5 things I “knew” (or should have known) before starting a company, but didn’t fully understand until now

20 March 2010

Awesome post from WePay’s Richard Aberman

I founded WePay with Bill Clerico in August 2008, with the simple goal of making it easy for groups to collect and manage money online. We were accepted in YCombinator in May 2009, and raised just under $2 million from August Capital, Max Levchin, and a few other well-know angel investors last December.

I can’t say much about running a company post-financing because we have only been doing it for a few months, and to be honest, I haven’t really had the opportunity to reflect on it.

However, I have taken some time to think about some of the things I have learned over the past year and a half (from conception to financing), and I’ve decided to share a few of them here.

Continue reading here

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The Water Rat

Description and Character Traits
Chinese Symbols	Animal Symbol	Ancient Symbol	Element Symbol

	The Rat	The Child	Water
Brief Description	The Rat is highly imaginative, charming and very generous. They can sometimes be quick tempered and overly critical.
Positive Traits	charming, protective, compassionate, communicative, dynamic, familial, thrifty, skilful, sober upright, attractive, idealistic, prosperous, experimental, calm, sensual, loving, talented, adaptable, open-minded and brilliant entrepreneurs
Negative Traits	possessive, picky, defensive, excessive, addictive, fickle, stingy, bumptious, bossy, exploitive, anxious, argumentative, opinionated, overbearing and self-obsessed
General Description of All Rats	Being born under this sign determines many talents, as well as other characteristics that may not be so commendable. Rats are very lively and need a lot of mental and physical stimulation. They can be calm and perceptive, but sometimes their brains can cause a mental restlessness, tempting them to take on too much, only to discover they are unable to meet their commitments. Rats are blessed with one of the best intellects going. Add to their intelligence a curiosity and a bright imagination, and they seem as sharp as a needle. The sign of the Rat is the first sign in the cycle giving Rat people exude great leadership qualities and are good at taking the lead. They don't mind a lot of responsibility and they demonstrate a strong presence that other people respect. For those with the Rat nature, status and monetary satisfaction are the greatest motivation.
Detailed Description of The Water Rat	Being guided by the Water element means these Rats have a knack for influencing people. With their strong intellectual powers and great insight, they are also great puzzle solvers. They are quick to understand others and are incredibly practical people. Rats apply their talents to their everyday lives, making them obliging, generous and compassionate to other people. Generally, they are liked and respected by everyone. Like all Rats, however, they can be determined to seek their own gain, and will not mind using these talents to achieve it - though generally without losing anyone's respect in doing so.

TheWaterRat