The document discusses how to avoid being overwhelmed by the large amount of startup advice available. It recommends seeking advice from mentors with specific experience relevant to your situation. While generic advice from blogs and books can provide learning, it is often contradictory. The key is to understand the context and assumptions of any advice, and make strong choices for your unique opportunity instead of becoming paralyzed by analysis. Building a great product should be the main focus above following any specific piece of advice.

1. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
@andyy
How not to
Drown
in
Startup Advice

2. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Hi, I’m Andy!
@andyy
#fb
PhotobyDanTaylor-dan@heisenbergmedia.com

3. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Let’s talk about..
How Not to Drown in
Startup Advice

4. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Let’s talk about..
How Not to Drown in
Startup Advice

5. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
What is advice, anyways?

6. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Limited life experience
+
Over-generalisation

7. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Limited life experience
+
Over-generalisation
- Paul Buchheit : creator of Gmail

8. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Advice is our secret weapon
We can benefit from the
learnings of others

9. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Blogs, books, tweets, slide decks, talks..
Some of my favourites:
➔ BothSidesOfTheTable.com - Mark Suster’s blog
➔ Paul Graham’s essays
➔ Marc Andreessen’s blog archives
➔ Dave McClure - Startup Metrics for Pirates
➔ The Lean Startup - Eric Ries
There’s a lot of advice out there..

10. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Generic advice
..that you read in the blogs, books..
vs
Specific advice
..about your situation, that you get from mentors,
advisors..

11. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“All the Startup Advice You Read is Wrong
- but you should read some anyway”
- Ev Williams: Co-founder of Medium, Twitter
https://medium.com/on-startups/8ba2f1774789
Generic advice

12. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Specific advice
Find yourself mentors & advisors
- People who have been there before
(Un-)successful startup founders, business leaders..
- People who are travelling the same journey
Friends / fellow founders..
- People who have seen a lot
Investors..

13. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Getting specific advice
DO: Reach out to people and
ask for their advice / feedback
- Be specific
- Be courteous
- Give a reason, suggest date(s)
- Earn their respect

14. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Advice is great!
but..

15. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Too much advice?
Analysis paralysis

16. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Too much advice?
Analysis paralysis

17. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Too much advice?
Analysis paralysis
The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma:
Most advice is contradictory

18. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Too much advice?
Analysis paralysis
Most contradictory advice is still valid
The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma:
Most advice is contradictory

19. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Have a clear vision, and stick with it”
vs.
“Be prepared to change your idea / pivot”

20. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Get a lot of users,
figure out monetisation later”
vs.
“Make money from day 1”

21. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Raise more money than you need”
vs.
“Only raise as much money as you need”

22. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Hire your friends”
vs.
“Never hire your friends!”

23. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Understanding & interpreting advice
Who’s giving it?
What’s their context?
What are they assuming?

24. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“You should do X..”

25. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Assuming Y..
“You should do X..”

26. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Raise more money than you need”
vs.
“Only raise as much money as you need”

27. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Hire your friends”
vs.
“Never hire your friends!”

28. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Deciphering the clichés

29. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Focus”

30. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Be focused”

31. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Focus on core”

32. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“The main thing
is to keep the main thing
the main thing”
- Stephen Covey

33. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“The main thing
is to keep the main thing
the main thing”
¯_(ツ)_/¯

34. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“The main thing
is to keep the main thing
the main thing”
- Stephen Covey

35. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Focus, Level #1
Say “no” to distractions

36. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Focus, Level #2
Cut things out;
narrow down your scope

37. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Focus, Level #3
“Minimum Viable Business”

38. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Minimum Viable Business”
1 product
1 market
1 USP
1 distribution channel
1 revenue stream

39. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Focus, Level #4?
Identify the 1-2 things you’re trying
to improve right now

40. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Focus, Level #4?
Identify the 1-2 things you’re trying
to improve right now

41. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
How to not drown

42. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Seek advice
Understand the context / assumptions
Make strong choices
It’s your opportunity

43. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“Avoid decision by indecision”
- Mark Suster
bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/05/15/
avoid-decision-by-indecision/

44. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
“You’ll often hear conflicting advice about everything
but ‘build a great product’
..this means you can go either way on much of the rest of it
and it doesn’t really matter.”
- Sam Altman, Y Combinator
http://blog.samaltman.com/startup-advice

45. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
Good luck!

46. Andy Young // @andyy // andy@500.co
References
“Avoid decision by indecision” - Mark Suster
http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/05/15/avoid-decision-by-indecision/
“All the startup advice you read is wrong - but you should read some anyway”-
Evan Williams
https://medium.com/on-startups/8ba2f1774789