11 Tips For First Time Founders
2 min readJan 18, 2018
Y Combinator recently published a collection of advice from some of their portfolio companies — it was great, but very long.
Here is a summary of the top 11 tips, sorted by frequency:
- learn how to properly hire, manage and fire (and, fire fast) — it’s your core job
(9 mentions) - ensure you have a great relationship with co-founders and significant others; deeply think about — and document — how you will handle future scenarios
(6 mentions) - define your customer very precisely & really listen to them
(6 mentions) - avoid hiring too many people (e.g. interns) or overpriced consultants
(5 mentions) - hire and delegate to experienced people; people who are better than you
(4 mentions) - avoid distractions; e.g. building a personal brand, meeting with the wrong investors, conferences
(4 mentions) - find the best process for making the“right” decisions at your company
(4 mentions) - be less adversarial / learn how to take feedback well
(4 mentions) - take care of yourself physically and mentally
(3 mentions) - address the elephant in the room; don’t be afraid to change course if what you’re doing isn’t working
(3 mentions) - worry about money — and learn how to keep track of it
(2 mentions)
The full article can be found here.
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