A single mediocre hire in the first five will often in fact kill a startup. Sam Altman More Quotes by Sam Altman More Quotes From Sam Altman No matter what you choose, build stuff and be around smart people. Sam Altman smart matter people In general don't start a startup you're not willing to work on for ten years. Sam Altman ten willing years Execution gets divided into two key questions: 1) can you figure out what to do and 2) can you get it done. Sam Altman keys done two No growth hack, brilliant marketing idea, or sales team can save you long term if you don't have a sufficiently good product. Sam Altman team long ideas If you don't need it yourself, and you're building something that someone else needs, realize you're at a big disadvantage. Sam Altman building-something realizing needs Founders need to figure out what the message of the company is going to be. Sam Altman figures messages needs Obsess about the quality of the product. Sam Altman quality products Mediocre founders spend a lot of time talking about grand plans, but they never quite make a decision. Sam Altman never-quit decision talking A board member of mine used to say sales fix everything in a startup, and that is really true. Sam Altman members boards used If you ever take your foot off the gas pedal, things will spiral out of control, snowball downwards. Sam Altman spirals pedals feet I think as a rough estimate, you should aim to give about 10% of the company to the first 10 employees. Sam Altman team giving thinking A small communication breakdown is enough for everyone to be working on slightly different things. And then you loose focus. Sam Altman communication focus different I prefer to invest in a company that's going after a small but rapidly growing market than a big but slow growing one. Sam Altman company growing bigs The best people know that they should join a rocketship. Sam Altman team should people What being a founder means, is signing up for this years long grind on execution - and you can't outsource this. Sam Altman long mean years Wait to start a startup until you come up with an idea that you feel compelled to explore. Sam Altman come-up waiting ideas If someone is difficult to talk to, if someone cannot communicate clearly, it's a real problem in terms of their likelihood to work out. Sam Altman work-out team real For most software startups, this translates to keep growing. For hardware startups, it translates to don't let your ship date slip. Sam Altman ships software growing Startups are very hard no matter what you do; you may as well go after a big opportunity. Sam Altman matter may opportunity Startups are not the best choice for work-life balance, and that's sort of just the sad reality. Sam Altman balance choices reality
