Lecture 3 - Before the Startup (Paul Graham)
Lecture Transcript: tech.genius.com/Paul-graham-le...
Paul Graham delivers an informative (and highly amusing) talk, addressing counterintuitive parts of startups, in Lecture 3 of How to Start a Startup.
See the readings at startupclass.samaltman.com/courses/lec03/
Discuss this lecture: startupclass.co/courses/how-t...
This video is under Creative Commons license: creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Пікірлер: 479
This video is gold. Those who are complaining about the speaker's attitude probably have no experience with a startup. He's the perfect speaker. No bullshit, no fluff. And the best part is that he keeps focused on what matters, rather than getting sidetracked by irrelevant theory. In the startup world, most people will WASTE YOUR TIME with abstract motivational fluff.
@snowman7234
4 жыл бұрын
100%, could not agree more.
@RasHmiR91
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for highlighting this!
@pfdemuizon
2 жыл бұрын
"Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics."
@aguilarcruz215
2 жыл бұрын
S
@ryanbennett6801
Жыл бұрын
Sup Ryan
hum...Great lecture
@SagefulSolutions
7 жыл бұрын
LOLOLOL! Even more funny on 2x speed.
@azs2152
3 жыл бұрын
I was confused by this...I’m no longer am
@podium732
2 жыл бұрын
HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM :))
@maniac50ae14
Жыл бұрын
You'll never get as many likes as the amount of times he said, "humm"
@RC404
Жыл бұрын
@@maniac50ae14 🤣
there is a sense of purity (no showoff, no jargons, talk like average dude, be natural self) in Paul Graham!!
@AlbertNikanorovtscosj
8 жыл бұрын
***** hmmmm
@abcdxx1059
6 жыл бұрын
Saurabh Hooda 3 yrs ago
@abcdxx1059
6 жыл бұрын
Saurabh Hooda hey do you have a start-up
@movocode
3 жыл бұрын
Paul Gra...hum...
@3nityC
Жыл бұрын
Are you easily annoyed?
Counterintuitive points 1. 1:25 Startups are so weird, that if you follow your instincts, they will lead you astray (You can trust your instincts about people.) 2. 5:28 What you need to succeed in a startup, is not expertise in a startup. What you need is expertise in your own users. (Don't go through the motions of having a startup, focus only on making something people want) 3. 11:25 Starting a startup is where gaming the system stops working. 4. 14:30 Startups are all consuming. (Don't start a startup at college) 5. 21:50 Starting a startup is really hard, and you can't tell if you'll be any good at it! (It's unlikely you have any comparable experiences to indicate whether you'll be able to do it) 6. 24:35 The way to get startup ideas is not to try think of startup ideas. The way to come up with good startup ideas is to take a step back, turn your brain into the type of brain that has startup ideas unconsciously, so unconsciously that you don't even realize that they are startup ideas. How to turn your brain into the type that has startup ideas unconsciously; 1) learn a lot about things that matter 2) work on problems that interest you 3) with people you like and respect. The best way to prepare yourself for a startup is to gratify your interest in genuinely interesting problems. A good place to look for interesting problems is on the leading edge of technology. If you want to start a startup; what should you be doing now in college. You only need two things, an idea and cofounders. And the way you do this, is to follow Counterintuitive point #6. The component of entrepreneurship that really matters is domain expertise, see Counterintuitive point #2. The ultimate advice to young would be startup founders is; JUST LEARN.
@Him_Dante
Жыл бұрын
Not all heroes wear capes. But I’m pretty sure you do ! 🤧 Thanks for the advice, Tomas.
@eliasn.9960
7 ай бұрын
Thanks a lot :)
Isn't it so fascinating to think. A boy living in mountains of Nepal can hear Paul Graham lectures. wow boom 💥💥 💥 💥
@bikashkaziswar6271
2 ай бұрын
It’s been a year , did you use it🌻
@Lens_lores
2 ай бұрын
@@bikashkaziswar6271i am from nepal and i am gonna soon
@sushildeshmukh1904
Ай бұрын
india
@st_evengm9811
28 күн бұрын
Basically I am kind of that boy watching the video from Costa Rica, so yes you are rigth, it is facinating.
