How can I find a partner for a startup?
4 comments
Start posting some of your ideas to your blog and if they are good enough and interesting, people will find you.
Also remember that just being an idea person may be synonym to being lazy.
The same way ideas are worth nothing without good execution, idea people are worth next to nothing for most startups. Startups run on tight schedules and insane amount of dedication and hard work. The idea of one founder sitting in the couch and sprouting out ideas may not resonate well with the technical people you are looking for.
Also remember that just being an idea person may be synonym to being lazy.
The same way ideas are worth nothing without good execution, idea people are worth next to nothing for most startups. Startups run on tight schedules and insane amount of dedication and hard work. The idea of one founder sitting in the couch and sprouting out ideas may not resonate well with the technical people you are looking for.
I am not a programmer by trade. This does not make me lazy, it makes me a school teacher, and a geek with an idea.
Nothing more nothing less. And I never said I was looking for technical people there are half a billion Indians I can hire to build something for me.
It's a partner in crime I seek young Padawan not a programmer. I honestly don't even care if the person can program "hello world" as long as I have someone to work with me to implement my ideas and to make them better.
I suppose I could go to school for another 4 years and try and learn how to program but I really have no desire to learn programming, nor do I have the time. But that far from makes me lazy.
Nothing more nothing less. And I never said I was looking for technical people there are half a billion Indians I can hire to build something for me.
It's a partner in crime I seek young Padawan not a programmer. I honestly don't even care if the person can program "hello world" as long as I have someone to work with me to implement my ideas and to make them better.
I suppose I could go to school for another 4 years and try and learn how to program but I really have no desire to learn programming, nor do I have the time. But that far from makes me lazy.
Fellow HN-ers. Please don't feed the troll. Just flag.
I came in here to ask a simple question, was attacked and insulted and now I'm being called a troll. Amazing. You people really need to get out more.
I don't need an idea person, I need a designer who sleeps with the CSS3 standard next to their pillow for most of my projects.
Could you share with those looking at this post what you can offer other than this idea?
Could you share with those looking at this post what you can offer other than this idea?
Well, I think that the idea is the most important part of any project.
If your ideas suck then your product will suck as well. Any monkey can bang out code, if there is not a good idea behind it then it's just a bunch of useless text on a screen. A person has to have a vision.
I am not a programmer, It's not my trade, however, I don't think that you have to sleep with CSS3 book in order to have a revolutionary idea. Not to mention I am not asking anyone for anything, and I am not offering anyone anything. Outsourcing is cheap these days so finding a person to build it is not a problem for me; the problem is I doubt myself and I doubt my ideas. I think I have an awesome idea, yet I don't completely trust my own judgement enough to sink my life savings into.
Which is why I need a partner. That is all I was getting at. I am not looking to throw an idea at someone and say "Build it while I sit on the couch and throw out ideas like our friend above suggested."
If your ideas suck then your product will suck as well. Any monkey can bang out code, if there is not a good idea behind it then it's just a bunch of useless text on a screen. A person has to have a vision.
I am not a programmer, It's not my trade, however, I don't think that you have to sleep with CSS3 book in order to have a revolutionary idea. Not to mention I am not asking anyone for anything, and I am not offering anyone anything. Outsourcing is cheap these days so finding a person to build it is not a problem for me; the problem is I doubt myself and I doubt my ideas. I think I have an awesome idea, yet I don't completely trust my own judgement enough to sink my life savings into.
Which is why I need a partner. That is all I was getting at. I am not looking to throw an idea at someone and say "Build it while I sit on the couch and throw out ideas like our friend above suggested."
You are so far down the path of fruitlessness already and you do not even see it.
Any monkey can bang out code
You have already failed. True anyone can write some bug riddled piece of dog snot. But programming and development is a creative endeavor. AKA an art. Jut as my kid can knock out a stick figure in art class, it does not make his work a Rembrandt. Sure it's art and "anyone can bang out art" but when I go and try to sell my child's art as a masterpiece, well we both know what the revenues are going to look like.
You already have a respect for the profession that is going to put you at odds with the kind of people that you would need, to get you anywhere further than a failed project. These people don't need you or your idea. They are creative they have plenty of their own projects and they respect their craft and only work with others that respect their craft.
