If you are a student, don't try to do this. Instead, stay at college as much as possible to leverage the network. If you've dropped out of college, try to crash on a friend's couch till he/she gets annoyed and kicks you out. For everyone else, unless your gut is wrenching from a feeling that the solar system will stop expanding without you, go find a job, save some money, get some advice and then try to stumble upon a startup idea along the way. This op-ed makes sense if your idea has been validated and you are struggling to bootstrap/raise angel investment. The time value of money is clearly neglected here, the amount of time you spend trying to live frugally can instead be spent in raising money.