Songkick (YC s07) in the Financial Times - A little chat about finding backing
ft.com
ft.com
Nice. First sentence, and I'm already in full disagreement with this article.
Perhaps it would be better phrased the other way around:
If you have a successful business, other people will back you.
While I don't dismiss the use of getting other people to join you in your business venture, and certainly a single-person start-up might always appear a bit dubious, there is no need for "backing" in a funding sense, which is what this article implies. Certainly, it can help, but it's by no means necessary.
"This validation might take the form of an investor or that first major customer. It could be a serial entrepreneur joining your board, or a highly regarded salesman agreeing to work for you."
A friend of mine has a phrase "it takes a village to raise a start-up" by which he means that you end up asking many many folks for help and advice. That's what this article provides examples of: entrepreneurs that were able to ask for help were better able to succeed.