Reading rank 374
Schlep Blindness
, subject: Overlooked, difficult startup opportunities, 2012
Paul Graham's essay argues that some entrepreneurial opportunities hide in plain sight because the problems behind them are difficult.
34
Coverage Score
4
Scored evidence
About this work
Graham argues that founders unconsciously screen out tedious, unpleasant work, leaving difficult but valuable startup ideas hidden in plain sight; Stripe is his central example.
Why read it
Best if you want Paul Graham's case that hard, overlooked problems can be entrepreneurial opportunities, and that the work a company takes on defines it.
Key themes
- Opportunity hides in difficult problems
- A company is defined by its schleps
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #190, #276, #278
This record is supported by 4 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Henry Ford and Thomas Edison — David reads Schlep Blindness, including its Stripe example, and applies its hidden-problem argument to Firestone.
- Paul Graham’s Essays Part 2 — David draws the founder theme that companies are effective problem-solving machines defined by the schleps they'll undertake, illustrated by Stripe.
- Peter Thiel — David uses the essay's idea of difficult, hidden-in-plain-sight problems to explain entrepreneurial opportunity.