As for the idea thing, it is worthless absolutely worthless, you need to understand that first and foremost. Great ideas fail in the market place for all kinds of reasons, it does not guarantee success. So you have to ask yourself what I am going to contribute and you need to be able to communicate that to a perspective partner.
You need to be able to say, hey I have this great idea for a product. I can't write code, but I am great at sales and marketing or accounting or business development or X. Or you need to be able to say, actually I can't do anything but I am going to bankroll the whole thing. Those are valid but if all you have is an idea and you want someone else to put in the sweat to bring your idea to life while you sit back and come up with ideas, well then you are SOL.
Any monkey can bang out code
You have already failed. True anyone can write some bug riddled piece of dog snot. But programming and development is a creative endeavor. AKA an art. Jut as my kid can knock out a stick figure in art class, it does not make his work a Rembrandt. Sure it's art and "anyone can bang out art" but when I go and try to sell my child's art as a masterpiece, well we both know what the revenues are going to look like.
You already have a respect for the profession that is going to put you at odds with the kind of people that you would need, to get you anywhere further than a failed project. These people don't need you or your idea. They are creative they have plenty of their own projects and they respect their craft and only work with others that respect their craft.
As for the idea thing, it is worthless absolutely worthless, you need to understand that first and foremost. Great ideas fail in the market place for all kinds of reasons, it does not guarantee success. So you have to ask yourself what I am going to contribute and you need to be able to communicate that to a perspective partner.
You need to be able to say, hey I have this great idea for a product. I can't write code, but I am great at sales and marketing or accounting or business development or X. Or you need to be able to say, actually I can't do anything but I am going to bankroll the whole thing. Those are valid but if all you have is an idea and you want someone else to put in the sweat to bring your idea to life while you sit back and come up with ideas, well then you are SOL.
Sorry, but in the real world no one cares how beautiful your code is. Do you think any one of the 500,000,000 facebook users cares how beautiful the code is? I don't think so. So, coming back the the real world I have an idea for a BUSINESS, not a piece of art.
Good luck to you sir.
Please help me to understand what makes you think I came in here to beg for a programmer?
Hi ...
Just saying.
> Please help me to understand what makes you think
> I came in here to beg for a programmer?
> I am not a programmer ...
> ... I have dozens of ideas jumping around in my head,
> ... The problem is I need a partner.
> I can't create this by myself.
Just saying.
Partner is not synonymous with "Programmer". At least not in English not sure where you come from. Learn to read and stop being an asshole.
Hi again,
You asked what it was that you had said that made people think you wanted a programmer, and I answered. I agree with you entirely that "partner" is not synonymous with "programmer", but the context of your writing gave that impression. From other comments it seems clear that I wasn't the only one who thought you must have meant "partner who is a programmer."
You keep telling people to "learn to read," but multiple people have come to the same conclusions as each other which were clearly not the conclusions you intended. Maybe, then, it's not their fault.
Perhaps you should learn how to write so as to be misunderstood less often. It's not easy, I know, but it might repay your efforts.
So whatever your fantastic idea might be, good luck with finding a partner, programming or otherwise, to discuss it. I have to say that your comments here make me believe in unlikely you'll have a productive exchange, but I've been wrong before.
You asked what it was that you had said that made people think you wanted a programmer, and I answered. I agree with you entirely that "partner" is not synonymous with "programmer", but the context of your writing gave that impression. From other comments it seems clear that I wasn't the only one who thought you must have meant "partner who is a programmer."
You keep telling people to "learn to read," but multiple people have come to the same conclusions as each other which were clearly not the conclusions you intended. Maybe, then, it's not their fault.
Perhaps you should learn how to write so as to be misunderstood less often. It's not easy, I know, but it might repay your efforts.
So whatever your fantastic idea might be, good luck with finding a partner, programming or otherwise, to discuss it. I have to say that your comments here make me believe in unlikely you'll have a productive exchange, but I've been wrong before.
>Well, I think that the idea is the most important part of any project.
You haven't been here long, I take it.
Generally speaking, anyone with any measurable experience in startups and business will tell you that execution is what counts.
>If your ideas suck then your product will suck as well.
YC doesn't even care much about the idea when they're vetting startups, they care more about the individual character of the cofounders and the work ethic embodied in the state of the current project.
