Andre Garrigo

If your resources are limited like mine are, then read along. This is what I have learned in the last few weeks since I made the big move to San Francisco. My wish is that that this writing will help the younger version of myself. Maybe next year, or the year after that. This is just the beginning of my story.

So you just moved to Silicon Valley. You have the best idea in the world. But it is hard. You cannot build on this idea until you build a team. The first item on your startup’s todo list is to focus on building a team. You have to get the band together before you can record a song. There’s no set method for you to follow on how to build a team. If there was, then it would probably be well documented on the Internet. I searched and searched. Nothing. Even worse, if you are like me, then you are dealing with an extremely limited budget. You are dead broke and cannot afford to hire the right talent.

The only advice I can give you is to be yourself. Eventually, the right people will gravitate towards you. Be tough, be honest and be aggressive in everything you do. That is my moral compass. I also don’t lie, don’t cheat and don’t steal. But more importantly I don’t let anyone lie, cheat or steal from me. Figure out your moral compass and follow it to the tee.

Startups are like marriage. It is a lifetime commitment. It is your call as to whether you believe in love on first sight. But don’t build a relationship based on money. Those always seem to turn out bad. Either you talk about money or you stay quiet, but money will always be on your mind. And if it is on your mind, then it is on your partner’s mind. In my opinion, it is always better to talk it out (just not in public).

Okay, that is all for today…