Reflect on your personal experiences and how they shape your entrepreneurial journey. Understand that setbacks and unconventional paths can lead to success.

• Develop resilience
• Gain perspective on personal growth
• Identify unique strengths and experiences

Garry Tan is president and CEO of Y Combinator, which funds hundreds of companies per year through a web-based application. Tan is also the co-founder, board partner and advisor of Initialized Capital, an early stage venture capital fund, and co-founded Posterous, a blog platform acquired by Twitter. In this presentation, Tan shares advice and insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders that challenges prevailing wisdom.

• Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.*

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube

• eCorner Website
• STVP Website

Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University's network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: Donate Here

Focus on customer needs and experiences to:

• Develop customer empathy
• Identify valuable business opportunities
• Create solutions with strong product-market fit

Garry Tan is president and CEO of Y Combinator, which funds hundreds of companies per year through a web-based application. Tan is also:

• Co-founder, board partner and advisor of Initialized Capital, an early stage venture capital fund
• Co-founder of Posterous, a blog platform acquired by Twitter

In this presentation, Tan shares advice and insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders that challenges prevailing wisdom.

Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube

• eCorner Website
• STVP Website

Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University's network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: Donate Here

• Improve customer retention and engagement
• Develop effective product iteration processes
• Learn strategies for scaling your startup

Garry Tan is president and CEO of Y Combinator, which funds hundreds of companies per year through a web-based application. Tan is also the co-founder, board partner and advisor of Initialized Capital, an early stage venture capital fund, and co-founded Posterous, a blog platform acquired by Twitter.

In this presentation, Tan shares advice and insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders that challenges prevailing wisdom.

Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube

• eCorner Website
• STVP Website

Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University's network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: Donate Here

Focus on developing a diverse set of skills to become a well-rounded entrepreneur. Embrace the concept of being a 'super knife' rather than a specialized tool.

• Expand your skill set
• Increase adaptability in various business situations
• Enhance problem-solving capabilities

Garry Tan is president and CEO of Y Combinator, which funds hundreds of companies per year through a web-based application. Tan is also the co-founder, board partner and advisor of Initialized Capital, an early stage venture capital fund, and co-founded Posterous, a blog platform acquired by Twitter. In this presentation, Tan shares advice and insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders that challenges prevailing wisdom.

Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube

• eCorner Website
• STVP Website

Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University's network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: Donate here

Focus on maintaining a healthy entrepreneurial mindset and personal well-being while pursuing your startup goals.

• Develop resilience and mental toughness
• Maintain work-life balance
• Cultivate a positive and growth-oriented mindset

Garry Tan is president and CEO of Y Combinator, which funds hundreds of companies per year through a web-based application. Tan is also the co-founder, board partner and advisor of Initialized Capital, an early stage venture capital fund, and co-founded Posterous, a blog platform acquired by Twitter. In this presentation, Tan shares advice and insights for aspiring entrepreneurs and startup founders that challenges prevailing wisdom.

Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP). At STVP, we empower aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube

• eCorner Website
• STVP Website

Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University's network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: Donate Here

This routine covers topics such as avoiding unnecessary innovation, simplifying pricing models, and choosing appropriate technologies.

Startups need to innovate to succeed. But not all innovation is made equal and reinventing some common best practices could actually hinder your company. In this episode, Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the common innovation pitfalls founders should avoid so they can better focus on their product and their customers.

Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply
Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

• 00:00 - Intro
• 00:13 - Innovation Economy
• 02:53 - Anti-Patterns
• 03:28 - Corporate Law
• 04:45 - Proving It Wrong
• 06:53 - Because It's Fun
• 08:30 - Business Models
• 09:52 - Being Unique
• 11:43 - Outro

Benefits:

• 🧘 Increased mindfulness about how you're spending your time
• ✅ Sense of accomplishment from recognizing daily wins
• 🗓 Ability to adjust and re-prioritize based on shifting needs

There's only so many hours in a day and running a startup will require most of them. So how do you use that time wisely and be more productive?

In this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners at Y Combinator share their favorite strategies to be more effective and reduce distractions at work. They'll discuss the benefits of maker/manager schedules in addition to the fake work and productivity fads that can do more harm than good. If you're going to build a big business, you'll learn it requires working smarter AND harder to win.

Benefits:

• 🚫 Reduced context switching and lost productivity
• ⏱ More time to dedicate to high-leverage activities
• 😌 Lower stress from trying to juggle too many tasks

There's only so many hours in a day and running a startup will require most of them. So how do you use that time wisely and be more productive?

