First, the goal for starting a startup is to create value for people
at scale. The
value is the number of people the startup helps
times the delta of value
provided by the current solution versus
the new solution. Value is often
generated through technology
innovation.
Based on this axiom, the following things follow: First, learn
technicals every
day. Learning technicals helps me recruit future
technical talents, think about
technology direction, and gives me
an unfair advantage over non-technical
companies. This is very
predictable, and everyday progress can be measured
clearly. I also found that staying humble is very important
for learning to happen
continuously.
Second, meet and talk with talented people. This is critical; it
helps with future
recruiting and also inspires great ideas.
Surrounding myself with optimistic
people with passion is the
greatest help over the long term.
Lastly, learn to sell and interact with users. The single most
important thing for a
startup in the early phase is finding PMF,
i.e., an important problem that users
really care about. But this
part is very unpredictable, and good ideas need time
and come
naturally when time comes.