What startups are really like

Wednesday, Oct 28 2009 | Filed in: business and technology

Paul Graham, one of the partners at startup incubator Y Combinator, surveyed a broad range of startup founders to identify the things that “surprised them the most” about the process. The list of 20 items is an odd mix of completely unsurprising and extremely insightful – and I have to admit that as the founder of an agency, I can relate.

Unconsciously, everyone expects a startup to be like a job, and that explains most of the surprises. It explains why people are surprised how carefully you have to choose cofounders and how hard you have to work to maintain your relationship. You don't have to do that with coworkers. It explains why the ups and downs are surprisingly extreme. In a job there is much more damping. But it also explains why the good times are surprisingly good: most people can't imagine such freedom. As you go down the list, almost all the surprises are surprising in how much a startup differs from a job.

-posted by Paul

Tags: Ycombinator, startups