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Startups are fun, exciting, and incredibly sexy. It’s a wild and crazy party just like The Social Network, right?
Right?
Well no, not usually. Not to say startups aren’t fun and exciting, because they definitely are. It was through Bionic Hippo that I realized my passion for starting my own business, and through Bandzu that I learned how to experiment, network, and put myself out there as an explorer and tinkerer publicly. I’ve met some amazing people and been a part of some even more amazing projects.
I am, by no means, a seasoned veteran of entrepreneurship – I don’t think it’s really possible to ‘learn everything’ or experience every contingency of the startup experience. Instead I believe that it is every entrepreneur’s duty to share their experiences, spread wisdom, and help others. Here are a couple words of advice.
1. No one wants to sign your NDA
Google wasn’t first to search, Microsoft wasn’t first to PCs, and Apple didn’t invent the MP3 player. ‘First to market’ is total crap, and the sooner you stop coveting your idea as some sort of godly divination, the sooner people will be more interested in what you’re doing.
It is an undeniable fact (I am going to coin the phrase “Law of Entrepreneurship”) that sharing your idea with others generates invaluable feedback necessary for your company to thrive. It is highly unlikely that someone is going to ‘steal your idea’ – wait, no. Let me clarify. Your idea is irrelevant, and no one cares about it. Dogsleds for soccer moms? Whatever.
Execution is the most valuable aspect of your business. It is, quite literally, what you do and how you do it. If you know your market, your customer, and your product well enough to generate a successful product, then you don’t need to worry about NDAs and secrecy. What can anyone do with your idea if you’ve got the passion? What are the chances you’ll be talking to someone who’s willing to drop everything they’re doing and start working on a competing product with the same level of passion and expertise as you?
And if you’re even thinking of asking an investor to sign an NDA, just slap yourself in the face right now.
2. You market, but don’t communicate
Elevator pitches are nice, but if I need to use unsuck it to decipher your barrage of buzzwords and technical jargon, then you’re not communicating, you’re marketing. It has its time and place, but it’s critical that you know when to turn on the buzzword machine and when to speak frankly with your peers and share ideas, not “ideate dynamically in a real-time cloudspace.”
Ugh.
It might feel good and empowering to use buzzwords, but almost everyone can see right through your act. Be yourself, know your product, and speak humbly. Not only will people be more receptive, but you’ll gain their respect.
3. You think you’re Mark Zuckerberg
(or rather, Jesse Eisenberg)
I’m sorry, but you’re not “The CEO… bitch.” No one is. Not even Mark Zuckerberg. Perhaps it’s just a personal pet peeve, but I absolutely cannot stand when startupers take themselves too seriously. You’re starting a company… just like the rest of the entrepreneurial community. You’re special, but no more so than anyone else. You’ve achieved nothing that someone else out there hasn’t – unless you’ve raised $41 million for a worthless iPhone app (in which case you’re STILL not special. Rovio, producer of Angry Birds, did a $42 million round a few months ago). Pwned.
As much as people hate marketing speak, they also hate cocky entrepreneurs. Be humble, realistic, and confident. The perfect blend of those three attributes will never lead you astray. Never forget where you started, where everyone else is starting, and all of the people who helped you along the way.
The golden rule: Be yourself. Always.
4. You still think you’re a startup
I realized about five months ago that Bionic Hippo is a ‘startup company’, and realized shortly afterwords that it isn’t. The difference is that startups focus on research, exploration, and creating a product. After the honeymoon (and a few hundred dollars worth of champagne), you’re left with a business kicking and screaming on your doorstep. You’ve got customers, money, death, and taxes to worry about, and it’s scary.
I love attending entrepreneurial events, but I hate seeing ‘startups’ that have been around for a year (or more) with no substantial progress, no user base, and no revenue. You can’t stay a startup forever! You’ve got a business to run. Yes, like, with a tie and a briefcase. Sort of. ish.
Don’t let go of your principles, though! If you like being small and agile, stay that way. If you are driven by exploration and invention, never lose that drive. Bionic Hippo creates web services and products amidst our busy workdays, but it’s because we still do what we love. We may be a company, but we still act like a startup. The important distinction is the lack of the word “beta” anywhere on our site, and the generation of revenue that allows us to keep doing the projects that inspire us.
5. F*ck your email signature (bonus!)
- I care about the environment, but your “Please consider the environment before printing this email” signature makes me want to choke Captain Planet.
- Is that seriously a legal disclaimer in your email? Shit, I’m scared. I also didn’t read it.
- Protip: If your email signature is longer than 4 lines, you’re trying too hard.
- Bonus tip: Don’t put your email address in your signature. I already uh.. know your email address. You sent me an email, remember?
