Top all-time · #2641
Sramana Mitra
Personal blog · sramanamitra.comstartupsbusiness
Sramana Mitra's personal blog at sramanamitra.com covers startups and business. Since 2007, 32 different Hacker News readers have linked it 57 times, most often “Sridhar Vembu: Silicon Valley’s Unknown Indian (Zoho founder)”. No feed was found, so read it on the site itself.
Most-linked posts?
- Sridhar Vembu: Silicon Valley’s Unknown Indian (Zoho founder)2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2009-07-17
- Entrepreneur Journeys (Volume One) Now On Amazon - Sramana Mitra on Strategy2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2008-10-07
What Hacker News says?
>This is a common mistake: building a product based on assumptions, and not on the market's demand. I've learned not to add a feature before I have someone who paid an advance. I first came across this sort of advice here: The Montana Mogul: RightNow CEO Greg Gianforte (Part 1) http://www.sramanamitra.com/2008/07/31/the-montana-mogul-rig... Interesting story. RightNow was later sold to Oracle, IIRC, for a good amoun…
Comment linking /2008/07/31/the-montana-mogul-rightnow-ceo-greg-gianforte-part-1/
on “Ask HN: What's a side project you built to make money that hasn't?”Submitted Steve Jobs On Being Laid Off as a story · 41 points
HN discussionThere is a time pressure for them to IPO given the terms of some loans they took out in 2016. It seems the loan included penalties tied to how long it takes them to IPO. Apparently for every six months thereafter till the stock lists, the interest rate will keep going up by 1%. ( http://www.sramanamitra.com/2017/03/08/2017-ipo-prospects-sp... )
Comment linking /2017/03/08/2017-ipo-prospects-spotify-delays-again/
on “Spotify files for its IPO”Submitted Is Bootstrapping Becoming Sexy Again? as a story · 27 points
HN discussionI can guarantee you that Vembu would not have said it the way you are suggesting & the timing of the "memo". See this link http://www.sramanamitra.com/2007/07/16/happily-bootstrapping... where he was categorical that he is not going to be giving options and there was no expectations. I think the real issue is not about sharing wealth since it can be shared through other mechanisms for the core team - faster promotio…
Comment linking /2007/07/16/happily-bootstrapping-zoho-ceo-sridhar-vembu-part-7/
on “Joel Spolsky's Totally Fair Method to Divide Up The Ownership of Any Startup.”Submitted Is bootstrapping becoming sexy again for web2.0? as a story · 12 points
HN discussionI am of the same opinion. You may want to check out my new book, Entrepreneur Journeys (Volume One): http://www.sramanamitra.com/2008/09/09/entrepreneur-journeys... Sramana
Comment linking /2008/09/09/entrepreneur-journeys-now-on-amazon/
on “Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy”Submitted bootstrapping becoming sexy again? as a story · 10 points
HN discussionThey were expecting to do $60m in 2014 - http://www.sramanamitra.com/2014/07/11/bootstrapping-a-web-h... . I know we left them 4 years ago because how they implement bandwidth caps on private IPs, which a few years later another company also had the same problem with and nicely wrote it up on their blog: https://docraptor.com/blog/gone-in-60-seconds-how-we-moved-f... Linode's attempt to keep us (spending $5k a month…
Comment linking /2014/07/11/bootstrapping-a-web-hosting-company-to-60-million-christopher-aker-ceo-of-linode-part-4/
on “Security Notification and Linode Manager Password Reset”Submitted So…What is Design? as a story · 8 points
HN discussionStitch Fix is a profitable company that recently had an IPO. Their business is mostly subscription: each month they send a small selection of clothes chosen by a stylist. The customers keeps (and pays for) the ones they like, and returns the rest. Here's an overview: https://www.sramanamitra.com/2017/06/15/billion-dollar-unico...
Comment linking /2017/06/15/billion-dollar-unicorns-stitch-fix-delivers-a-surprisingly-fresh-take-on-shopping-for-fashion/
on “Understanding Latent Style”Submitted Stimulus Package for Entrepreneurs? as a story · 6 points
HN discussionThe iPhone [1] [1] - http://www.sramanamitra.com/2008/02/24/the-iphone-as-a-minim...
Comment linking /2008/02/24/the-iphone-as-a-minimum-viable-product-archetype/
on “Ask HN: What are some great examples of a Minimum Viable Product?”Submitted Need Volunteers To Help With 1M/1M as a story · 5 points
HN discussionI've seen some hyperbolic statements on Google/Motorola/Samsung vs. Apple FRAND patent litigation recently, as if such tactics were unprecedented, and the amounts asked scandalous. I would suggest every person who is getting emotional in the Apple-Android dispute to have a look at this document on 4G FRAND patents: http://www.investorvillage.com/uploads/82827/files/LESI-Roya... It gives some context: Audiences can e…
Comment linking /2007/05/22/iphone-and-the-future-of-qualcomm-addendum/
on “Google joins Samsung in patent dispute with Apple”Submitted Sramana Mitra's 2010 Resolution: Help 1M Entrepenreurs Achieve $1M/yr revenue as a story · 5 points
HN discussionIn addition to being more nimble than the big players, Zoho also competes very aggressively on pricing. One way they can afford to do that is through their unique approach to hiring: "We hire young professionals whom others disregard. We don’t look at colleges, degrees or grades. Not everyone in India comes from a socio-economic background to get the opportunity to go to a top ranking engineering school, but many ar…
Comment linking /2008/01/22/silicon-valleys-unknown-indian/
on “Companies Don't Get Killed by Competition, They Commit Suicide”Submitted Top 7 Internet TV Startups as a story · 4 points
HN discussionFrom this article it seems creditkarma has been profitable since 2015. --> https://www.sramanamitra.com/2018/06/06/credit-karma-delays-...
Comment linking /2018/06/06/credit-karma-delays-its-ipo-plans/
on “Intuit plans to buy Credit Karma for $7B”Submitted Next Phase in High Tech Individualism as a story · 4 points
HN discussionShe gives away her time to critique entrepreneurs presentations (See http://www.sramanamitra.com/entrepreneurship-strategy-roundt... ) in roundtables that are free to call in and available afterward on her site. She has written four books on bootstrapping and researched a number of success stories. They are as useful in their way as "Founders at Work" or "Four Steps to the Epiphany." I am not affiliated with her but…
Comment linking /entrepreneurship-strategy-roundtables/
on “Sramana Mitra's 2010 Resolution: Help 1M Entrepenreurs Achieve $1M/yr revenue”Submitted Online Education Catering To Demand In Critical Areas as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Blogosphere on Bootstrapping as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Only Facebook Can Match Google's Run as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Capitalism 2.0: Speculator vs. Creator as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Bootstrapping: Weapon Of Mass Reconstruction as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Design that Moves Business: Apple’s “Overnight” Success (Part 1) as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted Is Bootstrapping Becoming Sexy Again? as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted 1M/1M: Looking For A Pilot Entrepreneur To Invest In as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted Clarify Your Story: Internet Businesses as a story · 2 points
HN discussion