Team cohesion > idea. You can always pivot, which many YC startups have done.
>Any monkey can bang out code
That rather mistaken idea has earned me a great deal of money. I've taken quite the schadenfreude out of charging businesses money for cleaning up/redoing the utter horrors that the outsourced indian teams produce.
If you really believe this, put your money where your mouth is and hire a remote team from Mumbai. I'll be happy to throw you a rag for your tears of blood when you come back in here screaming for a real professional.
>I am not a programmer, It's not my trade
That was implicit in your insulting the entire field that most of the people on this site have dedicated their lives too. An excellent start towards finding someone willing to work on your ego^H^H^H idea.
>however, I don't think that you have to sleep with CSS3 book
The point is passion.
>I am not offering anyone anything
That became clear already.
>Outsourcing is cheap...a person to build...not a problem
Cf. bloody tears, schmucks like you making messes for me to charge top-dollar to clean up, etc.
>yet I don't completely trust my own judgement enough to sink my life savings into.
So you're faithless, talentless, lazy, unwilling to put your money down, but willing to waste someone else's time?
Charming.
>I am not looking to throw an idea at someone and say "Build it while I sit on the couch and throw out ideas like our friend above suggested."
That's exactly the meaning your every sentence and clause has built towards.
Good luck, I'll have a good chuckle when you make another account and try to slither past this critique instead of trying to grok or absorb it.
You haven't been here long, I take it.
Generally speaking, anyone with any measurable experience in startups and business will tell you that execution is what counts.
>If your ideas suck then your product will suck as well.
YC doesn't even care much about the idea when they're vetting startups, they care more about the individual character of the cofounders and the work ethic embodied in the state of the current project.
Team cohesion > idea. You can always pivot, which many YC startups have done.
>Any monkey can bang out code
That rather mistaken idea has earned me a great deal of money. I've taken quite the schadenfreude out of charging businesses money for cleaning up/redoing the utter horrors that the outsourced indian teams produce.
If you really believe this, put your money where your mouth is and hire a remote team from Mumbai. I'll be happy to throw you a rag for your tears of blood when you come back in here screaming for a real professional.
>I am not a programmer, It's not my trade
That was implicit in your insulting the entire field that most of the people on this site have dedicated their lives too. An excellent start towards finding someone willing to work on your ego^H^H^H idea.
>however, I don't think that you have to sleep with CSS3 book
The point is passion.
>I am not offering anyone anything
That became clear already.
>Outsourcing is cheap...a person to build...not a problem
Cf. bloody tears, schmucks like you making messes for me to charge top-dollar to clean up, etc.
>yet I don't completely trust my own judgement enough to sink my life savings into.
So you're faithless, talentless, lazy, unwilling to put your money down, but willing to waste someone else's time?
Charming.
>I am not looking to throw an idea at someone and say "Build it while I sit on the couch and throw out ideas like our friend above suggested."
That's exactly the meaning your every sentence and clause has built towards.
Good luck, I'll have a good chuckle when you make another account and try to slither past this critique instead of trying to grok or absorb it.
If you were not such an asshole to me in the first place there would be no problem. I came here to ask a simple question and you instantly assumed I am some stupid child coming here to beg for your 1337 skillz. yes, I am angry you insulted me and spoke to me like i'm an idiot because I'm not a programmer. You need to work on your people skills friend, seriously.
So what you're saying is basically anyone who is not a programmer is a lazy idiot and has no place in this world
Wow, I understand now why you sleep with a book, because no human being in their right mind would ever do so without the use of force.
Wow, I understand now why you sleep with a book, because no human being in their right mind would ever do so without the use of force.
>So what you're saying is basically anyone who is not a programmer is a lazy idiot and has no place in this world
False
>Wow, I understand now why you sleep with a book
I didn't say that I did. I'm going to assume from here that you're not a native English speaker
>because no human being in their right mind would ever do so without the use of force
Or a paranoid schizophrenic. Either way.
I actively seek out non-programmers to work with on side projects/startups, I just don't seek out lazy people who haven't read a single thing about startups, startup culture, or how to increase your odds of success, or how YC picks the 'winners'.
False
>Wow, I understand now why you sleep with a book
I didn't say that I did. I'm going to assume from here that you're not a native English speaker
>because no human being in their right mind would ever do so without the use of force
Or a paranoid schizophrenic. Either way.
