"Make something people want" poster(alvybrooks.com) |
"Make something people want" poster(alvybrooks.com) |
http://www.fontyukle.net/en/DownLoad-Berthold+Akzidenz+Grote...
Even the most formidable people often put "ornaments" in their sight to remind them of things they might otherwise forget. So it's mistaken to conclude that such things are as a class useless. And I know from experience that this particular sentence is useful, because the same sentence is printed on YC t-shirts, and surprisingly often I find myself in office hours answering founders' questions by pointing to their shirts and saying "make something people want."
This is honestly why I sometimes have a hard time taking YC seriously... your essays are really informative and insightful, and YC does and sponsors some really cool things, but the inability to either neutrally run a web forum or stay hands-off instead of jumping in with borderline flames when HN or YC engenders any kind of negative feedback puts a dent in that good impression.
Your writings are readable and often useful but not exactly highbrow affairs… Perhaps the horse you're sitting on is not as tall as you seem to imagine.
A good example I like is Bruce Lee's letter to himself on his chief definite aim: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/03/my-definite-chief-aim.h.... Some may find this stupid, pretentious, or cheesy, but I bet it was useful for Bruce Lee and that is what matters.
I just got one because (1) I find myself coming back to this saying a lot, (2) I like this motivational type of stuff (I actually want all of little posters up in FB), and (3) donating to Watsi is a good thing to do.
People want haircuts. Being a barber doesn't scale.
There was a post a few months ago about a guy who really liked hair styles. He was about to become a barber but had a conversation with a successful entrepreneur that made him realize that being a barber doesn't scale. He went on to build a hugely successful franchise.
If you mean that scales exponentially, so the employee-value graph isn't linear, I guess that'd be different and you're probably right.
I like simple, profound slogans like "Make Something People Want" or "Just Do It". They're profound because of what's not written. By those being the only words on the poster the real point its made - "make something people want - nothing else matters".
The prints look gorgeous. Can't wait to put mine on the wall!
> Buy a poster *and* fund medical treatments through Watsi.I launched v3 of our product yesterday to an internal audience of about 1000 employees who got to very much enjoy using some new killer features -- none of which the business was fit to imagine.
I got to make something that people want, even though they didn't know they wanted it. Now I get to put a commemorative poster up.
*edit: typo
I suggest only allowing people to order 3 in the quantity field instead of 9 if three is the max.
There you go. The secret to success.
It is true that there are ways to succeed other than easing pain. Helping people make more money is one. Creating joy is, indeed, another. But the beauty of targeting pain is that people who have it are not hard to find - they're the ones complaining really loudly - and the ones you find will often pay for relief. Whereas nobody was wandering around five years ago complaining about the lack of a bird-throwing game and offering money to whoever came up with one.
Although that would probably look a bit shifty hanging in the lobby.
"It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." - Steve Jobs
It will look good on the wall with my 2010 radial world cup bracket
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hyperakt/2010-world-cup-...
I know, I know, I'm a dreamer.
Joke aside, I like "need" better. People don't know what they want, just give them what they need.
Props for hand screenprinting these, that takes some effort!
The essence of my discomfort with this is that because this is YC's slogan, having a YC startup publish it with the blessing of YC the organization seems a bit like self-worship. I never got the sense through any of your writings that you'd advocate for this sort of thing. I guess I interpreted it more as YC worship than a what's presented by the message, and I doubt I am the only one that might think that.
My humble 2 cents. Thanks for HN.
"I don't like it" or "I think it's pretentious" is a useless post.