Thank you for this article. Every single one of those points you covered I was doing what I shouldn’t be doing.
Great article.
You might want to watch your tone because you are coming off as arrogant, not confident.
Also, Creative Director means just as little as “The CEO… bitch.”
Hey Peter, I’m curious in what ways you think I’m being arrogant? I live and breathe startups… I attend events, trade advice with peers, and have started a company or two myself. These are observations I’ve made first-hand and seen many other entrepreneurs make. I’d like to hear your thoughts on the matter – you seem passionate about it.
“I’m the CEO, bitch” isn’t a title, it’s an attitude. There’s nothing wrong with titles – they’re absolutely necessary just for simplicity sake. I have, however, seen many a CEO or co-founder puff out their chest like they’re the next big thing and it’s a real turnoff. If someone can’t respect their peers, it’s hard to respect them in return.
Don’t listen to Peter, as he is obviously one of those start-up types that are blinded by their own Godly sens of greatness. Keep drinking the koolai-er-um the Snapple Green Tea by the fussball Peter your doing great things remember? You and Stoppleman, and Zuckerberg are on a mission from God!!!
Hey, just stumbled on yourblog from digg. I loved your spin on startups. Thanks for making an article worth reading!
RIGHT THE FUCK ON WELLS!!! I believe wholeheartedly in this article. This needs to be posted everywhere. I too have had my share of working in start ups, and hello common sense, if I ran a business, which I think is the biggest message they forget, they are running a business, not solving a worldly problem, I would RUN A BUSINESS. Problem is that start ups are usually tech, and tech lives and dies with buzz, and suddenly working in tech means you are hip and cool, Whatever. I’m in sales. I sell this crap, and yes I do mean CRAP. We can all feel that start ups will outgrow their reputation when they actually produce a tested product that actually does what its hyped up homepage says it will do. But above all the biggest annoyance is the “founder” I hate that word, of a company who walks around like they are Marc Benioff. I know Ben Affleck said “act as if” in Boiler Room, a movie based off of the selling of stocks, you know real sales? But Even when you walk around acting as if you are Marc Benioff, you still look like a douchebag with you sport jacket, and converse. Smoke and mirrors this business, and by the way, software, webware, SaaS, cloudware whatever the f you want to call it, is ALL A SCAM, like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I was in the mortgage business. Never have I seen an industry that markets itself to death to get a customer to buy an over-hyped program that they don’t need, that doesn’t help them do anything better, easier, or faster. And to add insult to injury, either charge them an arm and a leg WHEN it breaks, or offer nothing more than a static web PAGE as “support”. Never. So why do I do it? Because I need a fucking job, and I can sell with the best of these software order takers. Souless vomitware is more like it. Lets set up a demo of my non-working, non-tested, over funded, over fussballed, over diet coked out POS system.
A valid reason to put your email address in your signature: your email may get forwarded back and forth by people that don’t have their email clients configured to include the email address along with your name when quoting.
“The world hates cocky entrepreneurs.” I’m not so sure. Being a founder is one of the few positions that lets you boldly envision new kind of world, and gives you the chance to remake it. Some of the best entrepreneurs I’ve met have been cocky as hell — in fact, I’m hard pressed to name one who isn’t.
There’s a buoyant, zesty, effervescent arrogance that is enthralling to behold and enchanting to possess. When you walk into a room and make it hum, it’s one of the best feelings in the world.
Cockiness, when it’s backed by execution and results and glory, is a feather in the cap of the founder, one that few others ever get to wear. I think the argument for humility is bullshit. Those who seek out this life want to ballsily change the world, and that’s not going to come from sitting in the corner and speaking softly.
It’s funny – someone was telling me the same thing today. They said it was a symptom of the Boston culture… we’ll see how I feel in a year.
Since writing this post, I’ll agree with that. That being said, this post was more targeted at young entrepreneurs in Boston with no prior success, no execution, and no glory. When starting out, people (like mentors, advisors, and other entrepreneurs) seem to be more receptive to humility when chatting with aspiring founders.
Great article! I love your style of writing you made great points and made me laugh. I love the tone the whole- I’m sorry, but you’re not “The CEO… bitch.” No one is. Not even Mark Zuckerber.- really had me cracking up.
And as far as your advice- “As much as people hate marketing speak, they also hate cocky entrepreneurs. Be humble, realistic, and confident. The perfect blend of those three attributes will never lead you astray.” is great advice not just in business but in life.
Oh and that unsuck-it website is pretty funny as well.
Can’t even remember how I found your site today, I think it was in a list of awesome website designs, but I must say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring your site and reading this article, I am looking forward to reading more of your stuff! Keep up the great work!