Lecture 3 - Before the Startup (Paul Graham)

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  • Опубликовано: 29 сен 2014
  • 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...

Комментарии • 484

  • @dinner173
    @dinner173 9 лет назад +563

    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.

  • @hoodasaurabh
    @hoodasaurabh 9 лет назад +419

    there is a sense of purity (no showoff, no jargons, talk like average dude, be natural self) in Paul Graham!!

  • @RC404
    @RC404 7 лет назад +764

    hum...Great lecture

    • @SagefulSolutions
      @SagefulSolutions 7 лет назад +23

      LOLOLOL! Even more funny on 2x speed.

    • @azs2152
      @azs2152 3 года назад +11

      I was confused by this...I’m no longer am

    • @podium732
      @podium732 2 года назад +14

      HUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM :))

    • @maniac50ae14
      @maniac50ae14 Год назад +13

      You'll never get as many likes as the amount of times he said, "humm"

    • @RC404
      @RC404 Год назад +1

      @@maniac50ae14 🤣

  • @Tom_Mos
    @Tom_Mos 2 года назад +173

    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
      @Him_Dante Год назад +2

      Not all heroes wear capes. But I’m pretty sure you do ! 🤧 Thanks for the advice, Tomas.

    • @eliasn.9960
      @eliasn.9960 8 месяцев назад

      Thanks a lot :)

  • @nabinghimire2183
    @nabinghimire2183 Год назад +40

    Isn't it so fascinating to think. A boy living in mountains of Nepal can hear Paul Graham lectures. wow boom 💥💥 💥 💥

    • @bikashkaziswar6271
      @bikashkaziswar6271 3 месяца назад +2

      It’s been a year , did you use it🌻

    • @Lens_lores
      @Lens_lores 3 месяца назад

      @@bikashkaziswar6271i am from nepal and i am gonna soon

    • @sushildeshmukh1904
      @sushildeshmukh1904 2 месяца назад

      india

    • @st_evengm9811
      @st_evengm9811 Месяц назад

      Basically I am kind of that boy watching the video from Costa Rica, so yes you are rigth, it is facinating.

  • @JWu-jt7fz
    @JWu-jt7fz 5 лет назад +13

    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.

  • @aryansolanki5897
    @aryansolanki5897 3 года назад +5

    He is so good. I absolutely love his dialogue delivery.

  • @jnsantos
    @jnsantos 9 лет назад +51

    What a privilege and learning to watch a masterclass from the person in the world that know more about starting a startup. Thanks Paul!

  • @peterjones9087
    @peterjones9087 2 года назад +11

    What a legend. Love his essays. Changed my life.

  • @OmerAbashar
    @OmerAbashar 9 лет назад +40

    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
      @mrbillgoode 8 месяцев назад

      Look at this man with his shiny bald-head talking about binge watching this shit.

  • @laronburrows7958
    @laronburrows7958 7 лет назад +9

    Anyone thinking of starting a startup should start with this video. They can save a lot of time.

  • @sebastianwalls7001
    @sebastianwalls7001 7 лет назад +503

    Paul Gra-hum...

    • @pancanitamanalu9041
      @pancanitamanalu9041 4 года назад +2

      he hummm alot.

    • @Everything00523
      @Everything00523 3 года назад

      😂

    • @meghaseth5815
      @meghaseth5815 3 года назад +3

      I CAN'T STOP NOTICING IT NOW!!!! 😭

    • @nuwandakoh
      @nuwandakoh 3 года назад +1

      i knew this was coming in the comment section i knew it!!!

    • @samuelh5
      @samuelh5 3 года назад +2

      Goddamnit I didn’t notice this before... knowledge is a curse

  • @arielf9587
    @arielf9587 2 года назад +2

    Wow. I'm gonna rewatch this slowly, pausing and taking notes. This is a great video!

  • @chriscfedrizzi
    @chriscfedrizzi Год назад +16

    No BS, listen to him guys. I've been starting and trying startups for 6 years, he really knows the deal.

    • @angeljimenez7374
      @angeljimenez7374 17 дней назад

      You ever think that not everybody is like you?

    • @chriscfedrizzi
      @chriscfedrizzi 17 дней назад

      @@angeljimenez7374 What do you mean?

  • @Zbigniew_Piatek
    @Zbigniew_Piatek 8 лет назад +76

    He's really funny and talking important things in the same time!

    • @youngmarker9925
      @youngmarker9925 4 года назад +2

      Yes! I think that's an essential ingredient to effectively communicating valuable ideas!

  • @ramgopal24
    @ramgopal24 Месяц назад +1

    Straight to the Point. No filters. Brilliant. !!!

  • @_digital_dan
    @_digital_dan 9 лет назад +18

    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
      @gubby740 2 года назад +7

      Hey, how is your startup going?

  • @goranstankovic2501
    @goranstankovic2501 9 лет назад +3

    Great insight! enjoyed the rawness of the talk!

  • @alwaysfallingshort
    @alwaysfallingshort 9 лет назад +7

    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.

  • @suchoudh
    @suchoudh 3 года назад +1

    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.

