The Biggest Mistakes First-Time Founders Make - Michael Seibel

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  • čas přidán 22. 07. 2024
  • Y Combinator CEO and Partner Michael Seibel on the biggest mistakes first-time founders make.
    / mwseibel
    Y Combinator invests a small amount of money ($150k) in a large number of startups (recently 200), twice a year.
    Learn more about YC and apply for funding here: www.ycombinator.com/apply/
    ***
    Chapters (Powered by bit.ly/chapterme-yc) -
    00:00 - Introduction
    00:10 - Solving a problem you don't care about
    01:01 - Helping users you don't care about
    01:47 - Choosing co-founders you don't know well
    02:22 - Not having transparent conversations with your co-founders
    03:20 - Not launching
    04:45 - Not using analytics
    05:02 - Not knowing where your first users will come from
    05:47 - Poor prioritization
  • Věda a technologie

Komentáře • 134

  • @ycombinator
    @ycombinator  Před 5 lety +247

    Topics
    00:10 - Solving a problem you don't care about
    1:00 - Helping users you don't care about
    1:40 - Choosing cofounders you don't know well
    2:20 - Not having transparent conversations with your cofounder
    3:20 - Not launching
    4:45 - Not using analytics
    5:02 - Not knowing where your first users will come from
    5:45 - Poor prioritization

  • @amywang5034
    @amywang5034 Před 5 lety +134

    So love Michael's simple, clear and yet the MOST important points EVERYTIME! 🙌🙏

  • @BiancaAguglia
    @BiancaAguglia Před 5 lety +117

    3:45 "Do you remember the day snapchat, instagram, whatsapp, uber, or lyft launched? Most likely you don't. It turns out that launching is nowhere near a significant event to your users as it is to you." 😁 That's a great reminder.

  • @nicocastro6164
    @nicocastro6164 Před 5 lety +27

    I'm happy that the first two mentions on this list are lack of passion for the problem you are solving and the customers you are helping. These are usually discovered by reflecting on topics/problems you are genuinely interested in. These are crucial mistakes that come way before the mistakes you make in actually running the business (launching too late, not talking to your users, disputes within the team, etc.). May I also add the mistake of starting a startup for the wrong reasons (e.g. a way to get rich quickly) or lack of self-awareness (there are people whose personality and beliefs make it impossible for them to succeed in building a startup.).

  • @kingdomcitizenship5613
    @kingdomcitizenship5613 Před 3 lety +7

    I love to listen to Mike break down this issue. No wasted words, straight to the point!

  • @mosialive
    @mosialive Před 3 lety +8

    Over 80% of these mistakes I’ve recently made. They’re terrible and I learned a lot. Thank you for this!

  • @julientomezach2160
    @julientomezach2160 Před 3 lety +10

    I love how concise it is. They really value the time of the people watching (and their own I guess).

  • @shivandana
    @shivandana Před 3 lety +1

    We need more videos from Michael Seibel. There hasn't been any for a while, and I thirst for his knowledge.

  • @habibmkhan
    @habibmkhan Před 4 lety

    5 months later, I'm here. Great content entrepreneurs all over the world can benefit from (though im in the bay area lol).
    Thank you and please keep going. This CZcams Channel is high impact and has reach/scale.

  • @georgebeier3550
    @georgebeier3550 Před 2 lety

    Well I just came across your videos and seem to have made all the mistakes! Took me forever to get the product (mortgage originator software) ready. So many details! Learned a lot in just a few minutes. TY.

  • @_beekay
    @_beekay Před 2 lety

    Wow! The simplicity with which this is delivered is noteworthy!

  • @sanchitsharma5228
    @sanchitsharma5228 Před 2 lety

    Useful content. Really enjoy watching the videos in this channel. For a startup founder this is educational as well as entertaining.

  • @ozzyfromspace
    @ozzyfromspace Před 4 lety +9

    This isn’t knowledge, it’s wisdom 👏🏽

  • @susanmcvea
    @susanmcvea Před 3 lety +1

    Great video Michael! Your way of explaining is so simple and easy to understand.

  • @noterecorder8037
    @noterecorder8037 Před 4 lety +26

    Thank you Michael, as always your advices are worth taking. I think the reason why most startups have hard time to find first users, just because they think about a solution/invention out of a dream or an pink idea, without taking time to analyse the problem. in Google they have the concept of project killing winner, the employees are encouraged to kill a project in the first stage, which means if a project can be killed early so it does not worth it and they put their time in another most valuable project.

