You also want to fire people who a) create office politics, and b) who are persistently negative.

I think the best thing you can do is be aware that as a first time founder you are likely to be a very bad manager.

The most common post YC failure case for the companies we fund, is they're incredibly focussed during YC on their company... and after they start doing a lot of other things. They advise companies, they go to conferences, whatever.

You should always know how you're doing against your metrics. You should always have a weekly review meeting every week.

... for the top twenty most valuable YC companies, all of them have at least two founders.

The startups that do well are the ones that are working all the time.

Study the unusually successful people you know, and you will find them imbued with enthusiasm for their work which is contagious. Not only are they themselves excited about what they are doing, but they also get you excited