"I think you misinterpreted the meaning of my post. This was not the definitive guide to solve all the problems associated with start ups; just my nonsensical ramblings about what I personally thought were the biggest pitfalls of the naive entrepreneur. Also keep in mind the entire post was conceived and written at 3 in the morning while waiting at the airport. "

I could easily tell what the post was. I'm not business savy by no means, but I know it takes more than a small post on a forum to be a "definitive guide" to business start ups.


"Aside from the obvious spelling and grammatical errors, please elaborate on the 'conventional' business start-up."

My grammer and spelling are not the best. But I'm usually thinking of new ideas and innovations at the same time that I am posting. A conventional start up as I see it is the "I need a fully defined business plan, a bunch of sales people, a full-time lawyer, an full-time accountant, $1M capital (for expenses), a big office (or store), and a whole lot of other things because my business is going to grow sooooo fast I won't be able to service my customers without all those things."


"Are you referring to the one that is started on a shoestring budget with only a dream and hard work to bank on?"

No, I don't consider that to be a conventional start up.


"Or maybe its the one that is begun with hundreds of millions of dollars of VC funding and endless focus group testing and multimedia blitzes that announce the arrival of the product months before it ever hits the market."

Yes I would consider that a conventional start up.


"If all you want to do is sell, then you are salesman, not an entrepreneur."

I didn't say that *all* you needed to to was sale.


"The pitfall of this argument is that the only trait needed to start a successful business, is a good product or service and a smooth sales approach."

What else do you need to *start* a business?


"But one forgets all the intangibles required like foresight and planning, keen instincts of the market and your competitors, the ability to crunch numbers like an amateur mathematician, strong marketing and advertising, and even proper record keeping."

Those are good things to know, but not *necessary* to start a business. The tax man even allows doing business before having needed licensing as long as you get proper licensing by the end of the current period. That is a very vague statement, but my point is one of the oldest business related organizations in the US knows people can and do *start* businesses quickly without extensive planning and forethought. An entrepreneur is someone who jumps on an opportunity quickly before someone else does.


"And don't think these are skills that you just 'pick up on the way'."

Sure you can, if it were as complicated as you elude to, people wouldn't learn ways to cheat so easily.


"Some are born with them, some forge them through years of climbing the corporate latter and learning business from the inside, and some are only strong in certain areas and hire talented people for the rest."

I guess it depends on the person. But I agree hiring talented people to help is a good idea when they become needed.


"But even if you go that route, another trait is required of you: The ability to delegate."

Yes, if your bootstrapping efforts pay off, you'll probably need employees. You'll then need to be able to delegate tasks.


"Do not get me wrong, a strong product and the ability to push it lies at the core of what a business is, but to think that is all you will encounter along the way is as naive as thinking the outside walls of a house are all that matter."

I never said it is all you will encounter. Remember we're talking about *start ups*.


"Last time I checked, writing a business plan was free, unless you wanted someone else to do it for you. And why would an accountant and marketing firm not be necessary? Are you going to crunch all those numbers yourself? Are you going to be the sole creative genius behind all your advertising? Even if you're going to be the ultimate green light behind any and all marketing approaches, two and three and four heads will always be better than one."

I agree more heads are better than one. But you seem to keep mixing long term efforts into a conversation about *start ups*. The title of your original post is "My rant about why people suck at: Starting a new business.".


"As for the last argument about sales, what about business that do not have a product to sell? Like say, consulting. Or a motivational speaker. Last I checked, the barber down the street didn't sell me anything. Even those Geek Squad guys at your local Best Buy aren't pushing any product. But these businesses are selling the exact same thing as the used car salesman down the street: Solutions to problems."

You'll need to restate this before I can answer, because you start the paragraph differentiating between a product and a service, but then turn them back into *one thing* at the dealership.

"I don't go to the Gap to buy clothes. I go to the Gap because I want to be hip and in style with the rest of America. I bought a Toyota rather then the other models because I wanted fuel efficiency, reliability and strong resale value. Why do I drive 15 miles to Target while Wal-Mart is 3 blocks from my house? Because I'd rather pay a few cents more for the products and get a clean, well-lit store with friendly and knowledgeable sales staff, well designed and unique products and small lines at the check out. People don't buy products or services, they purchase reasons."

I agree. I bought a Corvette because I wanted the technology. BTW, it got 31.8mpg highway on my trips to and from Florida 970 miles. It had 350HP and ran 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. Rethink the Toyota, I know they are nice but you could have something that lets you know you're alive every day that you drive it :-)


"I did not state that to downplay those qualities. I stated it because sometimes entrepreneurs get so worked up over that 'brilliant' idea of theirs, that when it goes to markets and fizzles or doesn't have the desired effect on mankind they thought it would, they give up in frustration and move on. There is no substitute for proper market analysis, constructive feedback and good ol' common sense."

Yes, get it to market as quick as you can to make sure there is a market! Why can't selling act as part market analysis, constructive feedback and help with gaining good ol' common sense? I realize not all products lend themselves to the "just sell" approach.


"Please define 'bootstrapping' because there are many more costs associated with start up than just the product. In fact, like is stated in my signature, sometimes the product doesn't even matter. "

Bootstrapping : The new wave of entrepreneurship making people rich overnight without any "old money" to start with.


"Do not take this reply the wrong way, it is not meant to state that I have all the answers and as always, its just my views on the world."

I don't take it the wrong way. This is a discussion board not a book called "The Definitive Guide to Business Start Ups" having your name as the author.


"But if you're going to dissect a post, please be sure you have a better idea of what the person is talking about than he does."

That is a matter of opinion. I want everyone to give me their feedback on my posts. Maybe I'll see that they don't understand and help them to gain an understanding. During the discussion, I'll probably learn something from them.