I was going to stop watching this video because of the comments, however surprisingly I continued and could say that this was probably the most informational video I’ve ever watched.
No BS, listen to him guys. I've been starting and trying startups for 6 years, he really knows the deal.
Paul Gra-hum...
@pancanitamanalu9041
4 жыл бұрын
he hummm alot.
@Everything00523
3 жыл бұрын
😂
@meghaseth5815
3 жыл бұрын
I CAN'T STOP NOTICING IT NOW!!!! 😭
@nuwandakoh
3 жыл бұрын
i knew this was coming in the comment section i knew it!!!
@samuelh5
3 жыл бұрын
Goddamnit I didn’t notice this before... knowledge is a curse
He is so good. I absolutely love his dialogue delivery.
What a legend. Love his essays. Changed my life.
Wow. I'm gonna rewatch this slowly, pausing and taking notes. This is a great video!
I'll never afford a place like Stanford, seriously- thank you so much for access to these lessons!
Anyone thinking of starting a startup should start with this video. They can save a lot of time.
I love how the first 2 episodes were information packed with knowledge to build a foundation. And now there is elaborate explanation on those points to further understand what they're trying to say.
I love this guy, I feel like we'd really get along. I love when he was flustered with the kinds of questions being asked.
Thank for the valuable information and the wonderful humour Paul. :)
He's really funny and talking important things in the same time!
@youngmarker9925
4 жыл бұрын
Yes! I think that's an essential ingredient to effectively communicating valuable ideas!
Great insight! enjoyed the rawness of the talk!
Some people aren't aware about this, this is one of the great course i found on KZread ever 🔥
PG is just a funny guy, smart, knowledgable and humble, I have enjoyed every minute of this lecture and all the other lectures, and I already watched them 6 times.
@mrbillgoode
7 ай бұрын
Look at this man with his shiny bald-head talking about binge watching this shit.
Straight to the Point. No filters. Brilliant. !!!
Note how he reiterates every question that is asked to him. Its a very good habit esp as the person asking question may NOT have a microphone and then the recording only contains an ANSWER where there is no clue as to what the question was.
5:57 What you need to succeed in a startup is not expertise in a startup, what you need is an expertise in your own users. Mark Zuckerberg succeeded despite being a complete noob at startups, because he understood his users very well (customers, fans). 7:30 The one thing that’s actually essential is to make something people want. 11:28 Starting a startup is where gaming the system stops working. 18:18 What you need to know are the needs of your own users, and you can’t learn those until you actually start the company. 30:50 At it’s best, starting a startup is merely an ultimatum for curiosity. 33:00 What business school was designed for is to teach people management. And management is only a problem if you’re sufficiently successful. *So really what you need to know early on is developing products. So you’re much better off going to design school. But honestly the best way to start a startup is to just go out and start it. You might not be successful, but you’ll learn faster if you just do it.* Business schools were designed to train the officer Corp of large companies.
@avinashprasad2
2 жыл бұрын
Goodjob Christopher!!
@homesbychhayank9788
2 жыл бұрын
🙏🏼
@piyushkumar6609
Жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot
@christopherarmstrong2710
Жыл бұрын
@@piyushkumar6609 Sure thing
I’m the guy who always asked the dumb questions in class (and I didn’t go to Stanford), so I’ll keep that energy: “Why was it dumb for Facebook to incorporate as a Florida LLC?
@mallyosih7455
2 ай бұрын
Not an American so its a stab in the dark, but it could be that there are obviously advantageous states in which to declare an LLC , i know delaware is popular for those advantages.
I don’t enjoy most business lectures mostly because they don’t accommodate the audience in non-developed countries. But this was so fun to watch. My own version of standup mixed with incredible insights.
Absolutely brilliant lecture!
That Q and A was GOLD!
Thank you a lot for this genuine lecture and sharing! Lots of essential knowledge unless then an hour
What a privilege and learning to watch a masterclass from the person in the world that know more about starting a startup. Thanks Paul!
I love the way he delivered!
Thank you so much Paul! You answered my most disturbing questions. I'm a high school student who wanted to start a startup but now I see that the question is in what domain to work.
