Nate Ritter

Recently (today) I began reading Paul Graham’s stuff. I don’t know why it took me so long to find this guy, but he’s brilliant. I’ve added him to my Readable page.

While reading his article “How to Start a Startup,” I noticed a similar trend to the teachings of Guy Kawasaki and Joel Kurtzman (in Startups That Work). Specifically, that the idea is worth crap (Graham says “lass than the inconvenience of signing an NDA”), and the people are worth everything.

Moreso, Graham’s test of a person’s worth in a startup is whether they are “an animal.” I especially like this:

It means someone who takes their work a little too seriously; someone who does what they do so well that they pass right through professional and cross over into obsessive.

What it means specifically depends on the job: a salesperson who just won’t take no for an answer; a hacker who will stay up till 4:00 AM rather than go to bed leaving code with a bug in it; a PR person who will cold-call New York Times reporters on their cell phones; a graphic designer who feels physical pain when something is two millimeters out of place.

I laughed at the PR person who will cold-call New York Times reporters on their cell phones. The thing is, I know a guy who’s like that and I can’t stand him. He’s a salesman. Unfortunately for me, we don’t get along too well - because I would love to have a guy like him on my team.

So, what’s the lesson? Be nice to crazy people. You may want them on your team some day.

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