{"id":72,"date":"2007-02-26T19:00:41","date_gmt":"2007-02-27T00:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/what-does-it-take-to-start-a-start-up\/"},"modified":"2013-08-13T07:38:59","modified_gmt":"2013-08-13T15:38:59","slug":"what-does-it-take-to-start-a-startup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/what-does-it-take-to-start-a-startup\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does it Take to Start a Startup?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What would you rather do, work a 9-5 job with a decent salary for 40 years or work nonstop for 2-4 years forming a startup?<\/p>\n

The regular job is consistent and predictable. There isn’t as much pressure and there isn’t nearly as much risk. The job is the safe way to go.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, the potential payout from a startup is enormous. If you succeed, you can basically do what you want for the rest of your life. There are other benefits: freedom, control, fame, and the chance to make your vision a reality. Everyone wants to be the next tech sensation, and everyone knows the chances of making it are slim.<\/p>\n

Startups are intriguing, but the details behind them are a bit of a mystery.<\/p>\n

What type of people are qualified to form a startup?<\/p>\n

Where, when, and how do they do it?<\/p>\n

How and from where do startups get funding?<\/p>\n

How many have a chance to succeed?<\/p>\n

I wanted answers to these questions so I decided to do some digging. Luckily, I found everything I could hope for in Paul Graham’s essay, How to Start a Startup<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you’re even remotely interested in startups, I recommend reading the entire piece. Graham was a founder of a startup, Viaweb, that was bought by Yahoo. In the essay he details the entire process and throws in his own thoughts on what works, what doesn’t, and what it takes to be successful.<\/p>\n

My key takeaways from the essay:<\/p>\n