In this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners at Y Combinator share their favorite strategies to be more effective and reduce distractions at work. They'll discuss the benefits of maker/manager schedules in addition to the fake work and productivity fads that can do more harm than good. If you're going to build a big business, you'll learn it requires working smarter AND harder to win.

Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/OfficeHours-apply
Work at a startup: https://yc.link/OfficeHours-jobs

• 00:00 - Coming Up
• 00:48 - Tip 1: Focus on your customers
• 01:19 - Tip 2: Avoid shiny objects and focus on the core mission
• 02:26 - Tip 3: Write down and track your KPIs
• 04:48 - Tip 4: Avoid productivity fads
• 06:07 - Tip 5: Real work vs. fake work
• 08:23 - Tip 6: Divide your day up into two parts: Meetings and creative work
• 09:03 - Tip 7: Be intentional about time spend on social media
• 09:56 - Tip 8: Use social media to build relationships with customers
• 11:06 - Tip 9: Stack rank your priorities
• 12:59 - Tip 10: Identify what is NOT a priority
• 14:39 - Tip 11: Avoid multitasking
• 15:13 - Tip 12: Productivity tools doesn't substitute work
• 15:47 - Outro

Benefits: ✨ Increased productivity by working on high-impact activities 🎯 Clarity on your top goals and objectives ⏳ Better time management by aligning your schedule with priorities

There's only so many hours in a day and running a startup will require most of them. So how do you use that time wisely and be more productive?

In this episode of Office Hours, the Group Partners at Y Combinator share their favorite strategies to be more effective and reduce distractions at work. They'll discuss the benefits of maker/manager schedules in addition to the fake work and productivity fads that can do more harm than good. If you're going to build a big business, you'll learn it requires working smarter AND harder to win.

Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/OfficeHours-apply Work at a startup: https://yc.link/OfficeHours-jobs

1. 00:00 - Coming Up
2. 00:48 - Tip 1: Focus on your customers
3. 01:19 - Tip 2: Avoid shiny objects and focus on the core mission
4. 02:26 - Tip 3: Write down and track your KPIs
5. 04:48 - Tip 4: Avoid productivity fads
6. 06:07 - Tip 5: Real work vs. fake work
7. 08:23 - Tip 6: Divide your day up into two parts: Meetings and creative work
8. 09:03 - Tip 7: Be intentional about time spend on social media
9. 09:56 - Tip 8: Use social media to build relationships with customers
10. 11:06 - Tip 9: Stack rank your priorities
11. 12:59 - Tip 10: Identify what is NOT a priority
12. 14:39 - Tip 11: Avoid multitasking
13. 15:13 - Tip 12: Productivity tools doesn't substitute work
14. 15:47 - Outro

Benefits: ✅ Refine product features 📈 Increase user engagement 🎯 Achieve product-market fit

YC Partner Eric Migicovsky outlines a framework for asking questions and collecting feedback from your users.

Transcript and lecture slides here: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6g-how-to-talk-to-users

This lecture is part of YC's Startup School, a free online program and global community of founders. Register and join the community at https://www.startupschool.org/

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:00:27 Best founders maintain a direct connection to users
• 00:02:03 Write code and talk to users
• 00:02:43 The Mom Test book - Three common errors when conducting user interviews
• 00:03:22 1. Talk about their life, not your idea
• 00:03:58 2. Talk specifics, not hypotheticals
• 00:05:16 3. Listen, don't talk
• 00:05:56 Five great questions that everyone can ask during their early customer interviews
• 00:06:05 1. What is the hardest part about [doing this thing]?
• 00:08:16 2. When is the last time you encountered this problem?
• 00:09:15 3. Why was this hard?
• 00:11:14 4. What, if anything, have you done to solve this problem?
• 00:13:06 5. What don't you love about the solution you already tried?
• 00:14:16 Three critical phases to a early-stage company – Talking to users is extremely beneficial
• 00:14:58 1.1. Idea stage - Find first users with problem
• 00:18:08 1.2. Idea stage – Tips
• 00:19:30 2.1. Prototype stage - Identify your best first customer
• 00:20:01 2.2. Prototype stage – Framework to identify your best first customer
• 00:25:21 3.1. Launched stage – Superhuman Product-Market Fit Engine (https://app.chapterme.co/player/video/19WpIbBhxJU)
• 00:28:24 3.2 Launched stage – Tips
• 00:30:55 conclusion

Benefits:

• 🎯 Find product-market fit
• 📈 Prioritize high-value customers
• 💰 Validate willingness to pay

YC Partner Eric Migicovsky outlines a framework for asking questions and collecting feedback from your users.

