Liu Xingliang: “Making a Start-up is Like Having a Baby”

Liu Xingliang is a Chinese internet expert whose name and analysis pops up pretty frequently on all the big tech news portals. But Liu has his own blog, which he recently used to share six ways in which founding a start-up is like having a baby.

We like startups, and we know you do too, so we thought we’d share Liu’s thoughts with you. (Note: the following list is paraphrased and summarized from Liu’s post, not a direct translation).

1. You need good quality “sperm” — basically, you need the right building materials. Without funding and, more importantly, without a good idea and a good strategy, your business is never going to fertilize that egg er, become successful.
2. You need a healthy “mother” — you need to be physically capable of handling the long hours (that stretch into long months and years) to be an entrepreneur. Founding a company is not for the weak, and neither is giving birth!
3. You need a united, friendly “family” — you need a team that works together efficiently and well. If there’s tension in your team, it’s going to cause trouble and your baby will grow up with daddy issues your start-up will struggle.
4. You need a top quality “hospital” — you need the right facilities, in terms of hardware and software, and you don’t want to skimp. He also says this refers to the overall environment, including the economic and market circumstances. Just like having a baby in the wrong place is not a great idea, it’s also dangerous to found a start-up in the wrong sort of environment.
5. You need expert “doctors” — you need good advisers, consultants, and mentors to guide you through the process, people who’ve done it before. You wouldn’t want to have a baby all by yourself, right?
6. You need plenty of “patience” — giving birth is a natural process and you can’t rush it, no matter how many people or how much money you have. So is the development of a company, says Liu. You need to be patient and not get too anxious. Also, drink Wanglaoji. We’re not sure what that has to do with patience or giving birth, but Liu recommends the beverage brand specifically in this section.

So, there you have it. Starting a start-up is just as easy as, uh, creating life, supporting its every need for nine months, and then pushing it painfully out of your womb so you can support its every need for the next eighteen years, only now it’s way louder and it wants to you buy it toys. So, easy-peasy!

And, uh, drink Wanglaoji for some reason.