91
92
93
How to Become a Must-Have
Most real startups don’t grow like this: Instead, most successful startups grow like this: Those initial loops are unsuccessful attempts to create a product people want to use. The problem is those…
94
95
Why I Sold My Startup to Google
Shortly after the sale closed, John Cook interviewed me about the experience. He did a great job of transcribing all of my verbal gems, like “Maybe that is an economic way of looking at it, or something that I am unfamiliar with.” I’m not even sure what that means. It was the best I could muster in the middle of a…
96
97
98
My startup story: from big idea to thriving business in 8 short years
In the summer of 2003 while still working for my first startup I’ve got a “big idea”: social news reader. Imagine something like Google Reader with Priority Inbox and social recommendations. I was thinking about it day and night. I couldn’t sleep and was working through it in my head while lying awake in bed. I’ve got…
99
100
101
ShoeFitr: The company Amazon must buy immediately
by Paul Hontz
102
103
104
Applying to YC as a Single Founder
In a comment I made on Hacker News , I expressed my desire to write an article about the differences and misconceptions between being a single-founder and having co-founders. This is not that article, but it is related. The application for YC W12 is open, and in response to my comment I received a few emails asking…
105
106
107
How to Make Wealth
May 2004 (This essay was originally published in Hackers & Painters .) If you wanted to get rich, how would you do it? I think your best bet would be to start or join a startup. That's been a reliable way to get rich for hundreds of years. The word "startup" dates from the 1960s, but what happens in one is very…
108
You Can’t Make Money Charging $1 Per Month
Photo by Images of Money I recently received the following question from a reader: When we spoke at a recent conference] I had been thinking of a $1/month price point [for my product aimed at teachers] to make it a “no-brainer,” and you strongly advised against it, suggesting $5-7 at a mini
109
110
111
112
113
114
Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out – The Startup Genome Project
In April 2010 I received an email that said, “I’m an incoming Stanford student in the fall and working on a project that a number of people suggested I get in touch with you about.̶…
115
Don't try this at home. How credit card arbitrage funded my first company.
Getting a startup off the ground takes time, talent, and money. Time can be stolen from various parts of your life with some determination and prioritization. Talent can be eventually learned or acquired with cofounders. Money’s different. You can do a lot of things to reduce the need for money, but it usually takes…
116
117
118
A Stupid Idea, 1 Year After Launching on HN
iDoneThis had the humblest of beginnings, and in a year’s time, we’ve gone from a stupid idea to having helped people get over 500,000 things done. It’s been an incredible year. On December 17, 2010, Rodrigo wrote me the following email. The title of the email was “stupid idea”. A daily “what did you achieve [...]
119
120
