Paul Graham Startup Guide

• The only way to make something customers want is to get a prototype in front of them and refine it based on their reactions.
• Your initial plans are almost certain to be wrong in some way, and your first priority should be to figure out where. The only way to do that is to try implementing them.
• Start by writing software for smaller companies, because it's easier to sell to them.
• It's easier to make an inexpensive product more powerful than to make a powerful product cheaper.
• If you have the cheapest, easiest product, you'll own the low end.
• To be self-funding, you have to start as a consulting company, and it's hard to switch from that to a product company.
• The way to get rich from a startup is to maximize the company's chances of succeeding.
• By 38 you can't take so many risks-- especially if you have kids.
• Don't let your code get too big
• Don't isolate developers from users
• Hiring people is the worst thing a company can do
• The only reason to hire someone is to do something you'd like to do but can't
• Apartments tend to be in better locations than office buildings
• Professional means doing good work, not elevators and glass walls.
• The other reason to spend money slowly is to encourage a culture of cheapness.
• Design your product to please users first, and then think about how to make money from it.
• Talk to as many VCs as you can, even if you don't want their money.
• If you really think you have a chance of succeeding, you're doing the rich fellow a favor by letting them invest.

No matter what kind of startup you start, it will probably be a stretch for you, the founders, to understand what users want. The only kind of software you can build without studying users is the sort for which you are the typical user. But this is just the kind that tends to be open source: operating systems, programming languages, editors, and so on. So if you're developing technology for money, you're probably not going to be developing it for people like you. Indeed, you can use this as a way to generate ideas for startups: what do people who are not like you want from technology?

1. Obviously, starting a company in expensive KLCC tower won't work.
2. Open source blind you away from understanding your non-tech educated users, but helps you to get to low end.
   
3. Do thing raw and rapidly is more important than well planned long term goal.. bcs..you have to be dynamic to compete with big guys.