CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

http://pieratt.tumblr.com/post/5450242474/my-job-pt-1-i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing

by j2d2j2d2 • 15 years ago

177 72 15 years ago

pieratt.tumblr.com

achompas• 15 years ago

I'm pulling for Ben, if only because svpply tries to solve a problem (universal Internet wish list) while generating a metric f---load of data. If they do it right, they could develop an amazing recommendation algorithm.

Meai4• 15 years ago

I have no idea why someone would post something like this, and I can only attribute it to complete lack of responsibility and quite frankly: lack of common sense. Do you want your company to fail? Do you want it to perform 2% less than before? Because that's what you are doing right now.

hamner• 15 years ago

F--- that. He approaches his position with humility, an understanding of what he doesn't know, and a desire to learn it. Instead of reveling in whatever success his startup has had, he's candidly looking forward to learn what he needs to grow his business.

Meai4• 15 years ago

Which he should do in private.

devspade• 15 years ago

I think it takes some guts to admit publicly the self doubt that every founder probably struggles with at one point or another. So many people out there are documenting their successes and triumphs or maybe doing post postmortems on their mistakes. It's a refreshingly different and honest perspective.

aberman• 15 years ago

I haven't met the guy, but now I like him. And I am pulling for him. So he has accomplished at least that.

And don't worry, his investors knew that he had no idea what he was doing when they wired him the money. If they didn't, it's their own fault. At least he knows what he doesn't know, which is more than I can say for most people.

daleharvey2• 15 years ago

Do you honestly believe a single person is going to stop using svpply because they read that the founder / ceo is realistic about the challenges coming his way?

Meai4• 15 years ago

I have no idea, and that's my point. I think it will have unforseeable effects. Interaction with future business partners, friends, talks with possible employees who read it and decide not to apply. Everything is coloured from now on.

c0riander• 15 years ago

Despite the downvotes, I actually think this comment is quite a useful viewpoint. Posting something like this is a risky thing to do, and I'd be curious to know either in this situation down the road or other similar ones whether this gambit pays off. Does the goodwill-via-brutal-honesty outweigh potential loss of consumer/employee confidence?

wildmXranat• 15 years ago

Bait and switch article of the year. If I was linked to svpply, I would give him a phone call and a stern conversation would commence.

leftnode• 15 years ago

If you were linked to them in any significant way, wouldn't you already know this? I'm sure his co-founders know he's inexperienced, investors certainly should, so it's probably not a surprise to any of them.

I do appreciate the humility and openness.

kickme444• 15 years ago

Developer here - If I were about to interview for a dev job at svpply I would surely find this blog post and promptly cancel my interview. No way am I going to go to work for a guy who has no experience doing what he is tasked to do. This is kinda scary.

tlow• 15 years ago

Different people respond differently. Maybe his post will work in helping the right candidates to self select in, while others select out.

lallysingh• 15 years ago

Another developer here -- I already like the guy. Assuming he's not an ass in real life, I'd happily work for him (if I was looking for work).

ecopoesis• 15 years ago

Every CEO has no idea what they're doing the first time they're a CEO. Most don't know it. Many won't know it even after the been a CEO for years.

If I was applying for a job at svpply, I'd be happy that CEO knows what he doesn't know: it's much better then someone thinking they know everything and not having a clue.

scotth• 15 years ago

I would happily work for this guy. Seems like an opportunity to be both a programmer and help out with operations too. Sounds fun.

X-Istence• 15 years ago

I'd love to work for him. There is an opportunity for me to learn what he is learning, and to even help with ideas and researching.

He is ultimately doing exactly what he wants to be doing and from the looks of it he is working very hard at solving the issue of not knowing.

chc• 15 years ago

Then working at a startup for a first-time founder is definitely not for you, and probably not any startup. Which is OK — different people thrive in different environments and different risk/reward levels. You should be thanking this guy for helping you understand where your tolerance lies before you got snookered by somebody less candid.

compay2• 15 years ago

It's a shame so many of the comments here are criticizing this guy for not lying more.

rudiger• 15 years ago

Witholding the truth isn't lying.

compay2• 15 years ago

True. Good point.

jpk2• 15 years ago

This is an attitude I've never agreed with. Say you're an investor. Would you rather this CEO put on an I-know-what-I'm-doing face, and imply that he's got this all under control? Or would you rather he be upfront about his lack of experience but determination to get it right by learning and surrounding himself with smart people that can help him? Maybe he fails, maybe he doesn't. At least you know what you're getting into.

Dishonesty is dishonesty no matter how you cut it.

