Lie like hell --- and try to turn small into a positive.
Don't do that. Unless you don't care about your reputation.
But truthfully, you really do need at least 2 people as a bare minimum to sell a viable product.
When did this become an immutable law?
Lots of customers will want some assurance that if you die in a car crash on the way home, there is someone left to continue on with.
One can also figure out a business continuity plan. Place code in escrow, subcontract some of the work, avoid writing software that only runs when a specific person is constantly tending to it.
Doesn't help most customers because they lack the expertise to use it. Most people looking to buy software are not in the software development business and don't want to be.
subcontract some of the work
What about the rest of the work?
avoid writing software that only runs when a specific person is constantly tending to it.
If it is a hosted solution, someone needs to tend to paying the bill. If it is not, someone needs to tend to support and make adjustments when needed.
The quick, simple, easy, all purpose answer to this line of questions for a small startup is, "My partner can take care of it".
The "bus factor" analogy is just that, an analogy. It shouldn't be solely taken literally, as in "what do we do if someone important becomes incapacitated".
The point of that analogy is to get people thinking about business continuity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_continuity_planning) and how to mitigate various types of risks. The keyword being mitigate. One cannot eliminate risk, and no sane customer expects their use of a client or software to carry 0 risk.
If a vendor tells a client that nothing can disrupt their ability to deliver their product, they are either lying, or have failed to understand the risks their company actually faces.
And the final point, "my partner can take of it". That addresses only one, frankly minor aspect of business continuity, which is "what happens if someone important becomes incapacitated". The number products that failed because someone important literally died (not just left the company) is probably extremely minute. There are way bigger risks a company should focus on mitigating first, including:
- software fails to meet regulatory compliance (if applicable)
- company fails to manage finances properly and has to close shop
- someone important leaving the company
Can some of these be mitigated by adding another partner? Depends on what they bring to the table.
"My partner can take care of it" is the easy, all purpose answer for a small startup.
If they want to dig any deeper, you're probably screwed and don't really have a chance at a sale anyway.
About the same result as with, "I can not tell a lie. I run this business from my basement. I know nothing about business or sales or marketing cause I'm just a nerd and I've never done this before and I'm all you got". What the customer hears is, "I'm so fired if this doesn't work out".
I know because I've been there. First rule of business ---Survival is always job #1 and sometimes it involves some compromise; particularly early on. Those who don't understand this probably shouldn't quit their day job.
If they want to dig any deeper, you're probably screwed and don't really have a chance at a sale anyway.
Once again, is this true across the board? How about questions around data security, authentication, data storage and backups, privacy...those should have solid technical answers, not "my partners and I know what we're doing". I'd run for the hills if I couldn't get a solid answer for any of those things for important enterprise software.
About the same result as with, "I can not tell a lie. I run this business from my basement. I know nothing about business or sales or marketing cause I'm just a nerd and I've never done this before and I'm all you got". What the customer hears is, "I'm so fired if this doesn't work out".
Would you agree there's some middle ground between "I cannot tell a lie" and "I will do anything to make sure the company survives, including lying to customers"?
Would you agree there's some middle ground between "I cannot tell a lie" and "I will do anything to make sure the company survives, including lying to customers"?
Sure. But there isn't much middle ground between success and failure.
Until your small startup is succeeding, you're just a failure in progress. And statistically, failure has the better odds --- probably due to a lot of half hearted attempts aimed at the middle ground.
If the most substantive thing you can say involves fixating on the definitions of “success” and “failure”, then I overestimated how productive of a conversation this would be. Have a good day.
But truthfully, you really do need at least 2 people as a bare minimum to sell a viable product.
Not true. Fine to be a solo entrepreneur, especially for more senior founders. YC may want multiple founders, but they cater to first-time founders.
Lots of customers will want some assurance that if you die in a car crash on the way home, there is someone left to continue on with.
Another person involved does not improve the chances that the company will survive if you get hit by a bus. Releasing all the code as Open Source, or providing the source to existing customers is a much better way to mitigate risk.
