

Ask HN: Tips for a first time startup? - nikentic

I am planning to start a company of my own later this year. Do you have some tips for me? I have no experience of starting a company of my own, even though I work in a start-up.
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abstein2
Are you ready to not sleep for god knows how long? Have you thought about how
you'll make money until your start up actually makes money? Do you have
hundreds of connections? Because in reality that is how you grow - it's all
about who you know and how you leverage those relationships. Best of luck to
you - been there and it's a long, but exhilarating ride.

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mindcrime
Tips? Not as such, since I don't know anything about you or your business. But
I can share some reading suggestions - things that helped me and that I
consider valuable:

 _The Four Steps to the Epiphany_ \- Steve Blank

 _The Art of the Start_ \- Guy Kawasaki

 _The Lean Startup_ \- Eric Ries

 _Blue Ocean Strategy_ \- W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne

 _Crossing the Chasm_ \- Geoffrey Moore

 _The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing_ \- Al Ries & Jack Trout

 _Positioning_ \- Al Ries & Jack Trout

 _Repositioning_ \- Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)

 _Differentiate or Die_ \- Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)

 _The Ultimate Marketing Plan_ \- Dan S. Kennedy

 _The Ultimate Sales Machine_ \- Chet Holmes

 _All Marketers Are Liars_ \- Seth Godin

 _The Purple Cow_ \- Seth Godin

And add in one generic "Marketing 101" textbook. Find something at a used
bookstore or order used on Amazon. Something like this, or similar:

[http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-
listing/0132177153/ref=sr_1_4...](http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-
listing/0132177153/ref=sr_1_4_up_1_main_olp?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376497821&sr=1-4&condition=used)

I guess there actually is a tip embedded in all that... "learn as much as you
can about marketing". I'm still learning myself, and I've only learned enough
to have a vague notion of how much I don't know, but I've gained a real
appreciation for the importance of this stuff.

