The reason why I know I would be better off is because his writings, to me, are like a startup GPS that talks. “So you want to start a startup? Alright then. Get the right gear man, and let’s go! North is this direction.”
A little later, the GPS talks again, “Read the sign posts, watch your head, duck – OUCH! That must have hurt. Here’s some hydrogen peroxide for that cut. Get back up, keep going.”
A little later, the GPS talks again: “You’re going the wrong way. Make sure to go West at the next crossroads and then go Northeast. Say what? No. Absolutely not! No R&R right now. Here, have some ramen and a drink of water. Keep walking.”
That is the kind of direction I need and needed.
It’s not that the compass I was using before was bad. It’s just that it did not, and does not, fit with the web-based startup in my head. The compass was based on numerous books on how to start your own business, non-profit organizations that provided free courses on drafting a business plan, a marketing plan, creating the projected financials (all of it is guess work so does anyone really take it seriously?), understanding a P&L statement, seminars on how to get investor funding, and legal advice, etc. It’s obvious to me now, that none of these folk were from Silicon Valley. A web-based startup does not fit into the mainstream way of doing things.
It sounds odd for someone like me, who is not a hacker, to be inspired by Paul Graham's writings. Believe you me, Hackers & Painters was like reading about a foreign world with its own culture, language, and way of life. Fascinating. It’s like a secret society that only the ones in it understand. Kind of like the Freemasons and their secret codes. I could never be a part of their world, but I feel confident when I say that I get it, I get their passion. And even though I am not a hacker, my idea needs one to make it happen, and this is why Paul Graham’s writings are a gift.
No comments:
Post a Comment