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Ask YC: prove commitment within two months?
21 points by Tichy on July 18, 2008 | hide | past | favorite | 28 comments
I am worried that my CV doesn't really mark me as the ideal founder. It seems to me I wasted so much time in my life (35 years old now), and even the projects I finished successfully (most I didn't finish) usually took too long, and did not reach the scope I was hoping for. In essence, there are not many achievements I am really proud about. It might just be my personal assessment, but still (agents love my Java consulting CV, but it doesn't mean anything to me). I have even publicly admitted to burnout syndromes on HN - big red flag? My karma also shows that I procrastinate a lot...

Anyway, I wonder about your opinions: is it possible to turn around that impression within two months, which is the time I could hopefully dedicate to preparing the next YC application?

I suppose the obvious path to take is to work on a demo day and night, and anyway, giving up is not an option (I might just have to try without YC funding). But still, I am curious about suggestions and opinions.

It is of course also the question if I will be able to pull it off, since historically I tended to get sidetracked. Why should it be different this time? It's not that I don't believe in me, I am just trying to be realistic - for this time to play out differently than the previous attempts, maybe I should have a better grasp on what went wrong and how to counter it, and I am not really sure I have that.

For YC application I have some hope to also come up with an intriguing idea, even though they say they don't care about the idea so much. But what about something like, say, Anybots? They ask for cool projects I have done, and I don't have any - so I didn't even apply in the end... Again it seems kind of obvious to just try to make something cool in the future. Anyway -maybe this post is just weird, or maybe some interesting comments will come in...

Edit: the question is of course a bit related to the "am I too old to startup" type of question. While I demand of myself to be intrinsically motivated, it might be too much to ask. Hoping to be accepted into YC (for example) could provide a good motivation boost.

The one thing all my successful projects had in common: I didn't do them alone. I might still have been the driving person behind them, but it seems I need to have at least some other person take an interest to actually go through with it. (I know that is not the kind of motivation YC provides, that is what co-founders are for. But working towards the application would have an effect, compared to working towards a void).




> Anyway, I wonder about your opinions: is it possible to turn around that impression within two months, which is the time I could hopefully dedicate to preparing the next YC application?

Yes. The hardest thing is to get it going. And even, if you didn't get accepted into YC, you would have started a habit of creating and working on projects that you want to work on. Which is invaluable.

What is your definition of a cool project? I've posted about this before - and I hate to sound like a broken record player but some of the most interesting projects were done in a very short time. Yes, you might not be able to create something in 4 hours but once you get the momentum going, a weekend project might produce something.

"So, imagine my amazement when I had a glance at Twittervision, which was created by David Troy using Ruby on Rails in 4 hours"

In the fair chance, you haven't heard this Ira Glass segment about the process of creating/making (which I learned about from News.YC) - it inspires me and may well you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hidvElQ0xE


I have to second that Ira Glass recording - it's just a very "Hey - that's what happened to me too!" type of piece.


Thanks, will watch the video at home.

I definitely try to make my projects simpler and shorter, especially because I worry about my endurance. One problem is that I constantly have new ideas that often seem even simpler than the one I am currently working on. So it is tempting to switch to the even simpler project, which ultimately leads to too much distraction.


be like MC Hammer: "Break it down!" You have to take things in small chunks for two reasons:

* You can't do it all with a few days of coding * You need little wins along to way to keep the wind in your sails.

For a website-based project, you want to put pen to paper and come up with a plan for "What Has to Happen For Me to Make My First Sale":

* Demo

* Website

* Marketing

* Processes in place post-sale

Those are easy - so focus on coming up w/ a plan of action and timeline/budget for implementing those. It's amazing just how much the planning process gets you starting to feel energized and, "I'm actually doing it!"

Good luck :)


The you that wrote this won't make it. Cleanse yourself of doubt and fill it with (false if it has to be) confidence. You have 2 months to do a project you are proud of and do complete.

Take a deep breath. Zoom out and for the next 2 months do nothing else but focus on yourself. When you leave work don't have the idle thoughts about what to eat for dinner and such. Cut the AC cord off your TV (or whatever usually distracts you). Focus on doing only 1 thing, improving your self. Start and finish a project that makes you proud. It doesn't have to be the most original thought in the world, so don't waste time coming up with the 'big idea' - in a way, it doesn't really matter what it is.

Just make sure you know 1 person who's life will improve because of it.

If you really want to change your life and put your stamp on something meaningful, you have to dig deep. You are totally capable of this!


Amen. And stop treating life like a series of college interviews. You win by winning, not by convincing people you can win.


> "I might just have to try without YC funding"

> "Hoping to be accepted into YC (for example) could provide a good motivation boost."

