This is very true. We started in 1999, lived thru the crash, kept plugging and we are now having our best year ever. I can not tell you how many people told me to hang it up, sell the company or do something different. Sometimes knowing you are right is the only thing the makes you different that everyone else.
I’m in the Orange County / LA startup scene and there is a lot of this. People come to startup events to learn and part of the problem (I believe) is a lack of mentors to providing a “critical path” for new startups to follow.
They run from event to event trying to find that one event that will teach them how to do evenything, go from idea, to forming the company, to getting funded.
Unfortunately without the right road map they burnout and give up.
Of course MY startup is worth never giving up, but I saw a guy on Dragons’ Den (the original Shark Tank) who had spent 20 years developing a complex new musical instrument, kind of a box covered in buttons…when asked to play a tune he couldn’t…HE should give up 🙂
Hey man be nice! I meet a guy at Vator Splash about a year ago and his been pitching the same idea for 10 years!
Yes there should a stop point, but it shouldn’t mean a person has to “give up” on his or her dreams. A little re-tooling to match the times goes a long way.
Such an awesome quote
The problem with the Internet startup craze isn’t that too many people are mcdermott cue companies??
Remember he said this in 2000 – may not be entirely applicable 11 years after.
Wish it weren’t true but it is…
Thanks Venture Hacks!
This is very true. We started in 1999, lived thru the crash, kept plugging and we are now having our best year ever. I can not tell you how many people told me to hang it up, sell the company or do something different. Sometimes knowing you are right is the only thing the makes you different that everyone else.
I have 3 kids 2 boys and 1 startup…. wouldn’t give any of
them up for adoption? Well maybe the 7 yr.old lol, And we
haven’t even launched yet! I love what I do and how much of
impact we will have in our space once we launch!
The conversion rate will be crazy! Keep this post as a data point.
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” Alan Kay said it… Steve Jobs lived it.
Many of life’s failures did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
– Thomas Edison
I’m in the Orange County / LA startup scene and there is a lot of this. People come to startup events to learn and part of the problem (I believe) is a lack of mentors to providing a “critical path” for new startups to follow.
They run from event to event trying to find that one event that will teach them how to do evenything, go from idea, to forming the company, to getting funded.
Unfortunately without the right road map they burnout and give up.
Of course MY startup is worth never giving up, but I saw a guy on Dragons’ Den (the original Shark Tank) who had spent 20 years developing a complex new musical instrument, kind of a box covered in buttons…when asked to play a tune he couldn’t…HE should give up 🙂
He should give Madeon a call: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTx3G6h2xyA&feature=BFa&list=FLnhc1tHh2pfeoFN5Oz3eZMw&lf=mh_lolz
Great quote. So many related thoughts…but I gotta get back to some hacking.
Hey man be nice! I meet a guy at Vator Splash about a year ago and his been pitching the same idea for 10 years!
Yes there should a stop point, but it shouldn’t mean a person has to “give up” on his or her dreams. A little re-tooling to match the times goes a long way.
Very true, not just of internet start ups, but any new business.
You don’t get success overnight unless you are very good or very lucky.
Persistence, persistence, persistence, thick skin.
this is the story of life.. patience is king…