Transcript and lecture slides: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6g-how-to-talk-to-users

This lecture is part of YC's Startup School, a free online program and global community of founders. Register and join the community at https://www.startupschool.org/

Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc):

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:00:27 Best founders maintain a direct connection to users
• 00:02:03 Write code and talk to users
• 00:02:43 The Mom Test book - Three common errors when conducting user interviews
• 00:03:22 1. Talk about their life, not your idea
• 00:03:58 2. Talk specifics, not hypotheticals
• 00:05:16 3. Listen, don't talk
• 00:05:56 Five great questions that everyone can ask during their early customer interviews
• 00:06:05 1. What is the hardest part about [doing this thing]?
• 00:08:16 2. When is the last time you encountered this problem?
• 00:09:15 3. Why was this hard?
• 00:11:14 4. What, if anything, have you done to solve this problem?
• 00:13:06 5. What don't you love about the solution you already tried?
• 00:14:16 Three critical phases to a early-stage company – Talking to users is extremely beneficial
• 00:14:58 1.1. Idea stage - Find first users with problem
• 00:18:08 1.2. Idea stage – Tips
• 00:19:30 2.1. Prototype stage - Identify your best first customer
• 00:20:01 2.2. Prototype stage – Framework to identify your best first customer
• 00:25:21 3.1. Launched stage – Superhuman Product-Market Fit Engine (https://app.chapterme.co/player/video/19WpIbBhxJU)
• 00:28:24 3.2 Launched stage – Tips
• 00:30:55 conclusion

This routine covers strategies for finding and interviewing early users before building a product.

Benefits: ✅ Validate problem-solution fit ✅ Gather user pain points ✅ Test messaging and positioning

YC Partner Eric Migicovsky outlines a framework for asking questions and collecting feedback from your users.

Transcript and lecture slides: https://www.ycombinator.com/library/6g-how-to-talk-to-users

This lecture is part of YC's Startup School, a free online program and global community of founders. Register and join the community at https://www.startupschool.org/

• 00:00:00 Introduction
• 00:00:27 Best founders maintain a direct connection to users
• 00:02:03 Write code and talk to users
• 00:02:43 The Mom Test book - Three common errors when conducting user interviews
• 00:03:22 1. Talk about their life, not your idea
• 00:03:58 2. Talk specifics, not hypotheticals
• 00:05:16 3. Listen, don't talk
• 00:05:56 Five great questions that everyone can ask during their early customer interviews
• 00:06:05 1. What is the hardest part about [doing this thing]?
• 00:08:16 2. When is the last time you encountered this problem?
• 00:09:15 3. Why was this hard?
• 00:11:14 4. What, if anything, have you done to solve this problem?
• 00:13:06 5. What don't you love about the solution you already tried?
• 00:14:16 Three critical phases to a early-stage company – Talking to users is extremely beneficial
• 00:14:58 1.1. Idea stage - Find first users with problem
• 00:18:08 1.2. Idea stage – Tips
• 00:19:30 2.1. Prototype stage - Identify your best first customer
• 00:20:01 2.2. Prototype stage – Framework to identify your best first customer
• 00:25:21 3.1. Launched stage – Superhuman Product-Market Fit Engine (https://app.chapterme.co/player/video/19WpIbBhxJU)
• 00:28:24 3.2 Launched stage – Tips
• 00:30:55 Conclusion

This routine provides strategies for navigating difficult moments and recovering from setbacks in a healthy way. It includes practices for pausing before reacting, seeking support, and reframing challenges as opportunities for growth. 💪

Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the best approaches to developing a healthy lifestyle that ultimately helps you run and grow a successful startup. Take care of yourselves out there.

Links:

• Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply
• Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc):

00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Plan for the punches
01:50 - Adulting harder
03:07 - Audit how you live
04:05 - Good & Bad Habits
07:23 - Information diet
09:22 - Salary bump
12:51 - Hard conversations
16:37 - Expectation setting
18:00 - Fight or flight
21:08 - Good R&R
24:59 - Healthcare
26:50 - Fatal punches

Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the best approaches to developing a healthy lifestyle that ultimately helps you run and grow a successful startup. Take care of yourselves out there.

Apply to Y Combinator: https://yc.link/DandM-apply
Work at a Startup: https://yc.link/DandM-jobs

Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc):

• 00:00 - Introduction
• 00:35 - Plan for the punches
• 01:50 - Adulting harder
• 03:07 - Audit how you live
• 04:05 - Good & Bad Habits
• 07:23 - Information diet
• 09:22 - Salary bump
• 12:51 - Hard conversations
• 16:37 - Expectation setting
• 18:00 - Fight or flight
• 21:08 - Good R&R
• 24:59 - Healthcare
• 26:50 - Fatal punches

Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel discuss the best approaches to developing a healthy lifestyle that ultimately helps you run and grow a successful startup. Take care of yourselves out there.