The Pocket Guide of Essential YC Advice

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• Launch now • Build something people want • Do things that don’t scale • Find the 90 / 10 solution • Find 10-100 customers who love your product • All startups are badly broken at some point • Write code – talk to users • “It’s not your money” • Growth is the result of a great product not the precursor • Don’t scale your team/product until you have built something people want • Valuation is not equal to success or even probability of success • Avoid long negotiated deals with big customers if you can • Avoid big company corporate development queries – they will only waste time • Avoid conferences unless they are the best way to get customers • Pre-product market fit – do things that don’t scale: remain small/nimble • Startups can only solve one problem well at any given time • Founder relationships matter more than you think • Sometimes you need to fire your customers (they might be killing you) • Ignore your competitors, you will more likely die of suicide than murder • Most companies don’t die because they run out of money • Be nice! Or at least don’t be a jerk • Get sleep and exercise – take care of yourself