Wednesday, October 29, 2008

My two favourite quotes from a Paul Graham essay

From "A Fundraising Survival Guide" by Paul Graham
http://www.paulgraham.com/fundraising.html

"4. Be flexible.

We advise startups to tell investors there are several different routes they could take depending on how much they raised. As little as $50k could pay for food and rent for the founders for a year. A couple (of) hundred thousand would let them get office space and hire some smart people they know from school. A couple (of) million would let them really blow this thing out. The message (and not just the message, but the fact) should be: we're going to succeed no matter what. Raising more money just lets us do it faster."

"5. Be independent.

A startup with a couple (of) founders in their early twenties can have expenses so low that they could be profitable on as little as $2000 per month. That's negligible as corporate revenues go, but the effect on your morale and your bargaining position is anything but. At YC we use the phrase "ramen profitable" to describe the situation where you're making just enough to pay your living expenses. Once you cross into ramen profitable, everything changes. You may still need investment to make it big, but you don't need it this month."

Be ramen profitable!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Masterpiece Starscream

Better than Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Megatron and Galvatron put together!

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MP-3 Masterpiece Starscream from U-toys, China Square Central, Singapore
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