dheer01

This also just isn't true.

People prefer to defecate in the open only because belive it is or not, open is 'cleaner' than inside. Most toilets require a subtantial amount of water to keep clean after every use and water is in short supply in north india. Without adequate flushing the toilet quickly becomes a stinkhole and outside offers a much better experience.

The princeton economist who wrote this intelligent study should have included talking to atleast one guy who stays in north india as part of her research.

Amazingly well done for a govt website.

"[1] Some founders listen more than others, and this tends to be a predictor of success. One of the things I remember about the Airbnbs during YC is how intently they listened."

- Looks like a case of survivor bias. How many founders who listened as intently did not build Airbnbs ?

"[4] What should you do if your true calling is gaming the system? Management consulting."

- Nailed it.

Disagree completely with the very first opinion expressed - 'Don't do a startup just to do one - do it only if you really want to solve a problem'.

India has produced about 3 big ~billion dollar compaines in the recent past - inmobi, flipkart, druvaa. None of the founders really started to 'solve' a problem they were passionate about. What they were really passionate about was just 'starting up' - and based on their personal strengths, industry knowledge and what they thought could be sold, stumbled on these big businesses. This was probably true for HP too.

It is absolutely ok to do a startup just for the heck of it. Get in the game and find out the intersection of what you can build and what a customer will buy. If you build a big business - the passion will follow. Do not forget to bullshit though on your big interview on how the so solved problem kept you awake at nights - it makes for some good reading and impressionable pr.

Steve jobs would have kept the configurations to only one.

Its obviously not a cure for everything and will not suit some people/problems - exactly like most medicine.

The overwhelmingly positive effects of yoga are though undeniable and most people will definitely benefit. Your personal mileage should obviously vary.

Every software engineer at some time in their working life will experience lower back pain. Before, you waste time/money going to your favourite medical practitioner, who will most likely advise you with a chemical cocktail - please visit your local yoga practitioner and ask him for a one minute session on Salamba Bhujangasana. This will 'cure' your backpain completely and irrevocably.

If you havent yet crossed over, welcome to the world of yoga.

RIP BKS.

You might find it hard to belive - but customer experience is slightly better on Flipkart than on Amazon(US).

Or get fresh coconuts delivered to your place - 2 for a dollar - Bangalore.

Seth - Thanks for sharing your perspective - its extremely courageous to talk about these things in the open.

I am a startup founder and have been there done that - allow me to seed you with a radically different perspective.

You made NO mistakes. None. Every lesson that you learned - you will unlearn it in the next year or so. There are lessons to learn over here, but not the ones you mentioned - they will come - just wait for it.

Everyone pointing out in this thread about your mistakes is dead wrong. They don't know what it takes - most have never been close to what you are doing - they just don't know. This is also one of the reasons it might NOT help to talk about these things in public - though I am not saying that you shouldn't.

Most successful founders make most of these mistakes - and then some. The only mistake that you really made is to not figure out the business - everything else is not important. Sales fixes everything - and it would have fixed all these mistakes. Specifically:

1. Skipping on taxes till its too late - this is a trait of a successful founder. It means you are focussed on the business too much to bother about paying taxes.

2. Poorly defined co founder relationships - the story about 'every' startup. Let me tell you the secret about founder relationships - ignore them. Figure out the 'business' - founder relationships will figure themselves out.

3. Hacks - This world is unfortunately run by people who don't see things like we do. To hack is to have tread that middle ground which keeps the peace and also lets us run things they way they should.

4. Going it alone - There is no other way. At the centre of the biggest changes the world has ever seen, there is a lonely founder. You have to do it alone - dont seek to change it - just understand it.

5. Investor relations - Investors like a good business more than you and me - you fix the business and let the investor will fix the relations.

You can read up all of this science and keep adjusting your diet - or you can just shift to Indian food - recent medical research is ceiling its place as the healthiest diets on plant earth.

I have unofficially mentored a dozen entrepreneurs over almost half a decade and the only thing I can tell you is the exercise is a waste of your time.

The feedback driven growth model taught in your favourite b-school does not work on entrepreneurs. The best entrepreneurs are the lousiest on taking advice.

I did figure out what works after a long time, but it is completely counter-intuitive. You can do two things, and two things only:

1. Give the entrepreneur confidence. This is in some ways the exact opposite of honest feedback.

2. Once you have given him confidence, try to extend 'his' thought process based on your knowledge/experience. It is too hard to explain what I mean by this and I won't even try. I am unable to do this in most of the cases.

"Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself. "

"Please note India also has massive corruption in private set ups. Pointless tests, surgeries,needless medication advices to inflate bills, treatments purpose fully stretched... etc etc. It all happens."

- It will always happen in any country - more so in poor countries like India. Even then its not so bad - you need to visit other countries to comment on a relative basis. This is way worse in a lot of other countries - including the US.