HN Explorer

Ask HN: How important is it to be social prior to launching a company?

5 points by hndl ↗ HN
I'm pretty comfortable socially but haven't really been to too many of the startup focussed social events and often wonder how important is it to meet and interact with people before I even have an idea worth pursuing.

Is it terribly important to be out there and known before actually coming up with an idea? Can I postpone this to later? I understand connections are always good but how important are they?

4 comments

[ 2.8 ms ] story [ 25.8 ms ] thread
thejteam
If your startup sells to other startups, it is very important. If you lack a skill and need help with something, it is very important. If you are looking to be funded by a startup incubator or something similar, it is somewhat important. Otherwise, find an idea and start building.
hndl
Can you elaborate more on why it is important from an incubator standpoint? I would imagine folks from incubators meet a ton of folks and even otherwise would be willing to meet with someone who has a well defined/concrete idea.
mmountford
Connections are opportunities. The more you make, the more you have, and that makes social skills a commodity.

Having a great idea doesn't inherently make a strong company too. You have to have the right people, and it's the founder's job to attract the best talent.

Incubators want founders that are in high demand or are "popular" if you will. Plus, as Y Combinator says, they have dinner with you every month so they want to know you're a cool dude/chic.

int3rnaut
It's important to be social (people want to work with social and nice* people) but it's probably not important to be a socialite--you know what I mean. Just remember that life is a social event; you're going to meet people all the time. And like with anything in life, you get out, what you put in. So don't be afraid to put in a little work in all avenues of your upcoming venture.

Be nice to everyone you meet; niceness should not be underestimated. Even if it's not important to your company, it's important to you.

I remember stepping outside of a tech 'mixer' packed head to toe with millionaires, and seeing a bottle picker, he asked me what was going on and I told him, and we chatted about our 'entrepreneurial spirit' and he gave me some wisdom on the art of hustle--he was by far the most influential person I'd meet that night. You never know, who'll help you on your way, or who you can help--so always be social, and always be nice.