Building a startup It requires a lot of time and work. You not only need to create a great product, but also hire, raise money, spend it, and do it all in a way that minimizes mistakes and maximizes profits.
There is also a ton of advice on how to run a business. Events are one of those sources of knowledge, especially those aimed at founders. It is intended to help entrepreneurs on their journey with topics such as panel discussions led by successful founders, investors talking about what they want to see, or networking happy hours.
But all of these events take time away from the real task of building a business, and understandably not everyone is convinced they’re a good use of time.
A few months ago, Alexis Ohanian, former co-founder of Reddit and current VC at Seven Seven Six, tweeted that if I could go back in time and do something different when I was building Reddit, I would have spent a lot less time attending events.
“I wasted *so much* time going to things that ended up just being opportunities for people to talk about how they were “crushing” or “killing” him,” he tweeted. “Sure, you *can* find a good connection, but for the most part you’re having the same conversations over and over again…”
Many people agreed with Ohanian, but there was a great deal of discussion about the nuances of the events and their various benefits and drawbacks. Many people also disagreed with him. But it’s an intriguing topic, so we decided to ask 52 founders if they wish they’d spent less, more, or the same amount of time at founder-focused events.
It turns out that there is no real consensus. Of those surveyed, 19% said they would attend more events if they could, 28% plan to attend the same amount as now, and 26% said they would attend fewer. The remaining 27% did not actually answer the question, but provided some insights into how they think about such events.