    • @benoitlabbe9327
      @benoitlabbe9327 Před 4 lety +1

      Michael Seibel is the best so far, clear, direct and precise

    • @iitbombaycse4346
      @iitbombaycse4346 Před 11 měsíci

      But Google rejected idea of chrome.

  • @NanduKrishnanNKSanandu

    michael siebel's short videos are so valuable!

  • @marioacosta1842
    @marioacosta1842 Před 3 lety +2

    Thank you for this videos. High Schools and colleges need to add an startup class in their curriculum.

  • @martinstine
    @martinstine Před rokem

    Thanks so much Michael. I am learning a lot from you guys. Much appreciated. 🙌🙌🙌 YC

  • @nicolasp7043
    @nicolasp7043 Před 4 lety

    Really great advices for early stage startup! Thanks a lot.

  • @Aishuesp
    @Aishuesp Před 2 lety

    You rock! You just so generously share your knowledge….God bless you!

  • @joshn2342323
    @joshn2342323 Před 5 lety +14

    As always, he is exactly right.

  • @FromFame
    @FromFame Před 4 lety +1

    Thanks Micheal, I've shared this with a workspace here in Denmark. I appreciate your tips.

  • @nivlakhera9
    @nivlakhera9 Před 3 lety

    I am listening to all his videos and it’s ammmmmmazing , can’t thank him enough

  • @benmezianetarik53
    @benmezianetarik53 Před 4 lety +8

    What a wonderful video Michael!
    Completeness
    Concreteness
    Courtesy
    Correctness
    Clarity
    Consideration
    Conciseness
    Thanks for sharing 👍

  • @georgemochalov550
    @georgemochalov550 Před 3 lety

    Your videos are very helpful, thank you for sharing

  • @yellowsnh
    @yellowsnh Před 5 lety +1

    Thank you. That’s a real help!

  • @80Vikram
    @80Vikram Před 5 lety +1

    Thanks for sharing this very helpful video.

  • @flywheel-rsvp
    @flywheel-rsvp Před 3 lety

    Excellent video Michael & Team amen.
    Terribly awesome information. Appreciate humble truths for sure. Maybe we'll see each other one day!
    Thanks for sharing,
    James, Rescue Kitty😺 & Snowvan!

  • @PieterSadie
    @PieterSadie Před 4 lety

    His advice is Gold! Love it!

  • @japhetkineze4597
    @japhetkineze4597 Před 5 lety +1

    You are making it to simple for me and it's cool.

  • @AlejandroAguilar-zx2tz

    I'm applying for the accelerator for 2020 but noticed they ask for founders. In this case I'm a solo founder so can I still apply?

  • @datdang2492
    @datdang2492 Před 5 lety +16

    Beside the content, I like how the mantra got framed and stands behind him :D

  • @YoannBuzenet
    @YoannBuzenet Před 5 lety +3

    Great content.Thanks

  • @ethancodes
    @ethancodes Před 4 lety

    How do you balance #1 /w pivoting towards product market fit?

  • @Misanti888
    @Misanti888 Před 3 lety

    Love the content, sir. More power!

  • @amanbasanti866
    @amanbasanti866 Před 2 lety

    Great video, really helpful - thanks for sharing

  • @hasnainahmadtanim1190
    @hasnainahmadtanim1190 Před 3 lety

    Very useful! I can relate many of them!

  • @h2energynow
    @h2energynow Před 4 lety +2

    startups that we encounter it's actually
    possible to get some form of MVP built and launched in less than a month . Must be applications only, Not Hardware.

  • @lancequek5203
    @lancequek5203 Před 3 lety

    Hey Michael, so true! Don't you think startups should be obsessed about customer satisfaction and wowing customers at every turn and turn them into your brand ambassadors?

  • @ecomarinebd
    @ecomarinebd Před 3 lety +1

    His every word matched, listening to him is like a 7 minutes MBA!

  • @bdinh14
    @bdinh14 Před 5 lety +9

    Love ya Michael!

  • @Ezequiel_Anibal
    @Ezequiel_Anibal Před 3 lety +5

    Every single thing he said I have been through in my first Startup; Michael, when are you writing a Book?

