8 comments

• 

  Karl

  5 months ago

  Ben,
  
  A hard smack in the face is necessary now and again if you are going to succeed at the startup game. Bootstrappers, especially those new to the game, tend to fall just a little too in love with their ideas. What each of these posts shares is how to call your own bluff and realize that perception is more important than invention.
  
  If you can take the harshest of criticisms, listen then adapt, and keep on moving forward, you are probably an entrepreneur with a good idea.
  reply
• 

  SalineVance

  5 months ago

  Ben,
  
  Of course revenue matters. If there is no revenue at all, that means there are no sales. If there are no sales, that means there is no demand. If you cannot sell, you're out of business. Period.
  reply
• 

  Trucker ID

  5 months ago

  revnue doesnt matter so much... but profit sure does :D
  -Ingram
  reply
• 

  Reggae Artists

  5 months ago

  Well, I have been reading your blog and I read the rules so here comes a contribution more valid than...nice article!
  
  I'll get the pleasantires out of the way firstly - you have a truly great blog and the them is brilliant. Where did you get that??
  
  As for the above post:
  
  1) Your pitch sucks points are very valid. I am a firm believer of pitching with confidence and pitching what you know. I dont really like the word pitch but some great pointers are made.
  2) In my humble opinion , this is a bad question. I agree with salinevance that this is a no brainer really.
  3)Boy have I made some of those mistakes in the past. I totally agree that a great number of startups fail through lack of knowledge to start. It does take more than an idea to make a success. Failing to plan is planning to fail after all. As you so nicely rounded the post off....THE single biggest failure an entrpreneur or budding businessman can make is to not learn from their (or others mistakes) dont pretend like you are not going to make any becasue you will and you know what...it will be worth it if you learn a lesson I assure you.
  
  @Trucker: Profit is the obvious goal you should work toward but that is not to say revenue does not matter!!!!
  
  @ Karl : Wise words :)
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• 

  Ben Yoskovitz

  5 months ago

  @ReggaeArtists: This is a custom theme that I designed along with the help of some very talented people.
  
  @TruckerID: Revenue is certainly critical - but revenue still matters. If I make $10 and have $1 in cost, that's $9 in profit. Great percentage, but unless that scales ... I don't have a good business.
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• 

  Sonciary Honnoll

  5 months ago

  Hi Ben - Point #3 really hit me. I'd add 'jumping into a market that you don't fully understand' to hit that point home.
  
  A project of mine, BizUnite.com, recently entered the private beta phase and I'm really excited about it. From the onset, our team was aware that we weren't the world's top independent business experts, so we partnered with an SMB powerhouse, one with over 20 years of listening to, working with, and helping independents. Just to make sure we were getting their needs right and feeling their pain.
  
  So, I'd definitely recommend a similar partnership to other startups.
  reply
• 

  Dan

  5 months ago

  Great Article. I think a lot of people that start businesses anymore really forget to actually plan ahead about there business and just rush into it. The 17 mistakes that most start of business is a great read as well for anyone starting a business.
  reply
• 

  Patrick

  1 month ago

  Hi Ben, some people may think point 1 is a little harsh - but this is a great reality check question for startups to ask. Because we've all seen pitches that are underprepared and not ready for prime time. Great advice from VCs, who have seen tons of pitches and know what to look for.
  reply