F_J_H• 15 years ago

Intentionally/knowingly leaving someone with the wrong impression is dishonest however...

rhizome2• 15 years ago

Sure it is, it's called a "lie by omission." Whether this matters in a given situation is determined by the person's ethics.

dpcan• 15 years ago

You don't have to lie, but MUST know when to shut the hell up.

seanp2k• 15 years ago

To quote Atmosphere:

"Now, when you come to apply for a job Don't tell 'em you're homeless 'Cause I promise they won't hire you And if they like your songs Just nod your head and play along Never tell 'em what inspires you I bet my fans know me better than my friends do Because my friends don't pay that much attention The fans memorize every single sentence Which makes them far too smart to ever start a friendship I need to start writing pieces about other people's problems 'Cause strangers are starting to get worried I'm in a hurry to try to slow the system down a bit And find happiness before I hit thirty"

markbao• 15 years ago

This is running a startup.

create_account• 15 years ago

Bubble Alert!

Nothing says bubble more than this:

A guy with no experience, no vision (at least none he's shared -- perhaps the entire article is some kind of viral PR experiment), gets funded!

mtgentry2• 15 years ago

Nah. 500k investment for a product as great as Svpply is fine. And Ben has loads of vision, he created the site!

marcamillion• 15 years ago

I am very grateful for this post. One of the most common pieces of valuable feedback I got before starting my company (as a sole founder) is that I need to keep going no matter what - especially in times of self-doubt.

I always considered myself to be confident, and self-assured (not obnoxious, just confident)...but starting a company is a completely different cup of tea. I have both a Computer Science degree + an MBA. I learned Rails on my own and I thought that would be the hard part. Just to learn that transitioning from hardcore product development to sales & marketing is even trickier than I thought.

When you think about all the promises you have made to people, and things you have sold in various ways, it's perfectly natural to get self-doubt....especially given that things will NOT happen exactly the way you planned. This. Happens. A. LOT.

Self-doubt is one of the most unspoken about aspects of starting a company and I am glad that Ben has so courageously spoken about it so publicly.

If you have never done a startup before, nothing can prepare you for the experience fully. I read every PG essay, most of Founders at Work, almost every other bio/story of most if not all of the tech founders from Fairchild Semiconductors to Facebook, watched dozens - if not a hundred+ - of Mizergy interviews, understand finance & economics (I can explain the differences between a Collaterized Debt Obligation & a Credit Default Swap), also know most of the fine points of the standard term sheet (including to focus less on valuation on more on things like liquidation preferences, etc.), know enough legalese to understand most contracts, I built teams from scratch, recruited people to work with me on a project bigger than myself but under-resourced, hell even worked at another startup before...but having done all of that...I still wake up every morning and there are MANY things that I am tackling for the first time - and it makes me doubt myself.

Most people won't talk about it, but I think we need to start being real with ourselves - for the health of the startup community. Especially for those of us that don't have investors or many mentors, or don't live in the Valley, or are not YC-alums.

So Thank You Ben. For being so honest. For being so real.

lionheart• 15 years ago

Completely agreed. I'm a sole founder as well and my friends keep telling me "wow, you really know your stuff" but in reality I have no idea what I'm doing.

I spend all my time in a state of confusion.

But after a while you get used to it, actually. And you just keep going and learn as you go.

jaxn2• 15 years ago

I am a first time CEO too. I have startup experience and even experience as a business owner. However, being CEO of a startup with outside investors is a whole new experience.

I am lucky to have great investors, a strong and friendly board, a few great employees, but like you said, I often am doing things I have no idea how to do.

My one tip to other first-time CEOs: over communicate. I send out a weekly(ish) internal email to my team, board, investors, and advisors. Everyone gets the same email, so there is no bullshitting. The investors love it.

ditojim2• 15 years ago

everyday is a series of lessons that prepares you for tomorrow and beyond. build on it. i think it is generally understood among any startup ceo's that this is what its like. honestly, i don't think it is something that should be openly discussed. i've shared moments of doubt with individuals very close to me, just needing to be human in rough times of building my business, and it did not help. you find inner strength to deal with the challenges and learn to leverage every possible resource to solve each and every problem that comes your way. it is just what you do...or you fail. i love it now that i know what it is, but it does take some time to grow into. and i am not claiming to know what tomorrow will bring, but i know i can handle it, and more importantly, my employees are confident that i have a firm grasp on their future.

newman314• 15 years ago

As I've often said in the past: "Fear (of failure) is a great motivator"

speleding• 15 years ago

Thank you for that post. I wish I could go back in time 5 years and read it then. I'm an MBA + CS degree bearing startup founder with autodidact Rails skills too. Now, I don't really need the advice anymore having it figured out myself already but it's nice to see I'm not alone.

If you are lucky, the self-doubt makes way for self-confidence eventually. Even for completely new things you start thinking, "well, I managed the last few times, it will probably work out OK this time too". I wonder if all the confident people I see starting out just have naive bravado or are very good at hiding their self-doubt.

mloc• 15 years ago

Have you heard of svpply before? (I have not). Now you have. This is what this post was written for.

stevenj• 15 years ago

Keep calm, carry on.

