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Back to Eric Ries — Psychological Journey of a Founder, with Eric Ries.

What Is the Untold Truth About the Geniuses in Silicon Valley

Often times even the geniuses in Silicon Valley don't know how great of a product they have until it is beyond popular.

During the early days of Facebook, for example, the founders were busy working on side projects, even as users were breaking down the front door asking to be let onto the platform. The first version of Instagram was a massive failure. The list is long.

Once the product is popular though, the geniuses can do a lot of things wrong and still succeed because the core of their success is so strong, it cannot fail.

Transcript

Eric Ries — Psychological Journey of a Founder ·

Below the Line with James Beshara

More from this episode

  1. What Does Eric Ries Love About Being a FounderEric says that being a founder is not something he enjoys, necessarily, but the desire to make change in the world is what drives him to be a founder.
  2. What Does Eric Ries Say Movies Get Wrong About Startup Founders?On Below the Line with James Beshara, Eric Ries says case studies, magazine profiles, and movies mislead people who actually start companies.
  3. What Is the Danger in Consuming Media-driven Startup NarrativesThere is an entire industry that creates beautiful, entertaining stories about startups and their founders.
  4. What Stops First-time Founders From Seeking HelpIt’s called toxic founder image.
  5. What Are the Most Successful Startups Hiding From the WorldEric says that when you see what's actually going on in the most iconic startups you can think of, you realize there's dysfunctions and problems everywhere.
  6. What Is the Biggest Challenge With a Notion of "overnight Success"There is no such thing as an overnight success, and startups often take 10+ years before they get to a milestone deemed successful by the outsiders.
  7. What Are Some Things That Eric Has Personally Adopted to Find a Balance Between Enthusiasm and CynicismEquanimity is his go-to for all things entrepreneurship. For him, in order to survive as a founder, you have to practice some form of non-attachment.
  8. How Does Stress Affect Founder's BodyEric Ries has a very challenging situation with his company where the whole venture was on a brink of going extinct.
  9. What Should You Know Before Starting a CompanyStartups are challenging both physically and emotionally and it is important to learn not to freak out.
  10. How Do You Share the Burden of Startup-founding With Your TeamEric Ries exposes his team to the entire startup roller-coaster, successes or failures, to clearly explain that his team is all they've got.
  11. What Does Eric Ries Say Business School Students Miss About Startups?Eric Ries tells James Beshara that students he teaches keep asking why he never mentioned pivots, even though pivots are most of what he talks about.
  12. What Should You Know About FeedbackDo not take feedback personally, instead accept it and analyze it with an understanding that anything being said is packaged with the person's emotions and…
  13. What Is the Fundamental Attribution Error, as Eric Ries Explains It?On Below the Line with James Beshara, Eric Ries calls the fundamental attribution error a well-documented bias.
  14. How Are Arbitrary Deadlines HarmfulThey are harmful because they betray trust between you and your team.
  15. Why Are Early Adopters of Products So Important to a CompanyYou cannot be an early adopter if a product is flawless and polished. They can go from your most fierce critics to your most passionate defenders.

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