@gubby740
2 жыл бұрын
Hey, how is your startup going?
So true. Domain expertise is so important.
Brilliant Paul, as always
Love the content.. My only beef with these lectures (and many, many others) is that it seems that their metrics for success are limited to Apple, Google, and Mark Zuckerberg. Every example is based off of what Zuckerberg did or what Google did, etc. Give me some more real examples of Bob down the street that started a shipping company from nothing and turned it into a successful company. I don't know.. Just something I've noticed.
@duanestanford2827
5 жыл бұрын
True -- I think because he's looking at it from a YC perspective, and YC's goal is specifically to create huge monoliths.
@deepaksrinivasmondal
5 жыл бұрын
So true!
@Crafterthecaster
5 жыл бұрын
@@duanestanford2827 I disagree. From what I've read of his essays Paul Graham knows A LOT of great people. Before I read his essays I thought I knew a lot of great leaders, but I recognised only 20-40% of the people he mentions in his essay. And YC's goal is not specifically to create huge monoliths. If you look at the list of startups YC funds, you will see that most of them won't be huge monoliths. And even if you're talking about VCs and not YC, it isn't true either. What most VCs ended up doing is funding safe startups and ignore the super-risky ones, which guarantees that they will turn down the next Google.
@Crafterthecaster
5 жыл бұрын
If you love this video, then I think you should check out Paul Graham's essays mate. www.paulgraham.com/articles.html Check whichever ones that seems interesting to you. There's like a hundred essays and they don't seem to cover one particular topic, but the couple dozens I've read so far are pure fucking gold. I can't say which one is the best for you, but I can say that my absolute favourites were "What You'll Wish You'd Known", "How to Do What You Love" and "Undergraduation".
@singularityhq
3 жыл бұрын
Google indiehackers. You'll get better step by step instructions.
What a hero. I feel a bit bad for the tech bubble guy that got an earful though - "DON'T ACT LIKE A REPORTER!!"
@purelogic4533
5 жыл бұрын
The guy was right they were making a bubble - he answered rudely because as investors they are only hopeful that technology startups will spur the economy and create more wealth even though funding rates cant afford to be kept low any further
@Channel-gv2gw
3 жыл бұрын
What did he say ? I can't say .. pls elaborate
Amazing lecture. Thank you! 🙏
Seemed a very sincere and kind advice. May I add greed-less advice, especially since many of the viewers/listeners would be aiming at Y-Combinator.
This is gold! Thank you...
10 seconds in and I love how real the vibe is.
@mrbillgoode
7 ай бұрын
You surely buy books because of its color. Numbnut!
Pure genius eloquence
Fantastic lecture. To the point. No BS
Every word i hear is so true. Nice lecture.
The value of these lessons is insane
Great lecture. I am going to start startup in next couple of years.
Real advice, perspective, and insight..Priceless.
@mrbillgoode
7 ай бұрын
Moron
Thank you for the invaluable advice. Definitely will help in avoiding some mistakes at least I hope :)
I love how dissapointed and deflated he sounds everytime he says Humm /Watching this in Thailand. Arrived with just a backpack. Now living in Chiang Mai, the #1 ranked Digital Nomad spot in the world.
@Ahmad-ps9zh
7 жыл бұрын
What are you doing in Chiang Mai? How is it? Videos please :)
@masukuma
7 жыл бұрын
lol
@danpena344
5 жыл бұрын
nomadlist.com/ this is how you would rank it
@denisblack9897
5 жыл бұрын
worst air in the world
Thank you, sir, today I got some wonderful knowledge .
just love his lessons
I have a dynamite idea and am in the process of building the idea and team. Sky's the limit. These lectures aren't the end-all-be-all but they are a great start. Thanks to Paul and the collective for providing this priceless information.
@LCTesla
Жыл бұрын
how'd that turn out?
@fabio.1
5 ай бұрын
following
@omarmassoud6499
Ай бұрын
how'd it go?
Paul Graham makes the best lectures ever!
Great lecture!! This video is more precious than diamond.
@mrbillgoode
7 ай бұрын
You're a fool. You know nothing about diamonds.