YC should not affect your motivation at all!

It sounds like your goal is not to start a successful business, but to be accepted into YC. This brings up two things.

1) If you don't seem dedicated and committed to an idea, you are not an attractive investment. Anyone reviewing your application is likely to pass. Investors look for people that will succeed without them. What will your motivation be in the case that you are accepted into YC? Why do you equate YC with success?

2) Don't even think about YC right now. Like with all deals, you should assume it won't happen until after it is set in stone. You can avoid the discouragement and de-motivation that comes with rejection by keeping your focus on the most important thing, the improvement of your product.

> "...the projects I finished successfully (most I didn't finish) usually took too long, and did not reach the scope I was hoping for."

You need to finish a project by yourself. Start small if you have to, but the only thing that matters is that you finish something that you start. I think this will help your confidence and help you get out of this pattern. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't turn out the way you had hoped, but don't let it drag on forever if there doesn't seem to be potential.

> "I suppose the obvious path to take is to work on a demo day and night, and anyway, giving up is not an option..."

I suggest reading some 37signals on this one. Just because you work on something day and night does not mean it is time well spent, and sometimes giving up is indeed the best option.

On a side note, don't get your identity in your achievements, failures, or age. You are never too old or too much of a failure to do anything.


My primary goal is not to get into YC, but the odds of making it probably have an effect on how I will spend my time untill the application deadline. Maybe that was the main reason for my post, to figure out if focussing on the YC application even makes sense. I do believe that YC would increase my chances of success by a big factor.

I think it wouldn't be a loss to focus on the application, because whether I would be accepted or not, I would make progress with my project/startup. But without the YC application, I would probably choose different projects. For example smaller targets or less "sexy" projects. Maybe I would finish my old projects instead of starting a "YC potential project".

This kind of "double-win"-thinking might be a frequent cause of my downfall, because I don't focus on the most important point: what do I really want to do. Instead, all the decision factors might get too confusing in the end.

I take your point and will try decide on my favorite project irrespective of it's imagined YC potential.


You are thinking too much. If your idea excited you, just get to it. Stop thinking if you can do it or not, just start trying and see if you enjoy the process.


Fair point - also, the law of sunk costs. What is past is past, ideally I should only look forward (except for learning from mistakes). It's not always easy not to worry, though.


Worrying is fine. It's how you find problems. If you worry to the point of not acting, you won't last very long. The process of finding and solving problems doesn't have much room for delay in the context of entrepreneurship.


I think you're coming at this from the wrong direction. The goal, presumably, is to create a successful business. If you're going to reverse engineer a process, start from that goal, not from an arbitrary step along the way (YCombinator).

It sounds like you:

- don't have an idea you're passionate about

- don't have much (any?) entrepreneurship experience

- have difficulties finishing a project once you lose interest

- want to "make it"

My advice would be:

- evaluate what "making it" means. Hint: it's not YC. Is it just working on something cool? (you don't necessarily need to start a business for that). Is it setting up a successful "lifestyle" business? Is it getting seed/angel/VC funding, hiring employees, and dealing with the responsibility towards your investors/employees/customers, and working towards an IPO or acquisition?

- Find someone who has what you might be missing: passion about an idea, ability for long-term commitment to a project, (possibly) entrepreneurship experience. Provide the technical strength, and rely on them to keep you motivated when you need it.

- I want to say "just do a cool project", but it's not necessarily that easy - if you haven't so far, maybe there is a reason for it, like the ones you outlined. On the other hand, I AM going to say it - just do a cool project! It's up to you to make this time different.


I was 33 and I had always been an "idea" person but I had never finished any of them; I'd barely ever even started them. I had a new idea that I knew would work and I just started working at it a few hours a week, then 10 hours a week, 20 hours a week, then pretty soon I was working 40-50 hours a week for a client and struggling to find the 30+ hours my company needed. It took me about 3 years working part-time to get my company where I could go full-time that way.

Is it possible that might fit what you're looking to do?


I avoided to mention the "ideas" aspect as it is always met with so little respect on HN ;-) So good to hear that an ideas person can eventually get something done.

I find it hard to work on something else while I am consulting (day job), so maybe for me your scenario is unlikely. On the other hand I need to earn money, so it certainly is a possible road.


"I find it hard to work on something else while I am consulting"

No ####! Of course it's hard. Do you think I wanted to work 70-80 hour weeks or play with my 2 year old? I wanted to play of course but the long-term vision of creating lifetime security for my family over weighed the short-term work. Read PG's essay "Inequality and Risk" (http://www.paulgraham.com/inequality.html) for more.

