Starting a Lawnmower and The Myth of the Viral Start Up | Hacker News Reader

Starting a Lawnmower and The Myth of the Viral Start Up

news.ziad.com

32 pointsrishi9 comments

My problem seems to be finding a way to prime the pump[1]. Where do you find users from? My difficulties trying several alternatives -- finding people to talk to, using ads on facebook, google -- show me the importance of picking a good idea.

[1] My project: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1306313

Search public tweets and Facebook/FriendFeed posts for people experiencing Google Reader overload. Tell them specifically how readwarp solves their problem. You can probably get another 10 users that way in a month. How many users do you want to get to?

Yes, that's a start. Thanks.

Many people wish for their startup to be like a lawnmower thats already been started

I thoroughly disagree with this; getting everything set up just right is part of the fun of working for a startup.

The crapiness comes from the jobs you can't outsource. For me, things like staying on top of invoices and doing the petty little jobs that mean your cheap-as-chips accountant still does his job, these are the bits that I find difficult on a not-yet-profitable startup.

I think the myth comes from things like "4 hour work week" which push the dream that you can start a company to run on autopilot and just generate income for you.

While I'm sure there are exceptions, most startups are hard work and that work isn't going to magically disappear someday.

I don't disagree with anything you've said.

To me the article didn't read like an anti-"Get rich on the internet" which is why I've questioned its premise that people don't enjoy getting started.

Are you really disagreeing that many people want that? It sounds more like you just aren't part of the "many" that Ziad is referring to.

Yes, I disagree that many people like getting started on projects that they personally enjoy. If you enjoy programming, that's one thing, the same for writers, musicians and my girlfriend when faced with a dirty bathroom :)

It might be hard work, but I'd much rather be out mowing the lawn than stuck in a cube.

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