The Startup of You - Reid Hoffman

The Eight Rules

• Find an idea that resonates

1. If your idea is shown to one person, this person has a high probability of telling someone else about your idea
   
2. OR: When people see your product they think "I need that"
   
3. OR: When person A sees that Person B has one, Person A thinks “I need that”

Have a no-brainer value proposition

1. OR: find a big fat pain point for some group of people
   

People need to be willing to pay

1. Find a creative way for people to pay for your product

Product needs to be able to scale up

1. Things that prevent scaling
   1. Not many people have the problem
   2. You can't produce a lot of your product
2. Think big but start small with a clear value proposition

An easy to reach audience

1. Examples are
   1. College students - they're on college campuses
   2. Hiring managers - usually very clear on LinkedIn

Think about the magic triumvirate

1. Growth - naturally resonant
2. Stickiness - once exposed people come back on their own
3. Monetization - need to be able to make money from visitors

Copy an existing idea

1. OR: Find an idea that exists but is messed up and make it better/easier/faster
2. OR: If someone else has proven an area of demand, think of other ways to take advantage of it

Sometimes price matters

1. Often cheaper is enough though may be hard to compete long term

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1. Link to page

2. Above is my takeaways and summary of Reid Hoffman's book the startup of you