As a female founder I hope these types of thoughts are promoted but the resulting actions are not obvious. I wouldn't want to be a female founder accepted into ycombinator and then have myself or others wonder if I am part of some kind of quota. I really want my acceptance to be based on my merits.
>I wouldn't want to be a female founder accepted into ycombinator and then have myself or others wonder if I am part of some kind of quota
I'm far removed from YC and the startup scene, but as an exceptionally intelligent black man I do have experience with scenarios that might lead one to feel that way. My advice is simply: don't feel that way. Be completely confident in yourself and abilities and ignore what others might be thinking. YC should not be seen as validation in any way, but as a stepping stone for your personal goals. In that light, the exact reasons you were funded are of no concern to your future success. Besides, I'm sure many a founder has been accepted for superficial reasons (being from the right school, having the right look, etc). If certain of your traits happen to match the current funding trends then so be it; consider it a stroke of luck and nothing else. I guarantee you the next white kid from Stanford that gets funded will not be sitting around wondering if he really belongs there.
Russian mentality still longs for strong leadership. Young people do try to break away but the majority of Russian population want to have a powerful and dominant head of state. It's in our psyche. Thanks to our our history and our brooding character.
Great post. It was fascinating to see how your copyrighting evolved. A/B testing is big these days and if done properly can make a significant difference in conversion rates.
Hacks are useful to get things done that are not important to you but need to get done. I do believe that "It’s the experience you should be seeking, not the short cut. It’s the voyage you should embrace, not the destination. It’s the path that elevates the soul, not the destination. It’s the process that ennobles, not the result." You want to feel excited for your journey, hacks be damned.
Russia never played by the rules. Russia wants to be feared and respected at all cost. Russia wants an image of a masculine and all knowing power. I love my motherland but like a parent it can be overbearing and wrong. It won't admit any wrong-doing. It goes back to the power ego.
To only follow the advice that's applicable to your current startup situation is limiting and keeps you in your comfort zone. I'd want to get advice that shows me where I can be if I follow it. Advice needs to lead not to lock you in.
Leo nails what you need to do day in and day out to become successful in blogging: Publish today. Get it out there. Be authentic. Be extremely useful. Don’t be spammy, don’t have ads, don’t have popups, don’t push people to share or subscribe. Just put the reader’s interest first, help him as much as humanly possible, be sincere about it.
