I know there's much written about being a great leader and how-to posts on starting a company, but I'm more interested in those innate characteristics of a startup founder. Founders at Work had many great interviews, but I'm looking for the synthesis here of all the successful webpreneurs.
From the data we have so far (which is starting to be a lot) the best predictor of success is determination. Then flexibility, intelligence, sense of design.
"... stubbornness is a disastrous quality in a startup. You have to be determined, but flexible, like a running back. A successful running back doesn't just put his head down and try to run through people. He improvises: if someone appears in front of him, he runs around them; if someone tries to grab him, he spins out of their grip; he'll even run in the wrong direction briefly if that will help. ..." ~ Hardest Lessons for Startups to Learn, 5. Commitment Is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy ~ http://www.paulgraham.com/startuplessons.html
Number FIVE!
Just kidding. Maybe I read too much, but I find a lot of statements pg makes are right there in essays if you read them. I particularly remember this one because of the sport analogy, dodging, weaving around obstacles to get to the objective.
"... When you say flexibility, what exactly do you mean? ..."
Guess thats why it's on the list (hidden, but there) at number 5.
I'm curious...do you see mostly the flashy instantly-visible "I'm going to succeed at all costs" determination, or the kind of quiet resolve that only appears when things are going poorly and the founders choose to go on anyway?
I think one of the traits is to be relentlessly going after results, getting stuff done. Result is what matters. And since results are not guaranteed, the best one could do is to religiously maximize his/her probably for success by doing/learning whatever is needed (within legal and moral bounds).
1) Be smart and/or learn a lot so you have a high multiplier on your productivity
2) "You need to be in a position where your performance can be measured ... And you have to have leverage, in the sense that the decisions you make have a big effect." Or in other words start your company or join a small startup producing things people want.
3) Take a lot of actions (with your high multiplier) in working on your company. "Imagine the stress of working for the Post Office for fifty years. In a startup you compress all this stress into three or four years."
4) Enjoy the show after you're done and while at it. (I added that one.)
This was about doing it by creating things. "There are plenty of other ways to get money, including chance, speculation, marriage, inheritance, theft, extortion, fraud, monopoly, graft, lobbying, counterfeiting, and prospecting. Most of the greatest fortunes have probably involved several of these."
"I now have enough experience with startups to be able to say what the most important quality is in a startup founder, and it's not what you might think. The most important quality in a startup founder is determination. Not intelligence-- determination."
http://www.paulgraham.com/startuplessons.html
