PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

One of the advantages of having kids is that when you give advice to people, you can ask yourself what you would tell your own kids, which really focuses you.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Startups are very counterintuitive, and you cannot trust your intuitions all the time; if you follow your instincts, they will lead you astray.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Learning to ski is similar to learning about startups; both require suppressing your initial instincts to succeed.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Startups are as unnatural as skiing, and there is a list of counterintuitive things you have to remember to prevent your instincts from leading you astray.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you remember nothing else, remember that startups are so weird that if you follow your instincts, they will lead you astray.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Founders often ignore the advice of YC Partners about mistakes they are about to make, and they come back later wishing they had listened.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Counterintuitive ideas contradict your intuitions, which is why founders often ignore them; they seem wrong at first.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

What you need to succeed in a startup is not expertise in startups, but expertise in your own users.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Mark Zuckerberg succeeded with Facebook not because he was an expert in startups, but because he understood his users very well.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Young founders often go through the motions of starting a startup without focusing on the essential task of making something people want.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The best way to convince investors is to start a startup that is actually doing well, meaning it is growing fast.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Gaming the system may work in big companies, but in startups, it doesn't; you can't trick users, only provide what they want.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you start a startup, it will take over your life to a degree that you cannot imagine, and if it succeeds, it will dominate your life for years.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Starting a startup is similar to having kids; it changes your life irrevocably and comes with significant opportunity costs.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Starting a startup in college is not advisable; you should focus on being a real student instead.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

There are things you can do in your early 20s that you cannot do as well before or after, like exploring projects on a whim.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you start a startup at 20 and it is successful, you will miss out on experiences that are valuable for personal growth.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Starting a startup is really hard, and you can't predict how tough and ambitious you will become through the process.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you're merely unsure about starting a startup, the only way to find out is to try it.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you want to start a startup one day, focus on two things: having a good idea and finding co-founders.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The way to come up with good startup ideas is not to try to think of them consciously; instead, take a step back and let your mind work on them unconsciously.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The best startup ideas often begin as side projects because they are outliers that your conscious mind might reject as viable business ideas.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

To develop a mindset that generates startup ideas unconsciously, learn a lot about things that matter, work on problems that interest you, and collaborate with people you respect.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

You don't need to be an expert in technology to start a successful company; working on things that challenge you is more important.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Many successful entrepreneurs have worked on problems that others deemed unimportant, often against the advice of their parents.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

To identify real problems worth solving, focus on your interests and work on things that genuinely engage you, even if they seem trivial to others.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The best way to prepare for a startup is to pursue genuinely interesting problems, as this aligns with your natural curiosity and passion.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you want to be a successful startup founder, focus on learning powerful concepts rather than pursuing a vocational education in entrepreneurship.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The key to success in startups is domain expertise, which comes from genuine interest rather than ulterior motives.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The ultimate advice for aspiring startup founders is simply to learn as much as you can.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Business school may not provide the skills necessary for early-stage startups; practical experience and learning by doing are more effective.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Management becomes a problem only when you're successful; ideally, you should be successful before hiring additional team members.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

The first hires in a startup should be motivated by the same passion as the founders, rather than being managed like traditional employees.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

High valuations do not necessarily indicate a bubble; a bubble involves knowingly overpaying for something with the hope of selling it to someone else at a higher price.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Successful startups often emerge from side projects that were not initially intended to be businesses, as seen with companies like Twitter.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

To identify what matters in technology, look for interesting problems at the leading edge of innovation.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

If you find working on boring tasks intolerable, it may indicate that you have a taste for genuinely interesting problems.

PG

Paul Graham

03/19/17

@ Y Combinator

Hiring people you like can lead to a monoculture, but the benefits of collaboration often outweigh the disadvantages.

Before the Startup with Paul Graham (How to Start a Startup 2014: Lecture 3)

Takeaways