Startup Systems
systems that power startups
Startup Systems
The median bootstrapped B2B SaaS company currently spends around 90% of its annual recurring revenue on costs—25% on go-to-market strategy and execution, 24% on research and development, 15% on administrative and miscellaneous expenses, 13% on website hosting and implementation, and 10% on customer retention. Each of these categories of cost is now... See more
Will Manidis • Asset-light Software Businesses: The New Paradigm for Startups
On the evolving spend of startups
Killer utility theory argues that the more general-purpose a device, the less individual applications matter and the more important hardware differentiation becomes. It is the collective killer utility of all the apps that matter, not the existence of one killer app. Consumers buy an Xbox solely for gaming and, for many, solely for Halo (at least,... See more
Superhuman
Necessary chaos embraces the uncertainty inherent to startups. Here are a few examples:
As growth accelerates and larger teams are needed, people stretch into new roles, teams scale and split, and new processes are formed.
After a promising call with a potential new customer, the product roadmap is re-prioritized to incorporate features that will... See more
As growth accelerates and larger teams are needed, people stretch into new roles, teams scale and split, and new processes are formed.
After a promising call with a potential new customer, the product roadmap is re-prioritized to incorporate features that will... See more
Jean Hsu • Does Your Startup Feel Chaotic? Good.
17% of employees who quit do it within the first month of a new role.
Why?
They were sold on something different than what they received once they got started.
Startups move fast and sometimes it’s unavoidable, but when this happens there’s a huge loss of trust. Employees may never take you at your word again fully.
The best you can do is to be... See more
Why?
They were sold on something different than what they received once they got started.
Startups move fast and sometimes it’s unavoidable, but when this happens there’s a huge loss of trust. Employees may never take you at your word again fully.
The best you can do is to be... See more
Michael Houck • What Do Top 1% Startup Employees Want?
Angles that spread usually check the following boxes:
- Surprising — presents unexpected new information or theories
- True — we actually believe it
- Important — has an impact on our behavior
- Relevant — related to domains we care about
- Cool — we think we’ll look impressive for sharing it
Nathan Baschez • How to Write Essays That Spread
The early days are exciting. Customers are seen and heard and served. Variations are created and value is produced as problems are solved.
In the early days, the most celebrated employees are the ones who figure out what someone needs and then determines a way to fill that need.
Once the organization gains traction, it’s possible that a short-term profit maximizer will join the team. They push to treat the customers as replaceable flanges, almost identical, income opportunities to be processed. And the employees? They are expenses, not part of a team.
It can seem like the fastest way for a stable business to increase profits is simply to remove some sticks. Process more flanges with fewer expenses. Lower overhead, measure the easy stuff, do it faster.
We spend too much time dealing with shaky towers. The resilience of people connecting, of organizations evolving, of service and clarity and generative work is far too important to be threatened by a few hustlers who insist on measuring the wrong thing.