5 big startup lessons learnt from Jason Fried

5 Startup lessons learnt from Jason Fried, the kind of mentor who resonates with me. 

1. Everything you do is marketing, your product, your website, your signup form, your buttons, your customer service, your error message, and so on. If you think of marketing as this thing where a bunch of people will do miraculous things for your product then you’re going in the wrong direction.
2. Make something YOU need and when you do, SELL it. Free is fine but if people truly need what you’re selling, they will pay for it! It also adds a sense a responsibility on your part to deliver a great product when you’re being paid for it.
3. Working remotely & meeting occasionally increases productivity, contrary to what’s happening in today’s traditional companies. When you meet on occasion, there’s a good chance that you’d want to express all your pent up ideas & theories. Working closely everyday only increases interruption and NOT collaboration.
4. Learn to make money and aim to bootstrap your startup. Funding only cajoles you to spend more money whereas you’re really in this thing to make money! Focus on the right things and those do NOT include - buying an office space, buying equipment, obsessively seeking investments, etc. Taking Risks might sound entrepreneurial but is not practical, if you have day job, let your salary support your side project/experiment (not startup), until it starts making money. Don’t cut your income to dive into a new ocean of promise directly. Grow like a tree, slowly, steadily. 
5. Don’t keep Google, Apple, or Facebook as your role models. Big Companies are exceptions to the rule & not all startups will have that kind of popularity. You’re role models should be Small companies that have hustled they’re way up.

Watch the full video here