Reason #1: You have better things to be doing with your time.
This is 100% true. You should be doing better things. If you’re here because you’re interested in entrepreneurship, you should just get back to building your company. Reading this blog won’t get you customers, won’t get your employees hired, won’t write new code. If you’re not working on a start-up, go for a run or spend more time with your friends or family–just don’t waste your time with yet another blog!
Reason #2: You have better places to get advice
Also 100% true. I recommend you start with Paul Graham, Brad Feld, Fred Wilson, Mark Suster, Guy Kawasaki, Venture Hacks, and a daily check-in at Hacker News, Once you’ve read those, you really should be well prepared to start your company–see Reason #1.
Reason #3: You shouldn’t trust my advice
Duh. I haven’t sold a company (yet). I’ve been wrong on most things before. I’ll probably be wrong on most of this stuff as well.
Reason #4: You shouldn’t listen to
hypocrites
I’m a hypocrite. I got an MBA and am now writing a blog in which I talk about why MBAs are so bad at running start-ups. Wow, hypocrisy all over the place! I’m not even claiming humility!
you were warned.
First 4 Posts
I pre-wrote the first few blog posts–Here’s what you can look forward to in the next few days:
- Beware of MBAs! The MBA curriculum teaches startup failure
- Why humility is inversely correlated with MBAs
- Dear MBAs, here’s how not to ask for an internship
- Spend $485. Put an end to Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome and other types of insomnia.
First 4 Themes
I’ve tried to pick up a few themes that would be helpful. Like any agile process, it’s only a rough draft…but here are the first thoughts
- Dear MBAs
- Y Combinator
- FlightCaster
- LIfe Hacks
I started preparing for this blog by randomly listing 50 or so blog posts I’d like to write. My favorite theme that emerged is the Dear MBAs theme. The title of my blog came about after realizing just how often I get contacted from MBAs that haven’t been humbled yet–and their lack of humility is one of their biggest character flaws when it comes to working on start-ups. I’m not anti-MBA and I loved my Tuck exerpience, but I do believe an MBA without humility is worse than no degree at all. There are some great examples of MBAs learning to run great startups–they all seem to talk about this humility theme along the way.
The Y Combinator theme is a no-brainer. One of the easiest services I can do for my readers is help them understand what it’s like and what it takes to get in. Along those lines, I’ll share our overall experiences fundraising as well.
The FlightCaster theme is also a no-brainer. Yes, that means this is yet another, let-me-tell-you-about-my-startup…blog. I promise to try to make it all useful stuff. There are a lot of things we did well and not so well–I’ll share them both.
The Fighting Insomnia post is part of a larger Life-Hacker style theme. Entrepreneurs are often afflicted by similar ‘ailments’ Get a group of successful entrepreneurs in the room, and you’ll find all spectrums of OCD, manic-depression, ADHD, social anxiety, fear of structure, insomnia and more. I seem to have all of these working against me at one time or another (or for me depending on the perspective). I also buy just about every gadget out there for addressing them. I’ll share what works and what doesn’t.
These four themes were the easiest to quickly brainstorm. Any requests? What else are you interested in?
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I’m Jason Freedman. I co-founded FlightCaster.
I would be remiss not to recommend the following opportunity: @JasonFreedman.
Don’t be shy. You can send me a Linkedin request or become my bff on Facebook.