Do you need luck?
There's a saying in the startup world that the harder you work, the luckier you get.
Some people seem to have all the luck. They come up with a great idea, find the perfect co-founder, get into the right accelerator, and raise millions of dollars from top-tier investors.
But is luck really all it takes to be a successful software startup?
No. While luck may play a role in some success stories, it is certainly not the only factor.
In fact, many of the most successful startups have been built by hard-working teams who have persevered through difficult times. They've had to make tough decisions, overcome challenges, and execute their vision flawlessly.
Developing Writtan I sometimes get discouraged when I see apps that just launched blow up, but in the end, I'm doing this because I love what I do.
So if you're feeling down about your own startup journey, remember that it's not all about luck. The most successful startups are created by passionate and determined founders who are willing to do whatever it takes to make their dream a reality.
Often, what people would call luck is basically all about finding Product-Market Fit. I could say that some founders are just lucky to come across the right problem to solve at the right time. Yet, as we also know in the startup world, a great idea with a poor execution amounts to 0.
And at times, the "luck" could be attached to the founder(s). He's got the qualities of one who's gonna become super successful. He has folks who believe in what he's doing. He's got the right connections.
But in all, the diligence is always there beneath. They are the "lucky" ones because they became successful; things are working out for them. But "luck" only happens where there's something worthy of it.
Many things that seem like luck can actually be engineered to some degree. So when I see another app blow up, I try to examine why, and then apply what I learn.
The result is that, when I start something new, I ask questions like these beforehand:
A great executor still needs luck on the market side.
This is why everyone from Disney to Netflix still isn't quite sure what's going to be a hit. It's just too complex to model.
Before we did Placeit (https://placeit.net) that now has something like 200k paying subscribers, I tried so many other things...
We launched things that were done with much more polish... but you just never know how people are going to respond.
You gotta launch stuff / do your best but if it doesn't spark... keep changing / pivoting until you get it right...
There are tons of stories of very good entrepreneurs that were just too early
Anyone remember Odeo?
I love this article. I feel we hear a lot of success stories where people discuss about being lucky or "right place right time" story. But a lot is down to hard work and as you said perseverance.
Also love the design on Writtan. Clean
Thank you for the kind comment, yes with most things in life if you just have to persevere.
What tools or no code platform did you use?
For the website it's nextjs and tailwind.
For the app it's react native
Fir the server it's built with rust
Tailwind is really awesome. I remember the days of doing responsive UI in CSS back in the days.
Anyway you gained a new follower
"Luck" is nothing less/more than a positively skewed random outcome.
While there is no way you can control that in the short term and on every single of your actions/outcomes, you can definitely get luck to work for you in the long term by adopting an approach that actively skews the probabilities in your favor.
How do you actually achieve that? By cutting your losses short, and letting your winners run; you do less (or stop) what doesn't work, and more of what works.
How long have you been persevering for Hannes?
I've read somewhere that you can't be lucky if you don't work hard in the first place.
I think it makes sense, and that's what I'm applying to BotMeNot, as well.
Lots of hard work, and focusing on slow and steady growth. Any positive surprises are welcome, but not something I can't live without.
Yes you need luck. You can make your luck simply by trying your best.
This comment was deleted 2 years ago