Lemon Quarters Squared

Pinterest founder Ben Silbermann: “It can take a really, really long time to build things that are worthwhile.” “In March 2010, we launched Pinterest and were at 3,000 accounts. And that wouldn’t have been so bad if we hadn’t started building Pinterest in November 2009. And that wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t left my job to start a company in May 2008.”

Naval Ravikant shares the most valuable advice he’s received When asked about the best advice he’s ever received, @naval says he first ignored it. “It's the same [piece of advice] that everyone who's been in the business for a long time and has a lot of gray hairs tells you… whether it's Warren Buffett telling you about public investing or whether it's an experienced venture capitalist telling you about private investing… They'll all tell you, ‘It’s the people, stupid.’” There are three qualities to look for in a partner: intelligence, energy, and integrity. “You need all three. You can't compromise on any one of them. Otherwise, you'll end up with either someone who's not smart (which does you no good) or someone who's not hardworking (which also does you no good) or the worst case is you end up with a smart, hardworking crook who ends up working against your interests…”

Brian Chesky on how to build strong cofounder relationships “We [Airbnb cofounders] had a rule. The rule was that winning an argument was never more important than preserving the relationship. And the reason that's important is because if you start a company, you're going to have to debate a hundred thousand things... so no one argument can be the thing. There has to be this larger sense that we're a band.” @bchesky likens strong relationships to exercise. “I think you gotta really work hard at the relationship, almost like exercising. If you don't keep exercising, you get out of shape. We worked really, really hard. And one of the things we did in 2009 is we said every single Sunday we're gonna meet, no matter how busy we get, and to this day, we still do those calls.” Constant contact, connection, and respect are critical. “I think a lot of human connection requires constant contact, constant connection, a deep sense of respect, a sense that I'm only here because of them, a sense of humility and gratitude, and a sense that I'm never going to try to win. Because if I win alone, I'm not going very far.” Follow @startuparchive_ for more tactical startup advice!