Excellent startup advice, this guy is spot on.... Funny the question around the 42:00 minute mark is exactly how I work. Either you're forced to work on something less interesting or it comes to you.
This is beautiful - currently going through this debate myself
I think I'm currently working on project that taking my full time. discussing with friends, family, communities!
A lecture worth millions...
Major takeaway is to "learn" what you like, follow your passion and new ideas will spring on the way
@brabra2725
2 жыл бұрын
No
I just uploaded a video from Paul Graham's essays. Paul is truly an inspiration.
This guy is a great investor!!!
There is no reason Sam would want to tell if he had done it several times. Great timing on that joke. Hum. This by the way is perhaps the best resource on learning how's. Thanks
Great lecture! Thanks!
He is one funny smart dude. Great Lecture. Thank you.
33:50 I guess I agree with this. I started my startup career right after college graduate, and I have doubted if I don't learn enough to run a business from work experience. Got my first successful startup after several attempts. (well, technically it's just small business in some sense and it's not that scalable like tech giants, but certainly did hire some 20 people to run the business) And I am glad to be lucky enough to have family support to let me do it. It's still fucking hard. It's kinda like you just have little idea on how to swim and you decide to jump into the ocean. If you don't wanna die, you will find a way to get shit done.
I love to listen to this man, he cuts through the bullshit like no one else. He also gives me the confidence that I can start something of my own. Although I did think he was quite rude at 36:30.. But then the startup world is not for someone who gets hurt easily
Sir you are awesome, you make us laugh also❤❤
Still relevant today! Love it
Some questions at the end are looking for magic wand answers. Read the book , 'The Hard Thing about Hard Things', by Ben Horowitz. Some situations in business cannot be answered by simply looking at a flow-chart. Sometimes, you will have to find the answer to the problem as they come along. The same solution to that problem may not work at another start-up.There's no such thing as a 'catch all' solution for every problem.
25:56 How to make your mind, the kind of mind that generates start up ideas unconsciously: 1. Learn a lot about things that matter 2. Work on problems that interest you. 3. Work with people you like and respect.
This guy is too good!
Great talk 👏
Funny how when PG goes 'hummmm...' it doesn't sound so much like he's nervous/puzzled/thinking internally as it does like he's out of breath. strange public speaking technique?
@SamA-zf9sp
9 жыл бұрын
He's just being himself.
@fhoplist
9 жыл бұрын
Fadzli Anuar It is just his mannerisms. I know people who do the same thing.
@AlbertNikanorovtscosj
8 жыл бұрын
fhoplist hmmmm
@RasHmiR91
2 жыл бұрын
Oh wow! Great to see some prominent name in our country here!
That thing to stop thinking of ideas consciously is so true
U r the best Paul !
I initially read about Paul Graham in 'Without Their Permission' where reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian attempts to shine the light on Paul initially refusing to accept them into Y Combinator for their MMM (Mobile Menu app), I'm a bit fuzzy on it since I read it last year, but I think they got into YC after having the reddit idea.
What a great guy!
hummm is the sound before accessing advanced intelligence.
Question: what are your recurring systems in your work and personal life that make you efficient? Answer: having kids is a good way to be efficient; because you have no time left. So if you want to get anything done the amount of done you do per time is high. GOLDEN! 😅🔥 This lecture is awesome.
Good content, to the point 👍
Very good talk!
26:09 How to get startup ideas(and cofounders) unconsciously: 1. Learn things that matters. 2. Work on problems that matters to you. 3. With people you like and respect.
Great lecture
This one's really really good
u changed my world
So good!
thank you so much. great vdo
Humm... thanks for the amazing lecture. Humm ♡
Amazing!
Nice one old is gold👍
I like him. Such a smart person
I realize I made starting a startup sound kind of hard... If I haven't, let me try again - starting a startup is REALLY HARD. hahahaha
Paul's such a good fella!!!
great job
Great speech
so good!
Paul Graham, the GOAT
Enorme ! Amazing !
damn damn damn. great stuff, challenges the mind. makes so much sense tho. build great products
"Work with people you genuinely like and respect and who you have known for long enough that you are sure."
I can summarized this talk with these words: "Grit, foolishness, and courage".
I periodically watch this lecture when I'm down mentally