Lucky or Smart?

What Hacker News says

1. susan_hallJul 2016
   I'd also recommend "Lucky Or Smart?" from Bo Peabody, who built Tripod in the mid 90s, one of the early successful web startups of the 90s.

   https://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Smart-Fifty-First-Time-Entrepre...

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2. gyardleySep 2012
   God, yes. Things get much easier.

   A certain class of startup-building problems gets way easier as you grow and can afford to hire specialized resources.

   Get to the point where you can hire a good finance person? Things just got way easier.

   Get to the point where you can hire a dedicated HR person? Things just got way easier.

   Get to the point where you can hire a dedicated office manager? Things just got way easier.

   Get to the point where you can hire a personal assistant? Thing just got way easier.

   Beyond that, your life gets way easier psychologically as you start to achieve some success.

   Your family and friends stop wondering when you're going to get a real job? Your life is way easier.

   Got a big and diverse enough array of clients that losing a big one won't sink the company? Your life is way easier.

   Doing well enough financially that you've been able to build up a sizeable nest egg? Your life is way easier.

   As for luck, Bo Peabody's 'Lucky or Smart?' is the classic here - it's a great little book. Companies do get lucky break, but they have to be able to recognize and take advantage of luck when it comes.

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3. Sean_HayesJan 2011
   I agree with what most other people have said here about doing it in your spare time and then going in full time when you know what you're doing. Give full time effort when the business requires your full time effort, there's no point in doing it full time when you have no users and no application to support.

   Books I recommend: Rework, Lucky or Smart, The Art of the Start

   Languages: HTML, CSS, and Javascript are a must (jQuery is a great JS library to use). I recommend Python and Django for the server side, though what ever language you choose you should use an MVC framework (Django, Rails, CakePHP).

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4. neuromancer2600Nov 2010
   Two more that come to mind: Burn Rate by Michael Wolff and Lucky or Smart by Bo Peabody.
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5. gyardleySep 2010
   Bo Peabody's 'Lucky or Smart?' is relevant here. Good short read, decent synopsis from Bo here:

   http://www.inc.com/magazine/20050101/lucky-or-smart_Printer_...

   Twitter's emergence from Odeo is pretty similar to Tripod's switch from an advice site to a homepage builder.

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6. oziumjinxJul 2010
   Ayn Raynd - Atlas Shrugged Founders at Work The Innovators Dilemma Lucky or Smart (quick read) Unleashing the Idea Virus
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