I actively seek out non-programmers to work with on side projects/startups, I just don't seek out lazy people who haven't read a single thing about startups, startup culture, or how to increase your odds of success, or how YC picks the 'winners'.
I just don't seek out lazy people who haven't read a single thing about
startups, startup culture, or how to increase your odds of success, or how
YC picks the 'winners'.
I am going to consider from now on that you don't understand how to read.
I don't, nor did I ever say that I need YC funding you tool. I have money I don't want anything from anyone, I am not looking
for a handout, if you could read you would understand that from my first post.
I understand that sub-par programmers like you are a dime a dozen these days and that makes you pissed but you think twice
before you criticize someone for no reason it's impolite and makes you look like a real asshole.
I don't, nor did I ever say that I need YC funding you tool. I have money I don't want anything from anyone, I am not looking
for a handout, if you could read you would understand that from my first post.
I understand that sub-par programmers like you are a dime a dozen these days and that makes you pissed but you think twice
before you criticize someone for no reason it's impolite and makes you look like a real asshole.
You've been irrational and angry the whole time (not that telling you will change anything)
I'll side with how the community is voting on this one.
Your behavior isn't appropriate, and it's obvious that you haven't spent any time learning the culture here.
It's not so much being able to repeat programmer shibboleths, you've just not used your time in this community wisely.
The point isn't to seek YC funding, I don't have any interest in that right now as I'm not aiming to do that kind of startup.
The point is that PG is a great deal more experienced, level-headed, and intelligent than any newbie founder would be. One should try to use his knowledge.
Don't make a mess in this typically polite community. Act out your tantrum with me privately.
Don't make ad hominems here, they don't fly well.
While you're reading some interviews of PG, check out:
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Emphasis:
I'll side with how the community is voting on this one.
Your behavior isn't appropriate, and it's obvious that you haven't spent any time learning the culture here.
It's not so much being able to repeat programmer shibboleths, you've just not used your time in this community wisely.
The point isn't to seek YC funding, I don't have any interest in that right now as I'm not aiming to do that kind of startup.
The point is that PG is a great deal more experienced, level-headed, and intelligent than any newbie founder would be. One should try to use his knowledge.
Don't make a mess in this typically polite community. Act out your tantrum with me privately.
Don't make ad hominems here, they don't fly well.
While you're reading some interviews of PG, check out:
http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
Emphasis:
In Comments
Be civil. Don't say things you wouldn't say in a face to face conversation.
When disagreeing, please reply to the argument instead of calling names.BTW, I know some very talented Indian programmers who could probably blow your socks off.
It must really be lonely being you.
Work at home in your little loft in NY, pay hookers to sleep with you because of your complete lack people skills.
I would not wipe my ass with anything your silly little hands had touched.
I would rather let my children eat garbage than feed them with money from something you had a part in.
And you're a raciest and an narcissist to boot! Good LUCK to you and your life.
Ps. The next time you are at home, alone and heating up your 14th package of Ramen noodles consider doing the human race a favor and follow the instructions in this link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_methods
It must really be lonely being you.
Work at home in your little loft in NY, pay hookers to sleep with you because of your complete lack people skills.
I would not wipe my ass with anything your silly little hands had touched.
I would rather let my children eat garbage than feed them with money from something you had a part in.
And you're a raciest and an narcissist to boot! Good LUCK to you and your life.
Ps. The next time you are at home, alone and heating up your 14th package of Ramen noodles consider doing the human race a favor and follow the instructions in this link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_methods
At any time I have dozens of ideas jumping around in my head, most are nothing but occasionally I have one that I think has some real substance. I had one recently about how to transform email into the 21st century. (No it's not a Wave clone)
And I think I came up with something completely unique and awesome. The problem is I need a partner. I can't create this by myself.
I spoke to a developer about the idea and the cost is not the real problem. The biggest problem I face now is self doubt. I have no one to question me. No one to tell me my ideas suck or that they are awesome. No one to help me tweak a design or a feature and no one to help me expand my idea into something worth while.
My question is how do I find someone to listen to my ideas (take them and me seriously) and possibly join me in the pursuit of the geek dream?
Ps. [email protected] if anyone is interested :D