How do multiple people increase the chance of a sale?
I was responding to "if you die in a car crash on the way home, there is someone left to continue on with." Which seems pretty clearly attached to survival.
Comments
Lie like hell --- and try to turn small into a positive.
But truthfully, you really do need at least 2 people as a bare minimum to sell a viable product.
Lots of customers will want some assurance that if you die in a car crash on the way home, there is someone left to continue on with.
Don't do that. Unless you don't care about your reputation.
When did this become an immutable law?
One can also figure out a business continuity plan. Place code in escrow, subcontract some of the work, avoid writing software that only runs when a specific person is constantly tending to it.
Place code in escrow
Doesn't help most customers because they lack the expertise to use it. Most people looking to buy software are not in the software development business and don't want to be.
subcontract some of the work
What about the rest of the work?
avoid writing software that only runs when a specific person is constantly tending to it.
If it is a hosted solution, someone needs to tend to paying the bill. If it is not, someone needs to tend to support and make adjustments when needed.
The quick, simple, easy, all purpose answer to this line of questions for a small startup is, "My partner can take care of it".
The "bus factor" analogy is just that, an analogy. It shouldn't be solely taken literally, as in "what do we do if someone important becomes incapacitated".
The point of that analogy is to get people thinking about business continuity (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_continuity_planning) and how to mitigate various types of risks. The keyword being mitigate. One cannot eliminate risk, and no sane customer expects their use of a client or software to carry 0 risk.
If a vendor tells a client that nothing can disrupt their ability to deliver their product, they are either lying, or have failed to understand the risks their company actually faces.
And the final point, "my partner can take of it". That addresses only one, frankly minor aspect of business continuity, which is "what happens if someone important becomes incapacitated". The number products that failed because someone important literally died (not just left the company) is probably extremely minute. There are way bigger risks a company should focus on mitigating first, including:
- software fails to meet regulatory compliance (if applicable)
- company fails to manage finances properly and has to close shop
- someone important leaving the company
Can some of these be mitigated by adding another partner? Depends on what they bring to the table.
"My partner can take care of it" is the easy, all purpose answer for a small startup.
If they want to dig any deeper, you're probably screwed and don't really have a chance at a sale anyway.
About the same result as with, "I can not tell a lie. I run this business from my basement. I know nothing about business or sales or marketing cause I'm just a nerd and I've never done this before and I'm all you got". What the customer hears is, "I'm so fired if this doesn't work out".
I know because I've been there. First rule of business ---Survival is always job #1 and sometimes it involves some compromise; particularly early on. Those who don't understand this probably shouldn't quit their day job.
Once again, is this true across the board? How about questions around data security, authentication, data storage and backups, privacy...those should have solid technical answers, not "my partners and I know what we're doing". I'd run for the hills if I couldn't get a solid answer for any of those things for important enterprise software.
Would you agree there's some middle ground between "I cannot tell a lie" and "I will do anything to make sure the company survives, including lying to customers"?
Would you agree there's some middle ground between "I cannot tell a lie" and "I will do anything to make sure the company survives, including lying to customers"?
Sure. But there isn't much middle ground between success and failure.
Until your small startup is succeeding, you're just a failure in progress. And statistically, failure has the better odds --- probably due to a lot of half hearted attempts aimed at the middle ground.
If the most substantive thing you can say involves fixating on the definitions of “success” and “failure”, then I overestimated how productive of a conversation this would be. Have a good day.
Not true. Fine to be a solo entrepreneur, especially for more senior founders. YC may want multiple founders, but they cater to first-time founders.
Another person involved does not improve the chances that the company will survive if you get hit by a bus. Releasing all the code as Open Source, or providing the source to existing customers is a much better way to mitigate risk.
You’re arguing against a straw man. Nobody is claiming another person will improve chances of survival. It will improve chances of a sale
How do multiple people increase the chance of a sale?
I was responding to "if you die in a car crash on the way home, there is someone left to continue on with." Which seems pretty clearly attached to survival.