13 June 2012
How to get your start as an Entrepreneur
by Joel Turnbull
We recently witnessed an email conversation between a local student
entrepreneur, Paul Baechtold, and
Gaslight’s very own Lean Startup authority, Bill Barnett.
The content speaks for itself and requires little introduction. We thought the
conversation sparked by Paul, and the advice that follows, was both valuable
and universal. If you have a great idea, and the drive to make it a reality,
but are stifled by uncertainty about where and how to start, read on.
From: Paul Baechtold
I am a student-entrepreneur at Miami University looking to start a tech start-
up, but unfortunately am lacking in the development aspect of the idea. I
think I have an idea with huge potential, and really just need a talented
developer or two to get it up and running. I hope to then apply to incubators
across the country once the platform is live. Would love to hear back from
someone if there is any interest in learning more about the idea. Thanks!
From: Bill Barnett
Hello Paul,
We love talking with entrepreneurs. Believe it or not, the first thing we
typically do when speaking with them is try to convince them that they’re not
ready for custom software. This may seem odd given that we make our living
primarily writing custom software for our clients but unless the relationship
we have with our clients is mutually beneficial chances are we’ll both wind up
unhappy with the outcome.
Let’s discuss that “mutually beneficial” part. For our part, we’re confident
that we can provide quality software. We’ve done so for established companies
in the Bay area to startups in our own backyard. What we’re concerned about is
building the highest quality software that no one will ever use. Ensuring that
your idea, your vision is of value to enough users to merit its construction
is your part.
We’re big fans of the lean startup movement and as much as it pains us to say
it, often the first thing to do with a startup idea is not to write code; it’s
to state the assumptions about your idea, develop falsifiable hypotheses about
those assumptions, and then test them rigorously.
Still want to be an entrepreneur? We hope so because many of our best clients
started right where you’re standing today. So how would we recommend that you
proceed? We think you should read three books. They are:
Given your stated goal, we can assure you that an entrepreneur with an idea
that has been vetted using the processes documented in these books is far more
attractive to tech incubators than a polished application that no one is
using. We hope you’ll give serious consideration to this advice.
Of course we’d still appreciate an opportunity to chat with you about your
idea. If that sounds worthwhile to you just send me a reply or call my
cellphone (listed below) and we’ll arrange for a chat. We wish you the best
with your studies and with your career as an entrepreneur. I hope to have the
opportunity to speak with you soon.
Regards,
Bill Barnett
