Why another blog on startups

There are already zillions of blogs on startups. So why another one?

I must admit that when I recently did a blog search on 'startup' this one doesn't show up in the first few pages of results (maybe never, because I ran out of patience and stopped scrolling). But that doesn't bother me too much, make it at all, as my goals for doing this blog have already been met, and now it's all icing on the cake.

After my last startup experience, I discovered two things (1) I learned a lot of stuff that I wish I'd known earlier and (2) I really enjoy thinking about and discussing the startup experience. It was important that I share what I've learned with others - spread the word, help someone, chalk up some good karma kind of thing. Some of these things can only be learned through experience, and it is much better when it is not your own. I was seriously considering writing a book, not a how-to or do-you-have-what-it-takes kind of book, but a this-is-what-you-should-think-about,
this-is-what-you-should-watch-out-for and
this-happens-all-the-time
book that you can read if you're prepping for a startup and occasionally check out to recover your balance when everything seems to be going haywire.

So, I did start writing the book. I did an outline, skimmed through a couple of how-to books on non-fiction writing, and even did the first chapter. And I realized that it takes commitment to put in a few hours a day to it, something that's hard to come by when you're working. Also, having been immersed in only business-writing (am a PowerPoint junkie) for so long, I really needed the discipline of writing frequently to polish up my general writing skills. It started to look like it'd be two years or so for the book to be finished, which seemed a very slow way to help wannabe entrepreneurs.

There was the coffee/cocktail 'advisory' circuit of course. I've been discussing these ideas with some startup dreamers, and the helping is more immediate, but it still takes time and much consumption of beverages. So a blog seemed the thing to do. It gets the word out quickly (if anyone can find it) and makes me practice my writing skills. I'm the kind of person who'd only blog about what engages me, which is why writing about the startup ethos is fun and easy (I'd be seriously bored maintaining a blog about my daily activities - I couldn't read it myself).

Yesterday I was talking to an UCLA MBA student who needed my input on some startup issues and I'd told him about a couple of posts on this blog that might be relevant. He called back and was very effusive about how helpful it was 'because it speaks to the average Joe and tells you stuff that you'd never think about unless someone told you'. I'd started this blog with the idea that it didn't matter if it wasn't popular, I'd get to work on my writing and I'd feel it was worthwhile if it was helpful to just one person. Check and check. Ahhh. Now, if I can meet my startup goals....