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571427

rokhayakebe• 15 years ago

Leadership is about managing other people's panic attacks, as well as yours.

jimbobimbo2• 15 years ago

This epitomizes the problem with fresh-out-of-school "founders" who view their startup as some sort of a post-grad experience. The guy mentally still is in a high school, but is supposed to be a responsible adult running a company. Every businessman has challenges running their business, but not every challenge is something that has to be known publicly. Business is supposed to be ran from the quiet office, not from the confessional booth.

If I would be an investor in this guy's company, I'd be really pissed off.

mtgentry2• 15 years ago

The product is great. All is else is secondary. For christ's sake the guy has Zach Klein on speed dial, they'll figure things out.

As as Svpply user, this only makes me want to root for them more. But to be fair, if I were a Svpply employee, my confidence in his vision of the company might waver a tiny bit.

kerryfalk• 15 years ago

No one so self-aware that they can openly discuss their shortcomings and their fears is "mentally still in high school".

Discussing them openly does have consequences, though. Especially for those following you who may not see it in the same light. As shown in the comments of this thread many are vicious against it and see it as weakness. In my experience, though, those who do share the same frame of mind as the OP (Many of whom are very successful leaders) see it as a strength.

So I partially agree in that perhaps it's wise to keep it to close confidants I disagree that this is something that needs to be rallied against.

It's lonely at the top in a startup. Figuring out where to go can destroy you if you let it. It's like guiding a ship through a thick fog (The doubt) and the only thing getting you through it is the lighthouse (Your determination to never give up and belief in the idea) and the skills you've developed to steer the ship away from the rocks to get to the lighthouse. I'd doubt anyone's ability to get through that if they weren't unsure and constantly questioning themselves. Over-confidence is the killer of great performance.

harryh• 15 years ago

It's worth noting that one of his actual investors doesn't look pissed off at all, but is understanding and pleased with Ben's self awareness:

http://bijansabet.com/post/5452994900/but-i-have-zero-experi...

ditojim2• 15 years ago

it isn't smart for a ceo to be publicly open about these weaknesses, but it is brutally honest, and i respect that. you may gain more than you lose from this post, but in general i have found that confidence in your ability to get it done and figure it our means everything, and that telling people you don't know what you are doing creates FUD in an organization.

erikpukinskis• 15 years ago

He appears to be supremely confident in his ability to get it done. He's just admitting he doesn't have a lot of experience, and doesn't know exactly how it's going to play out.

If you're bald you don't get dates by pretending you're not bald... you get dates by not caring that you're bald.

invalidOrTaken• 15 years ago

I liked reading it, and I can't help but root for the guy.

That said, startups don't need people who like them so much as they need people who trust them. As an investor, customer, or employee, I do need to know that the founder can tell what problems are on the horizon, and is brutally honest about which ones will be challenging. But I also need to know that he'll take care of them, or if not, that he'll hire someone who will (or, if an employee, he'll tell me to do it).

But founders aren't superhuman, and the money involved in successful acquisitions is so high that there are a lot of "companies" working on marginal ideas---ideas that might be big, or they might not, often depending on factors beyond founder knowledge. And at this point I think VC's have to own the responsibility for investing in a high-risk industry.

jstewart• 15 years ago

At least the site itself confirms the CEOs statements - http://svpply.com/search/products/a%20ceo%20who%20knows%20wh... :)

Seriously though, refreshing to hear someone be so honest about what we all go through. Who didn't have panic attacks when they first started out?

jamesjyu• 15 years ago

And ironically, they're currently down because they forgot to renew their domain.

phil• 15 years ago

Works for me.

keeptrying• 15 years ago

It'll be interesting to see if the next round of investors bring up this blog post.

Its not really a surprise that when doing something you've never done before, your a little lost. Thats normal.

But the buying public dont want to hear that. It bursts their bubble about CEOs.

synotic• 15 years ago

Aren't bubbles bad?

jaxn2• 15 years ago

To be fair, the buying public isn't reading that post. Also, CEOs as a group already get a pretty bad rap for wage disparity and dishonesty.

I think thenpost was courageous ansnsmart.

simonw• 15 years ago

Investors are smart. If they do bring up this post, I imagine it'll be in the context of a "so how much have you learned about being a CEO in the past year?" question.

sk_0919• 15 years ago

I'd love to hear PG's take on this.

mikeleeorg• 15 years ago

"He just summed up the last 3 yrs of my life" said a friend and fellow entrepreneur. So true, so true.

Every CEO was new to the job at some point. So was every founder. What he's saying is no mystery to any of us entrepreneurs. He just happened to have his entry picked up on HN ;-)

(Not to diminish what he wrote, of course - cheers to his honesty!)

spencerfry• 15 years ago

I've met Ben a few times in New York City. He's a very level-headed, honest guy. This blog post speaks wonders about his character. We need more people like Ben in our industry and fewer people that write blog posts trying to blow smoke up their own ass.

h6165• 15 years ago

Another developer here - I found the post honest and refreshing. Will soon apply for a job at Svpply.

mikecuesta• 15 years ago

Best of luck Ben, I know you'll make it. You're awesome bud.

CEO of Svpply: I have no idea what I'm doing

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