  • @Seanonyoutube
    @Seanonyoutube Před 2 lety

    Solid advice. Thanks man.

  • @vlogmoinc5597
    @vlogmoinc5597 Před 2 lety

    this guy climb on the shoulders of some great co founders . thats step one

  • @letsgosean
    @letsgosean Před 4 lety +1

    You the best big Mike!!

  • @StartUpK
    @StartUpK Před 5 lety +1

    Awesome precisely 👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

  • @rubencanodiaz
    @rubencanodiaz Před 4 lety +1

    great tips, a made almost all those mistakes

  • @DevsLikeUs
    @DevsLikeUs Před 3 lety

    Such great info here!

  • @cristinaalexandraneagu5670

    Unbelievably accurate

  • @kevenbooth2198
    @kevenbooth2198 Před 4 lety +1

    ooh mike, please make more videos

  • @ProgramJerol
    @ProgramJerol Před 2 měsíci

    I respect and agree Michael on almost the points he laid out. But this thing is I guess each startup should be cautious about it. It is better to launch *to the public when you think you at least have a product market fit. Nowadays it is hard to just launch half baked products because the market is getting more saturated and competition is more intense.

  • @sikhswim
    @sikhswim Před 4 lety +2

    This is awesome. It's funny though, that Michael has to caveat everything so people don't rain down in the comments. These are directional suggestions, not gospel, and there's an exception to every rule. :)

  • @avinashdwivedi2015
    @avinashdwivedi2015 Před 5 lety +4

    Plzz write a book with all your knowledge

  • @VishalRaoOnYouTube
    @VishalRaoOnYouTube Před 2 lety +1

    4:23: another example is health related products like therapeutic devices or drugs. The MVP better be polished. :)

  • @nevillecreativitymentor

    Very sane and sober advice

    • @AkshayAradhya
      @AkshayAradhya Před 3 lety

      Yup, you can see the sprite bottle on the left. This man is 100% sober.

  • @SonAyoD
    @SonAyoD Před 3 lety

    Great video

  • @rishib3097
    @rishib3097 Před 3 lety

    Very Impressive for solopreneur

  • @chazzman4553
    @chazzman4553 Před 7 měsíci

    Sometimes startup fails just because you are after really small money or very small margins just like in logistics are. Or money from customers are just dripping in very slowly.

  • @bradhouston4734
    @bradhouston4734 Před 3 lety

    Thanks for the tips. I think I have made a bunch of these on other , but so far not this time 😀🙃😏

  • @olakunleajila3697
    @olakunleajila3697 Před 2 lety

    Insightful

  • @0xandrei
    @0xandrei Před 5 lety

    So good.

  • @nosaiyare2151
    @nosaiyare2151 Před 2 lety

    Micheal was born a 'startup whisperer'

  • @feeling4929
    @feeling4929 Před 3 lety

    This is gold

  • @aliensonmars3662
    @aliensonmars3662 Před 3 lety

    Sir why don't you write a book something like zero to one for startups.
    We hope you will make this happen

  • @bccoleman8678
    @bccoleman8678 Před 4 lety

    1:40 What are people’s thoughts on husband and wife founding teams? They know each other well.. But maybe too close.. 24 / 7.

  • @andyv8889
    @andyv8889 Před 3 lety

    I wonder what is the most mundane solution that has been funded by YC and has become a successful startup.

  • @theshark84724
    @theshark84724 Před 4 lety

    This is so stupid in my situation. Not ONE point is applicable to me. I LOVE my customer. I know how to develop software. I want to succeed. The analytics part is important tho

  • @BadGatewayMusic
    @BadGatewayMusic Před 3 lety +5

    6:10 that is some solid drug dealing advice

  • @VVan595
    @VVan595 Před 3 lety +2

    Thank you Amit shah

  • @derciobene3458
    @derciobene3458 Před 2 lety

    Not launching is imho the biggest mistake. Everything else can be rectified, but if you never launch, you'll never know what's wrong

  • @george_davituri
    @george_davituri Před 6 měsíci

    ⭐️

  • @slaveofallah6452
    @slaveofallah6452 Před 3 lety

    Vending business like massage chair requires low investment. Anybody can own vending machine because it's easy to manage and can generate revenue quickly. It is very profitable and low entry costs and have the ability to scale over time.