  • @inspiredink07
    @inspiredink07 11 месяцев назад +3

    Some people aren't aware about this, this is one of the great course i found on RUclips ever 🔥

  • @markaaronbarrett
    @markaaronbarrett 6 лет назад +45

    I'll never afford a place like Stanford, seriously- thank you so much for access to these lessons!

  • @tinashe695
    @tinashe695 7 лет назад +3

    Thank for the valuable information and the wonderful humour Paul. :)

  • @itumelengmphoso3466
    @itumelengmphoso3466 Год назад +5

    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.

  • @omieuno
    @omieuno 3 года назад +2

    That Q and A was GOLD!

  • @Dorian_Barber
    @Dorian_Barber Год назад +10

    10 seconds in and I love how real the vibe is.

    • @mrbillgoode
      @mrbillgoode 8 месяцев назад

      You surely buy books because of its color. Numbnut!

  • @derrickthornton386
    @derrickthornton386 8 лет назад +7

    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.

  • @christopherarmstrong2710
    @christopherarmstrong2710 2 года назад +62

    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.

  • @vinabe-welistenweshare.568
    @vinabe-welistenweshare.568 7 лет назад

    I love the way he delivered!

  • @vizvan
    @vizvan 7 лет назад +6

    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.

  • @ethanjyx
    @ethanjyx 5 лет назад +5

    So true. Domain expertise is so important.

  • @Dannykim722
    @Dannykim722 11 месяцев назад +3

    Fantastic lecture. To the point. No BS

  • @KingMalekDelane
    @KingMalekDelane 8 месяцев назад

    Real advice, perspective, and insight..Priceless.

  • @aramsam
    @aramsam 2 года назад +1

    Absolutely brilliant lecture!

  • @carlossolis1
    @carlossolis1 9 лет назад +7

    Paul Graham makes the best lectures ever!

  • @absbox_
    @absbox_ Год назад

    Brilliant Paul, as always

  • @bluecuracao6478
    @bluecuracao6478 6 месяцев назад

    Thank you a lot for this genuine lecture and sharing! Lots of essential knowledge unless then an hour

  • @DaffodilPClimited
    @DaffodilPClimited 11 месяцев назад +2

    Great lecture!! This video is more precious than diamond.

    • @mrbillgoode
      @mrbillgoode 8 месяцев назад

      You're a fool. You know nothing about diamonds.

  • @BescoutedOfficial
    @BescoutedOfficial 8 лет назад +1

    Every word i hear is so true. Nice lecture.

  • @Nick_Tag
    @Nick_Tag 9 лет назад +22

    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
      @purelogic4533 5 лет назад +8

      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
      @Channel-gv2gw 3 года назад

      What did he say ? I can't say .. pls elaborate

  • @LuanaVasco88
    @LuanaVasco88 6 лет назад +2

    The value of these lessons is insane

  • @SachinMahajan223
    @SachinMahajan223 3 года назад +3

    A lecture worth millions...

  • @thenovu_ai
    @thenovu_ai Месяц назад

    I just uploaded a video from Paul Graham's essays. Paul is truly an inspiration.

  • @raonyguimaraes
    @raonyguimaraes 9 лет назад +4

    This is gold! Thank you...

  • @MaiFast
    @MaiFast Год назад +1

    Great lecture. I am going to start startup in next couple of years.

  • @kvitkademkiv4336
    @kvitkademkiv4336 8 месяцев назад

    Amazing lecture. Thank you! 🙏

  • @sofiyaely
    @sofiyaely 3 года назад +3

    Pure genius eloquence

  • @kishlayrajraj
    @kishlayrajraj 3 года назад +1

    just love his lessons

  • @DHEERAJKUMAR-dn2li
    @DHEERAJKUMAR-dn2li 3 года назад +2

    Thank you, sir, today I got some wonderful knowledge .

  • @yaxxee
    @yaxxee 5 лет назад +4

    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

  • @robbartlett1221
    @robbartlett1221 9 лет назад +2

    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.

  • @reece_harding
    @reece_harding Год назад

    This is beautiful - currently going through this debate myself

  • @ridamalik581
    @ridamalik581 6 месяцев назад

    Thank you for the invaluable advice. Definitely will help in avoiding some mistakes at least I hope :)

  • @maxtradepro
    @maxtradepro 6 месяцев назад

    Still relevant today! Love it

  • @abutahermuhammad4827
    @abutahermuhammad4827 7 месяцев назад

    I think I'm currently working on project that taking my full time. discussing with friends, family, communities!

  • @vrfjwehs29
    @vrfjwehs29 8 лет назад

    He is one funny smart dude. Great Lecture. Thank you.

  • @tedcarr
    @tedcarr 8 лет назад +77

    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
      @Ahmad-ps9zh 7 лет назад

      What are you doing in Chiang Mai? How is it? Videos please :)

    • @masukuma
      @masukuma 7 лет назад +1

      lol

    • @danpena344
      @danpena344 5 лет назад

      nomadlist.com/ this is how you would rank it

    • @denisblack9897
      @denisblack9897 5 лет назад +1

      worst air in the world

  • @stephanotto212
    @stephanotto212 8 лет назад +1

    This guy is a great investor!!!

