Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days

Jessica Livingston · First published 2007

For would-be entrepreneurs, innovation managers or just anyone fascinated by the special chemistry and drive that created some of the best technology companies in the world, this book offers both wisdom and engaging insights straight from the source. Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, and author of The Long Tail “All the best things that I did at Apple came from (a) not having money and (b) not having done it before, ever”. Steve Wozniak, Apple Now available in paperback-with a new preface and interview with Jessica Livingston about Y Combinator! Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days is a collection of interviews with founders of famous technology companies about what happened in the very earliest days. These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company. Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover? Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it’s done. But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businessesdo create value more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.

Founders at Work is a book by Jessica Livingston that contains interviews with successful tech entrepreneurs and provides insights into their experiences and lessons learned in starting and growing their companies.

1. Start with a passion: Many of the entrepreneurs in the book emphasize the importance of starting a company because you are passionate about the product or service you are offering.
2. Get a co-founder: Having a co-founder can provide additional support, ideas, and accountability for your business.
3. Focus on solving a problem: Identifying and solving a real problem for customers is key to the success of a company.
4. Keep things simple: Many of the entrepreneurs in the book stress the importance of keeping things simple and focusing on the core of what makes your business unique.
5. Be flexible: Be open to pivoting and changing direction if necessary, as the original plan may not always work out.
6. Build a great team: Having a strong and dedicated team is critical to the success of a company.
7. Get early feedback: Seek feedback from potential customers early on to validate your ideas and make necessary changes.
8. Stay lean: Avoid overspending and keep expenses low in the early stages to conserve resources and maintain financial stability.
9. Network and make connections: Building a strong network and making connections with other entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts can provide valuable opportunities and support.
10. Persevere: Building a successful company requires hard work, persistence, and a willingness to overcome challenges and failures.