Dalton Caldwell and Michael Seibel on the importance of talking to your users, why successful founders are ok with rejection from potential customers, and how protecting your ego by not talking to your users can kill your startup.

To create Rookies Mistakes we asked YC founders: Is there a simple fact you wish you knew when you started your company or a rookie mistake you wish you could take back?

  / daltonc  
  / mwseibel  

Chapters (Powered by https://bit.ly/chapterme-yc) -
00:00:00 - Rookie Mistakes
00:00:36 - Note from YC founder
00:00:59 - Ideas vs Reality
00:01:38 - User surveys
00:02:25 - Charge for it
00:03:20 - AirBnB
00:05:27 - Twitch
00:09:35 - Note from YC founder
00:09:59 - Rejection
00:10:52 - Be scientific
00:13:13 - Note from YC founder
00:13:40 - Real customer
00:14:15 - Sales
00:15:53 - Customer validation
00:17:48 - Trade-off - Employee vs Founder