[code4life]

When you decide to start a business, often times, you'll be doing lots of things you don't really want to be doing for that business. Like filing paperwork with the state or making sure your taxes are done on time. This stuff adds up and there is a lot of it.

To start a business, you really have to enjoy the product you are building enough to cover the work you don't want to do and enough to no longer do some things you enjoy doing in your life, as you may no longer have time for it.

Starting a real business is a challenge. I would suggest, if you do have an idea, try to build it. If you can build the idea, you might want to consider starting a business around it.

[danenania]

Starting by building is a great way to waste a huge amount of time on solving a problem no one has. Start by talking to potential customers and growing an email list, not building. Aside from being less risky, it's way more fun to work on something that you know people want and are waiting for.

It also conditions you for the fact that you'll need to spend at least 50% of your time on squishy marketing stuff to get anywhere. You can't just code your way to getting customers.

[semerda]

Building a product is easy. Especially if you are an engineer. Getting people to pay for a product now that's where a business sprouts from. Just because you built a product doesn't mean you have a company/business. You need users and those willing to pay for it. Most realize this when it comes to raising Series A.