  • @FeelGoodOK
    @FeelGoodOK 9 лет назад +1

    Great lecture! Thanks!

  • @abhiasawa
    @abhiasawa 2 месяца назад +1

    So good!

  • @spdwivedi5925
    @spdwivedi5925 6 дней назад

    Great lecture

  • @Thebaron666
    @Thebaron666 6 лет назад +137

    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
      @duanestanford2827 5 лет назад +24

      True -- I think because he's looking at it from a YC perspective, and YC's goal is specifically to create huge monoliths.

    • @deepaksrinivasmondal
      @deepaksrinivasmondal 5 лет назад

      So true!

    • @Crafterthecaster
      @Crafterthecaster 5 лет назад +12

      ​@@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
      @Crafterthecaster 5 лет назад +9

      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
      @singularityhq 3 года назад

      Google indiehackers. You'll get better step by step instructions.

  • @dztennessee9744
    @dztennessee9744 9 лет назад +1

    u changed my world

  • @ch1990ba
    @ch1990ba 7 лет назад

    nice video...i wondering we can have programmer working in different country?

  • @vineetk1998
    @vineetk1998 5 лет назад +12

    Major takeaway is to "learn" what you like, follow your passion and new ideas will spring on the way

  • @hasnainabbasdilawar8832
    @hasnainabbasdilawar8832 6 лет назад

    Great talk 👏

  • @TechWarriorz
    @TechWarriorz 9 лет назад

    Very good talk!

  • @MaanayShah786
    @MaanayShah786 2 года назад +1

    This guy is too good!

  • @MaheshPatel034
    @MaheshPatel034 9 лет назад

    U r the best Paul !

  • @amarvanee
    @amarvanee 4 года назад

    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

  • @Akh6one2
    @Akh6one2 2 месяца назад +3

    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.

  • @nayandhabarde
    @nayandhabarde 3 года назад

    That thing to stop thinking of ideas consciously is so true

  • @abdulkadeerkhan3900
    @abdulkadeerkhan3900 Год назад

    Great speech

  • @AbhiRoy007
    @AbhiRoy007 Год назад

    Nice one old is gold👍

  • @dianalastovska8386
    @dianalastovska8386 4 года назад

    I like him. Such a smart person

  • @XShollaj
    @XShollaj 3 года назад

    What a great guy!

  • @wdai03
    @wdai03 4 года назад

    This one's really really good

  • @AlanAspera
    @AlanAspera 6 лет назад +5

    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.

  • @mylesbuckley9675
    @mylesbuckley9675 Год назад

    This was funnier than most stand up comics ahaha, and I actually learned something!

  • @himanshuverma5039
    @himanshuverma5039 Год назад

    Good content, to the point 👍

  • @mallyosih7455
    @mallyosih7455 3 месяца назад

    Humm... thanks for the amazing lecture. Humm ♡

  • @arpanasinha20
    @arpanasinha20 10 месяцев назад

    Sir you are awesome, you make us laugh also❤❤

  • @nsshing
    @nsshing 2 года назад +10

    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.

    • @UnigeneHS
      @UnigeneHS 12 дней назад

      but what if you jumped in a ocean where you can never sink , dude : what you wanna say is , you should never have sex since you have never sex done before 😂😂😂😂😂😂

  • @syguy
    @syguy 5 месяцев назад +1

    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.

  • @danypell2517
    @danypell2517 Год назад

    Paul's such a good fella!!!

  • @davidiamondtv
    @davidiamondtv 5 лет назад

    great job

  • @thecoffeehog
    @thecoffeehog 8 лет назад

    Amazing!

  • @anthonyf.2072
    @anthonyf.2072 7 месяцев назад

    Great stuff here.

  • @rafidhoda
    @rafidhoda 2 года назад

    Paul Graham, the GOAT

  • @aytacali01
    @aytacali01 Год назад +1

    Where i can get his essay about " do not think about startup ideas"?

  • @peace_and_blessings1111
    @peace_and_blessings1111 8 месяцев назад +1

    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.

  • @vhg655
    @vhg655 4 года назад

    so good!

  • @bonaventureBarry
    @bonaventureBarry 7 лет назад +1

    I can summarized this talk with these words: "Grit, foolishness, and courage".

  • @wholeness
    @wholeness Год назад +3

    hummm is the sound before accessing advanced intelligence.

  • @JN003
    @JN003 9 лет назад

    which incorporation method should facebook have used ? (tx!)

  • @zohayer.mehtab
    @zohayer.mehtab 6 месяцев назад +1

    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.

  • @shrt5828
    @shrt5828 2 года назад +2

    realest and funniest guy

  • @dalmanoide
    @dalmanoide 7 лет назад

    Enorme ! Amazing !

  • @MultiFreelover
    @MultiFreelover 8 лет назад

    thank you so much. great vdo

  • @liveforyouonly
    @liveforyouonly 3 года назад

    lmao when he said he has no efficiency tools 😂 we love honesty