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Ask YC: What is the last task one should do before launching a startup?

22 points by moog ↗ HN
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43 comments

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Hexstream
Realizing that you're not at the end of the journey, you're at the end of the start of it.
dkokelley
That all depends on what you haven't done yet. Assuming that all you need to do is tell people about what you've got and the money will come freely and nothing will break, I would just send out a press release announcing your launch.
icky
> Assuming that all you need to do is tell people about what you've got and the money will come freely and nothing will break,

That's a pretty big assumption... ;-)

andr
Ask YC a very vague question ;)
falsestprophet
I highly recommend load testing. Good luck.
ivankirigin
That is very optimistic.
falsestprophet
I don't think so. Getting enough traffic to choke a small VPS is possible sooner than you may expect, especially if you have not rooted out all serious bottlenecks (which are often discovered during load testing.)
cperciva
Get a good night of sleep -- it might be the last you get for a long time.
jraines
Pick out your favorite brands of personal jet, caviar and champagne.
axod
Have kids :D
nickb
Well, you're just about to give birth to one! Can you handle two?
tim2
Request clearance from the tower.
crystalarchives
Take a deep breath, pat yourself on the back, and prepare for round two: gaining traction.
redorb
Take founding team to dinner.
gojomo
Further: do this dinner at a cheap, stable, unpretentious place.

Come grand success or crushing failure, this will become the spot for founders' reunion dinners in the years or decades to come.

ivankirigin
"I'll have a double-double animal-style launch burger."
dkokelley
+1 for the In-N-Out reference. Love that place.
drusenko
I'd recommend giving yourself 1 extra week from the point you originally wanted to launch. Make sure everything is finished, and give yourself 1 week to actually use the product. Fix all the little things, and add the extra polish, things you really wish you had time to do before. But don't delay more than a week.
sutro
Drink a bottle of Cisco RED:

http://www.bumwine.com/cisco.html

dmoney
If this sounds like a good idea, you are already drunk. But if you're drunk enough, it tastes like fruit juice! DON'T DO THIS!!
sutro
Except for the part about fruit juice, your advice is perfect for those considering doing a startup.
marketer
break up with your girlfriend
Prrometheus
Bang a really hot chick. Unless you're a chick, in which case you should bang a really hot chick.
LostInTheWoods
Last task: get rid of your fear, doubt and disbeleif.
wamboldt
quit your job if you have one, and tell everyone you know about your startup and how you will make thousands/millions soon.
icky
... and have a 10% chance of not just having done something really dumb! ;-D
lyime
Do usability testing and then some more.
ghiotion
convert everything to lisp?
jbyers
Agree with yourself that you'll do whatever it takes to make it succeed. Otherwise, don't bother.
icky
> Agree with yourself that you'll do whatever it takes to make it succeed.

Or, conversely, "fail fast".

jbyers
Good point, failing fast is success if you learn from it.
bayareaguy
Close a deal to deliver your first product (or do the web-equivalent to be sure your market is there).
walter_b_marvin
I don't know about this lack of sleep bit. I tried it and people have better ideas and do better work when not stressed. I'd rather substitute better planning for lack of sleep.
jchum
Load test and optimize user experience. You have one crack at attracting users. If your site is down, or the user experience is sluggish,that's bad news. Make sure you have some external monitoring in place.