Y Combinator’s Startup School

Should You Start a Startup?

Types of people best suited to be startup founders

Have resilience.
Ok to have motivations such as wanting to make money, or simply out of curiosity to learn what its like to found a startup.
Be genuinely interested in the problem you are solving, and enjoy working with the people you partner up with.
Start by asking yourself “What do I have to lose?” What is the worst case scenario? Can you live with that? It takes at least a year to figure out if an idea is viable, which means going a year without a salary. Is that something you can absorb financially?
Factor this into the worst case scenario: You will learn a lot from starting a company. This experience is more valuable than anything you can gain working for someone else. Startup founders often end up leading entire product divisions due to their strong experience. Starting a startup can really improve your career opportunities.

How to prepare to be a Startup founder in the future

You’ll want two things: an idea, and a co-founder. Don’t think of these as two separate tasks. Brainstorm with your co-founder from the get go.
If you’re struggling to find people to discuss ideas with, you need to change your environment. The best environment is working at a startup.
If you ever say to yourself “Huh.. It would be cool if someone build X” - That’s the moment to stop and consider can you build an MVP over a weekend?
You’ll need the skills to build products. If you are not a programmer, learn how to. Or, resort to finding a technical co-founder.
Better to build a product that a few people love, than one a lot of people are indifferent towards.

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Essential Reading: How to Get Startup Ideas by Paul Graham.

At its best, starting a startup is merely an ulterior motive for curiosity. And you'll do it best if you introduce the ulterior motive toward the end of the process.

Types of people best suited to be startup founders

Have resilience.

Ok to have motivations such as wanting to make money, or simply out of curiosity to learn what its like to found a startup.

Be genuinely interested in the problem you are solving, and enjoy working with the people you partner up with.

Start by asking yourself “What do I have to lose?” What is the worst case scenario? Can you live with that? It takes at least a year to figure out if an idea is viable, which means going a year without a salary. Is that something you can absorb financially?

Factor this into the worst case scenario: You will learn a lot from starting a company. This experience is more valuable than anything you can gain working for someone else. Startup founders often end up leading entire product divisions due to their strong experience. Starting a startup can really improve your career opportunities.

How to prepare to be a Startup founder in the future

You’ll want two things: an idea, and a co-founder. Don’t think of these as two separate tasks. Brainstorm with your co-founder from the get go.

If you’re struggling to find people to discuss ideas with, you need to change your environment. The best environment is working at a startup.

If you ever say to yourself “Huh.. It would be cool if someone build X” - That’s the moment to stop and consider can you build an MVP over a weekend?

You’ll need the skills to build products. If you are not a programmer, learn how to. Or, resort to finding a technical co-founder.

Better to build a product that a few people love, than one a lot of people are indifferent towards.

At its best, starting a startup is merely an ulterior motive for curiosity. And you'll do it best if you introduce the ulterior motive toward the end of the process.