Comment by jwb119 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jwb119 | Hacker News Reader

A pastor friend of mine twittered a similar link a few days ago. I didn't post it b/c I thought the source might overshadow the content, but I quite like the "Seven Keys to Starting a Movement". All relevant to the startup world with the possible exception of #6.

> 1. One man can start a movement.

> 2. A movement need not be started by the most skilled member of the movement.

> 3. When beginning your movement and you look around and no one else is joining the dance, just keep dancing.

> 4. When the one guy who joins your movement slowly fades away, keep going.

> 5. Before you know it, the people joining your movement won’t even know you started it.

> 6. When your movement takes a life of it’s own, just let go. There will be no stopping it.

> 7. The very people who are staring at you like your nuts as you movement alone, will be the very same people dancing the hardest in the end.

Edit: Here is the link http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/2009/06/youre-bad-idea-may-sta...

Reminds me of Arlo Guthrie's tale of woe at an induction center: "And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony, they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them. And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement."

#6 is very relevant to startups. Many startups fail because the founder(s) are too clingy to their initial vision. There needs to be a bit of a 'surfing' mentality -- you are not the wave, you are harnessing the energy of the wave. Try to dictate to the wave, and you get wiped out.

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