Andrew, how about, Should all the cool kids, who have 100,000+ followers/readers (guy kawasaki, louis grey) randomly choose some relatively unknown start up and give them an exposure boost just for the hell of it? What do they have to lose if they promote an up and coming app or site with no expectation of being compensated? Most start-ups need promo as bad as they need cash. I am talking about a real promo, something beyond just a tech crunch or mashable mention. Sort of like Oprah, but in the digital space. Hmmm maybe YOU should do some interviews of someone who has yet to achieve success, every now and then.... I wish I could give you a suggestion of who might---oh, I can! Jeff Wurtz of lymabean.com
Thanks for the suggestion. The problem I have with interviewing startups is that they're full of sh*t. They talk up their product like it's the next Google.
But what I want to get to is the the honest parts of their stories. I want to hear how they're up nights worrying that they'll go out of business.
I want to hear that one of their motivations is that couldn't get laid in high school and business is their way to finally be someone in this world. And they won't take their eyes off that dream for even a second.
Or something like that. But I'm not a good enough interviewer to draw that out of them. Yet.
You must be talking to the wrong startups, then. We've never claimed to be making the next Google. I didn't get laid much in high school, but I quickly made up for lost time afterwards. I already am someone in this world by virtue of existing, so that's covered too.
You seem to want all startups to be depressed and self-loathing. Those stories might be hard to come by since they're two qualities that most entrepreneurs simply do not have, at least not consistently.
You're trying to get startups to tell you how much life sucks when all they want is the free publicity. Put yourself in their shoes, and be a little less condescending perhaps?
If you can't get that stick out of your ass, then interview startup founders that have already made it, they're usually much happier to talk about what a wild ride it was.
- Arg. I must not have said it right. I didn't mean that entrepreneurs think life sucks. I think we're the most optimistic people out there.
- You're right about the observer effect. I worry about it all the time. That's why I keep asking for feedback.
- Aditya, what I meant in that last comment is that I'm looking for the kind of openness + optimism that you showed here:
http://aditya.sublucid.com/2007/11/
I was just reacting to The problem I have with interviewing startups is that they're full of sh-t.
But, like I said, opennness is tricky when you're trying to get publicity and the wheels are falling off, right? No one would want to buy from a company that doesn't have enough cash to feed the founders... if they knew that was the case.
This is one of the reasons Venture Voice works, though, much easier to talk about stuff in hindsight, but I hope you can find more startups to profile on your show.
