Having launched two companies that have gone in dramatically different directions; one’s secured $7-million in funding (Turntable.fm) and another ceases to exist (Stickybits), Turntable.fm’s Billy Chasen wraps his Founder Stories conversation by lending advice to other founders and discusses the biggest challenge he’s currently facing.
Chasen tells host Chris Dixon that finding and hiring those “A+ rockstars” is his toughest task. He says on the surface it seems simple, but “it is actually incredibly difficult and it takes a lot of time and it takes a lot of energy and you don’t want to make a mistake.” He compares the hiring process to dating, “you can’t be too forward, the other person if they are too forward it kind of scares you away, there is like this whole just kind of dance.”
Switching topics, Chasen says it’s key for founders to receive early feedback from consumers. His recommendation? “Try and get things out as early as possible. Figure out what your minimum viable product is and just get it out the door.” Hammering the point home he says, “whatever it takes, get that product out there.”
Make sure to watch the entire episode to hear additional insights, including traits Chasen says startups and employees share – and what founders should avoid when dealing with both.
Episode I of this interview is here and episode II is here.
Past Founder Stories episodes featuring Mayor Bloomberg, Fred Wilson, David Karp and many other leaders are here.
Turntable.fm is a project of Seth Goldstein and Billy Chasen, the two guys who brought us Stickybits. Users in each dance room has an avatar and can chat with each other. Users can create their own playlist and get up in the DJ booth to battle it out. Turntable.fm a social music platform that encourages hanging out with people and discovering music. If a DJ is playing a song you like, you can add it to your playlist, buy...
stickybits is the first social object network, connecting the digital and physical worlds. each stickybit is a unique barcode than can be scanned by iPhone or Android devices and then augmented with user generated content. Users can be notified when their codes are scanned, augmented or moved by other people. The company’s first product is a beautifully designed pack of stickers that can be purchased on amazon.com. Users can also choose to print out their own codes at home...
Chris Dixon is a Partner at and co-founder of Founder Collective. He is also a contributing writer for TechCrunch. He previously was the CEO and Co-founder of SiteAdvisor, which was acquired by McAfee, and Hunch, which was acquired by eBay. In addition to his work with Founder’s Collective, Chris is a personal investor in early-stage technology companies, including Skype, TrialPay, DocVerse, Invite Media, Gerson Lehrman Group, ScanScout, OMGPOP, BillShrink, Oddcast, Panjiva, Knewton, and a handful of other startups that...
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