“Make Something People Want.”
—Paul Graham
Paul Graham is a computer scientist, entrepreneur and one of the founders of Y Combinator, an investment company that provides seed funding and mentorship to startup companies. Paul lives out the Y Combinator philosophy of making something people want, by speaking and writing informative essays about startups and business strategy. So to inspire your work going forward, here are four of Paul Graham’s most impactful quotes about business.
“Investors are pinched between two kinds of fear: fear of investing in startups that fizzle and fear of missing out on startups that take off.”
In business, a lot of your success will come down to money. There will always be costs, from paying employees to purchasing paper goods for the break room. But if you want investors to take an interest in business, you must demonstrate that your company is worth the risk. To do this, focus on the quote above—making something people want above all else.
“Work with people you genuinely like and respect, and that you have known long enough to be sure.”
Relationships define our experience in life and business. That why hiring great people is a critical aspect to business success. Great startup employees are committed to the business’s mission, and they elevate the level of work of the people around them. So developing a hiring strategy to attract top talent must be one of your highest priorities.
“You’ve found market price when buyers complain but still pay.”
You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t correctly price it, you miss out on revenue and an enormous marketing opportunity. To price your next product or service for success, follow these simple steps:
- determine your business goals
- conduct a thorough market pricing analysis
- analyze your target audience, and
- profile your competitive landscape.
By implementing this strategy, you are well on your way to finding that sweet spot between profit and brand valuation.
“The way to get startup ideas is not to try to think of startup ideas. It’s to look for problems, preferably problems you have yourself.”
Great startups find solutions to problems you’ve always had, but never thought to resolve. If you want to start a great company, look for common problems and provide an indispensable solution.
If you need help with your startup, send us a message or call us at (314) 454-9100 today.
Who is Joel Green?
Joel Green is a seasoned attorney working closely with individual and business clients to provide advice and counsel in addressing their legal questions and concerns. Joel is licensed to practice law in Missouri and Illinois and splits his time between AEGIS’ main office, located in Clayton, Missouri, and its office in O’Fallon, Illinois.
Joel joined AEGIS after spending several years practicing at a large, regional law firm, located in St. Louis, Missouri. Joel has significant experience representing individual and business clients in the areas of estate planning, trust and probate administration, fiduciary relationships, real estate transactions and development, landlord / tenant issues, community associations and commercial and residential property management, strategic business planning and counseling, mergers and acquisitions, franchise and distribution relationships, business entity selection and formation, and commercial transactions.
Joel is on the Advisory Board of Directors for the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, and is a Director for the Delta Dental Health Theatre. Additionally, Joel is a member of the school board for Queen of All Saints School and is active in the parish community.
