Marius Andra posted a brutally honest thought piece on the state of the startup community in Stop Producing Shit. In short, too many entrepreneurs aren’t talking to their customers, don’t understand the market, and create products that don’t serve a true need. I couldn’t agree more and felt compelled to add my thoughts in the comments:
Excellent post.
I would like to add that it’s important for entrepreneurs to honestly question themselves with every idea they seriously consider pursuing:
“Can I wake up in the morning every day for 4+ years excited to work on this?”
Side projects are another thing but when building a startup, you better be ready to persevere through the inevitable low-lows. Some people say it’s kind of like marriage but I wouldn’t know.
“How big is the market opportunity, really?”
You’re going to spend the same amount of time and energy building a startup for underwater basket-weavers as you will for mobile game players. Consider the upside and potential.
Additionally, anyone building a startup should read The Four Steps to the Epiphany: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976470705/ref=as_li_tf_tl