
Watch the money - AndrewWarner
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/11/watch-the-money.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29
======
richardburton
When people don't use the products that they're trying to sell it will show. A
while ago I met a guy who's created yet-another app to allow people to start a
store online. I asked him if he's running a successful store on it yet? He
thought my question was irrelevant.

37Signals have always built apps that solve problems they've had.

<http://gettingreal.37signals.com/ch02_Whats_Your_Problem.php>

If you're working on an app that solves your own problem (and you believe that
the problem you have is not unique) then the likelihood that your startup is
going to succeed must be much higher.

~~~
pfedor
Just a piece of trivia, the Viaweb folks didn't start their own store on it --
<http://www.paulgraham.com/vwfaq.html> (scroll to the last question).

~~~
richardburton
But they did build the Viaweb marketing site on it ;)

------
ScottWhigham
Hmmm - "if you work for a non-profit and you don't give money to charity, what
exactly are you doing in this job?" Well, from the charities that I've seen,
the money they pay in salaries is far below what the same job in the private
sector would pay. Not a fair comparison IMO

~~~
umjames
Maybe the person who works for a non-profit doesn't give because he/she knows
more about how your contribution dollars are actually allocated.

The naive giver thinks that all or most of the money is going directly to the
part of the non-profit that does the charitable work. In reality, that part
may only see very little (or even none if the donation isn't high enough) of
the money. A lot of it may go to administrative costs and internal-facing
departments. Like any large organization, a large non-profit has a lot of
overhead.

I'd like to know if there's a way to know for sure how your donation is
actually being used. It would be good that if you found out your money wasn't
being used satisfactorily, you could demand your donation back and it would
all be legally binding.

------
dualogy
"Money is more than a transfer of value. It's a statement of belief. An ad
agency that won't buy ads, a consultant who won't buy consulting, and a waiter
who doesn't tip big—it's a sign, and not a good one."

My favourite counter-example: the millionaire who doesn't spend money.

The fact is that the waiter, the consultant, the ad agency and the charity
employee have every reason to ignore Seth Godin's judgment of their
individual, subjective spending preferences and investment principles.

~~~
ggruschow
Millionaires try to convince people to spend money?

~~~
dualogy
Not all of them try to convince all of them, but on average I assume many of
them tend to, yes.

Also, my main point was in my last paragraph.

------
Psyonic
There does come a point when this ceases to be realistic. It's unlikely, for
instance, that a doctor is going to develop software to use in his office
himself (especially with HIPA regulations!)

~~~
bena
I think you missed the point here. The warning sign would be a doctor who
doesn't go to other doctors for healthcare.

A better software analogy would be a software development company that doesn't
like using software.

~~~
Psyonic
I don't think I did. It wasn't the doctor I was referring to. Medical software
needs to be developed, but it doesn't seem likely that the people developing
it will be the people who use it.

------
kicktheken
Drug dealers shouldn't get hooked on their own drugs.

------
Psyonic
Rachel Maddow doesn't even own a TV. Should that be a warning sign?

