Kevin, I really liked this comment because my inherent assumption would be that YC - or VC's in general - would stay away from "shit shows." Is there a method or a signal that YC looks for within a "shit show" that tells you it can be fixed?
Thing is we don't find out usually until after we invest what the real problems are...so we optimize for people we want to spend a lot of time with and work on these problems/issues whatever they may be.
Most founders feel imposter syndrome after they're accepted. The great thing about being part of a batch is you realize you're not alone and then learn that shit show is actually a default state. When you learn that, you relax and focus on the resourcefulness you need to solve your problems systematically.
It always seems to me that "grit" and "stubbornness" are similar, and being stubborn to the degree of being unable to give up a hopeless dream seems to be a problem for startup founders. How do you distinguish between these very similar traits when you interview someone?
To use a silly example: A flower buying website might do best to avoid spending time/money crafting promotions aimed at single biker dudes who live life off the grid. Even though there is possibly large group of folks that are under represented in the rebel luddite flower purchaser demographics.
My burn rate is close to 300-400/mo, less if I eat less per day. #grit
Beyond that what else is there?
When I was trying to learn to code, I was an undergrad with literally no money, but I had a prepaid college meal plan my parents had bought me. So I ate one meal a day for a month and sold off my extra meals at a discount for cash to buy coding books.
For example, if your van runs, I can think of several possibilities, especially if you don't need it during the day (i.e. drive to a library or somewhere where you can work for free all day and then you've got a HUGE asset available to work out trades and deals all day every day).