I don't know YC's deal but can you tell me whether or not the term sheet they put in front of you is a good one? If you say, "I don't know" or "No" or if you haven't even thought that far, I'd say you are rushing into it. I would guess that, if you have the mindset of, "If I get funded I'll do it", it's gonna be hard to get funded.


Looking back, do you think sacrificing time with your kid was worth it for lifetime security? Like, do you guys have a good relationship now, or did all the work do any damage?

Just wondering -- I don't have kids yet, but I'd be worried that all that money/security may not be enjoyable if I hadn't built my relationships with my kids when they were young.

[edit: sorry for the offtopic, BTW.]


I fear that a wife and kids will be a game changer too. I feel a sense of urgency for many reasons, but that is definitely one of them.

There are many others, the opportunity cost to your corporate career for example. The reduced bank account balance from where it could be if you sold your soul. And the list goes on.

As much as we like to romanticize the process, there are a lot of risks and pitfalls. Luckily for a lot of us, it is not a choice and we just aim to minimize these hurdles!


A fair question but I don't see them as mutually exclusive options. You can absolutely work 70 hours a week and have a great relationship with your family. I also work from the house so it's not quite the same as someone working for others in an office they spend 2 hours a day commuting to. We're not talking about skipping your kids altogether, we're talking about spending an extra 20 hours a week working for just 5-7 years so that you'll be able to spend the next 30 years any way you want to (I assume, since you're on this board, you're a 50-hour-a-week person to start).

My kids are the most important thing to me and, in life, you make trade-offs: bigger house or nicer car? Get my teeth fixed or go to the Bahamas? Work 50 hours a week doing something in which I have little control for 50 years or work my ass off for 5-7 years so that I have control for the next 45 years? That's how I see it.


No worries, my desire to do my own startup is independent of YC. I just think it would be fantastic to get into the program.

"Hard" - maybe that sounds silly in that context, and lazyness is my only problem, but I don't think so. Even while consulting I dream of working on my projects on the side. From experience I just wouldn't plan for it to succeed. Also, my health is very important to me, also in terms of longterm security for the (prospective) family.


I find that if you can't keep focussed, that's because you are merely excited but not passionate about your work. When the excitement wears off, you crash.

Why do you want to do a startup? What would you do if you didn't need any more money?


A good point. I easily get excited about new ideas and then I start to compromise in the decision to work on the idea that interests me most, or the one that seems the most promising in terms of money making.

I used to want to do research, but these days if I wouldn't need the money, I would probably still do research in terms of doing a startup. I would like to see something useful come off the things I research. I need to do a startup because it is the only way I can see to be able to work on my own ideas and make them real. Not needing money would probably just mean riskier startups.

In theory I could imagine that would be possible within a corporation, too, but I don't see the path for me to get into such a position in a corporation. So the only option I see is to startup.


I don't think there's anything in your history which ensures that you are not going to be a success. Lots of successful people have lots of failures in their past and many are procrastinators. Lots of them question their own motivation and aren't totally confident about themselves.

I think the only thing that bothers me is that you don't seem to know why you want to do a startup. Prove something to other people? Yourself? Make money?


if you are going to wait for the perfect storm for your profile to start a company, you'll never do it. To quote nike, just do it.

Something like 90% of people want to start their own business, but only 1% actually does. Don't really remember exact stats, but that should be pretty close


you sound like me... maybe we could help support each other... and keep each other going. if you like the idea should me an email xenoterracide@gmail.com.

I think one of the things that makes YC successful is the constant pushing and positive re-reinforcement.


thinking and typing too much. Take the two months and prove your worth by building something GREAT that has a great growth rate and happy users. If you manage that, you remove a LOT of the risk that YC takes on by funding stuff this early.


when you say "game design" in your profile; and " http://3boobs.de/ "

... your've gotta be kidding right?..right?


That was just a fun side project. I used to want to become a game developer. I worked for a mobile games company for a while, and developed some mobile games and applications of my own. Except for the moon calendar, none got published, though. And they had the scope aspect I mentioned, meaning, they were still not really the kind of games I ultimately had wanted to create. Still, I should give those unpublished games their finishing touches and publish them myself - or maybe not, since the J2ME industry sucks...

These days, I am still interested in games, but it is not a priority anymore. My main interest was always AI, and I thought games would be a nice area for experimenting with AI. On the other hand, sometimes I still think that maybe I should just create a really nice browser game, never mind that there are already zillions of them around. I enjoyed programming games, so writing a browser game would most certainly be enjoyable.

I wouldn't call something like 3boobs game design, because it is mostly an existing game concept, not much to design. Programming a chess client (which I also did) is also not game design.


Can you throw NSFW beside that link please?




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