or more VC's for a few
years. Finding paying customers you can satisfy at a profit is the key to
survival.

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mildweed
I wish my friends who always come to me with "ideas for a website" would ask
themselves questions like these.

