Lessons for Consumer-Focused Startups (from Accel Venture Partners)

Just like everything on scribd, this would be much better as an HTML document.

Jesus... what's up with reinventing the wheel? Just use a normal HTML, for god's sake: we are people, not printers. I already developed a habit of skipping PDFs while surfing, now I'll need to start avoiding links to scribd.

Why work so hard to make your product worse?

I agree: overnight success may be programmed over a weekend, but it also has to be grown with care like a garden.

I've heard "buy some customers" a few times myself, and while it's possible for me to think like that, who as a customer would want to be treated that way? Not me. This article is an excellent, level-headed summary.

-Matt