I think my startup is going to fail, what should I do?
anigbrowl: Straighten out the situation with the rights, first. Establish who owns what, so that if your buddies decide it's not right for whatever reason, you still own the right to do things with it. If it's a joint contribution (eg you did the coding, but you all3 came up with the idea and your buddies each suggested things like site names and design elements), then work something out now.Even if they are cool and 'nah, it's all your buddy' get it in writing. Don't ask them to put it in writing, say 'cool, I'll just write that up then'. (The only part you want them to actually write themselves is their signature agreeing to the terms specified by...you. This is something I wish I had realized earlier in life!).Then launch. Or conduct a limited alpha with HN readers or whatever you need to do. Also, I do get the feeling you're letting these people (and others) hold you back a little bit. I feel where you're coming from, and I trust you have reasons for your disappointment, but you come across as a bit passive. If you're like me, you may have difficulty sounding out people's feelings, so you can't tell when someone is seriously interested or when they're just being polite to blow you off or get something for nothing. The only solution I've found for this is to be polite but assertive about asking follow-up questions. If someone vacillates and says 'well of course I do like it...maybe I could help you later' just let them know you'll keep exploring other options, eg 'Sure, I get that - I guess you won't mind if I take it across the street then, I need to move forward with this'. It's a terrible drag but that's how a lot of people are, if you hand them something on a plate they don't appreciate it and if you take it away they'll complain you didn't let them have a bite.