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Re:Ask HN: Why did your startup fail and what did you learn? by gelstudios on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @09:32AM (#18015109)
I had a similar experience with managed VoIP. The first almost-accidental customers seemed like a good sign that the most minimal viable product could work as a business. But we did not start selling early enough, and it played out almost exactly as you described.

Lessons: 1. Sales is hard, especially if you have never done it 2. Commitment -- everyone involved should have skin in the game 3. Hardware is hard, even when you don't manufacture it -- refurbishing + firmware modifying ip phones, poe equipment, etc ate into our runway

Re:Ask HN: Why did your startup fail and what did you learn? by wiz21c on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @09:48AM (#18015239)
>>> 2. Commitment -- everyone involved should have skin in the game

For those who don't get it, this means : - don't expect anybody to help you more than what he already helped (i.e. past help doesn't imply future help) - someone not as involved as you can become predatorial (for example, by requesting, after years of super nice cooperation, a share of the profits, of the intelectual property, etc.)

- someone who helps your for nothing may hide some agenda

- someone who helps you may realize that what you do together might hurt some of his othe business (and thus starts to undermine your business, not just leaving it)

Re:Ask HN: Why did your startup fail and what did you learn? by beh9540 on Tuesday September 18, 2018 @10:24AM (#18015577)
>>> 3. Hardware is hard, even when you don't manufacture it -- refurbishing + firmware modifying ip phones, poe equipment, etc ate into our runway

This is a great point, and brings back so many bad memories. Every phone provisions a little bit differently, and so many settings have unintended side effects. I spent so much runway building a dynamic, generic templating system when we should have just gone to market mostly static coded components customized on the fly.