Start a business, not a startup

Ah, the startup. It's a special breed of company that gets a lot of attention

(especially in the tech world).

The start up is a magical place. It's a place where expenses are someone else's

problem. It's a place where that pesky thing called revenue is never an issue. It's

a place where you can spend other people's money until you figure out a way to

make your own. It's a place where the laws of business physics don't apply.

The problem with this magical place is it's a fairy tale. The truth is every

business, new or old, is governed by the same set of market forces and economic

rules. Revenue in, expenses out. Turn a profit or wind up gone.

Startups try to ignore this reality. They are run by people trying to postpone

the inevitable, i.e., that moment when their business has to grow up, turn a profit,

and be a real, sustainable business.

Anyone who takes a "we'll figure out how to profit in the future" attitude to

business is being ridiculous. That's like building a rocket ship but starting off by

saying, "Let's pretend gravity doesn't exist." A business without a path to profit

isn't a business, it's a hobby.

So don't use the idea of a startup as a crutch. Instead, start an actual business.

Actual businesses have to deal with actual things like bills and payroll. Actual

businesses worry about profit from day one. Actual businesses don't mask deep

problems by saying, "It's OK, we're a startup." Act like an actual business and

you'll have a much better shot at succeeding