How Will You Know When Your Startup Is a Success?
When you’re working on a startup, success is harder to recognize than you probably think
“I’ve got some exciting news,” my student said as he sat down across from me. “I’ve decided I’m going to turn down my job offer at Amazon and focus completely on my startup.”
“Really?” I replied. “I didn’t even realize you had a startup.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a few,” he said. “I mean, they’re all mostly in the idea stage at this point. But some of them have real potential. And I know if I want to be a successful entrepreneur, I need to commit myself 100% to being a founder. So I’ve talked it over with my parents, and we’ve agreed that I’m going to spend the next year after graduation focusing completely on my startup.”
“Interesting,” I responded. “And what happens at the end of your year working on startups?”
“I’ll evaluate the progress of my company,” he answered. “If it’s going really well, obviously I’ll keep going with it. But if it’s not going well, then I can think about getting a real job. Or maybe business school. We’ll see.”
To me, passing up a good job straight out of college to pursue vague startup ideas is a bad decision, and I’d advise most entrepreneurs against it. You might…