  • @flieronymus8024
    @flieronymus8024 Před 2 lety

    I love this advice, but I hate how most startup advice is geared toward apps or software startups that have no associated hardware.

  • @keonseon5707
    @keonseon5707 Před 4 lety +10

    I probably made all of these mistakes.

  • @sazid948
    @sazid948 Před 3 lety

    true

  • @prathameshbhat9816
    @prathameshbhat9816 Před 3 lety +196

    From bjp to y incubator amit Shah is best 😂

  • @mmanuel6874
    @mmanuel6874 Před 5 lety +1

    👌🏾

  • @timothyblazer1749
    @timothyblazer1749 Před rokem

    1. Giving VC too big a stake, and losing control of their company and ideas. This destroys their idea long term as it is ruthlessly altered to be a more attractive purchase for a large company. Then you get edged out of your own company, and if you aren't careful, you get diluted so badly you have no money either.
    2. Not protecting yourself from the inevitable lawfare waged against you by those very VC, who have convinced a large group to sue you into oblivion so they can dissolve you, mop up your IP, and sell it anyway.
    3. The rest is details

    • @timothyblazer1749
      @timothyblazer1749 Před rokem

      In other words..wake the hell up. VC are not your friends. You may need to deal with them, but always assume they are adversarial and want to eject you.

  • @aaronwhite3119
    @aaronwhite3119 Před 4 lety +3

    These all sound like problems/mistakes 20 somethings make.

  • @ajaysoni4919
    @ajaysoni4919 Před 3 lety

    is it better to copy a business and build some cash flow instead of jumping into wild idea and risk losing your own savings

  • @NishGurjara
    @NishGurjara Před 3 lety

    i think biggest mistake first time founder can make is that they decide to go like a first time

  • @MatthewRiddett
    @MatthewRiddett Před 5 lety +3

    Can't even conceive of taking on all the risk and work and stress of a startup if you weren't in it primarily to solve a problem you care deeply about.

    • @wronggg
      @wronggg Před 5 lety +5

      It's not too different than accepting a job you hate. Big money talks, bullshit walks.

    • @0xandrei
      @0xandrei Před 5 lety +2

      @@wronggg love the comparison

    • @wronggg
      @wronggg Před 5 lety +2

      @@0xandrei thanks

    • @MatthewRiddett
      @MatthewRiddett Před 5 lety +1

      @@wronggg true. Still crazy to do a job you hate tho, even if the money is good

    • @wronggg
      @wronggg Před 5 lety +1

      @@MatthewRiddett how many people get a job because they want a job vs because they need money? I mean, come on.

  • @chinocuboid9936
    @chinocuboid9936 Před 2 lety +1

    Thanks amit shah

  • @noelgaikwad4660
    @noelgaikwad4660 Před 2 lety

    😂🤣🤣, he looks like amit shah, but he is one of the founder of Twitch. 🤣😂

  • @panagiotisgalinos1335
    @panagiotisgalinos1335 Před 3 lety +3

    "Better to build a crappier product and release it sooner" - Totally dont agree by this. Particularly in software business (Programs, games, etc) this is a disaster and an example to be avoided. I can name 50 products in the software business but I will quote only one, the most well-known and recent: Wolcen. The guys took a marvelous, next gen arpg with so much potential and they release the product very-very early so it was a disaster. I will not go into technical details so as not to go into too much detail but the numbers says all: For the first week they had average 60k players - yes 60k- only on steam. Now they have average 500. Realy. From 60k player base droped to 500. So totally disagree with this.

  • @alexandersudeykin1657
    @alexandersudeykin1657 Před 4 lety

    In other words, the things why u will be rejected by VC )))

  • @valdisgerasymiak1403
    @valdisgerasymiak1403 Před 5 lety

    When you don't have a co-founder, you can avoid half of those mistakes :)

  • @princekashyap6766
    @princekashyap6766 Před 12 dny

    Ummmm

  • @hassanqayyum8954
    @hassanqayyum8954 Před 4 lety

    Just so you know, twitch is a cesspool of softcore porn now lol. They betrayed their base, and now will suffer for it

  • @corporateauthentication
    @corporateauthentication Před rokem +1

    Spoken like a true gate keeper.