I’m doing my best to document the important lessons I learn along my journey of creating startups. This includes lessons key to how I’m succeeding with startup ideas, as well as lessons for enjoying the journey.
I don’t know whether the same lessons will apply to you, but I hope you’ll find my thoughts useful. Take what fits, and tell me what doesn’t work for you: I’m always learning. I’m pretty sure I’ll even contradict my own advice at times as I learn more.
Let me know your thoughts: me@joel.is.
Amongst other things, success requires hard work. Put in the hard work.
Co-founders are very important, but 50/50 may not be the best way
There are many lessons along a startup journey: 10 of mine from 2011
Kickstart your startup by doing things that don’t scale
I find it’s always useful to take time to reflect
Like anything else, we need to practice startups
Failure comes with the territory of being a startup founder
Being in a great location can help your startup, but don’t delay starting
It is important that I remember: I have no idea what I am doing
It’s easy to delay marketing. Starting early gives you a big advantage
There are many ways to bootstrap a startup. Consider the options
It is worth thinking about the purpose of your “coming soon” page
When things feel comfortable, it’s probably time to push yourself more
When you’re building your first startup, beware of the social ideas
Starting can be the hardest part of a startup - here are 4 steps to starting
Sleep is important - use a ritual to get good sleep consistently
Learn to enjoy all the moments
Your startup should have a point of view - here’s why
Disengage from your startup for maximum productivity
Adopt a mindset that your product is always finished
You never know how something will turn out - act anyway
Being naive can be a good thing
Fear not shipping more than shipping
Things get chaotic at times - learn how to handle it
Avoid the thoughts about changing the world
Work on your startup on the side
Question and adjust your goals from time to time
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
Work on your startup in “waves”
Exercise to improve your sleep
