--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I set up a company, an algorithmic…" description: "\"I set up a company, an algorithmic auditing company myself. I have no clients.\" — Cathy O'Neil" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/cathy-o-neil-11478_business_i-set-up-a-company-an-algorithmic-auditi_1736579.jpg" --- # I set up a company, an algorithmic auditing company… ![“I set up a company, an algorithmic auditing company myself. I have no clients.” quote by Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/cathy-o-neil-11478_business_i-set-up-a-company-an-algorithmic-auditi_1736579.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/cathy-o-neil-11478_business_i-set-up-a-company-an-algorithmic-auditi_1736579.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed9/cathy-o-neil-11478_business_i-set-up-a-company-an-algorithmic-auditi_1736579.jpg) > “I set up a company, an algorithmic auditing company myself. I have no clients.” [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Starting a venture without clients highlights the risk of building without market validation. **In simple terms:** Launching without customers is risky. Key Takeaway Validate demand first. Themes entrepreneurship risk validation market fit Mood cautious reflective Type advisory business When to use this quote - product development - fundraising - marketing strategy Key Concepts lean startup customer discovery business modeling Questions to Reflect On - Who needs your solution? - How will you attract first users? A Different Perspective Resources may be wasted without early feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) ## Related quotes > [My fantasy is that there is a new regulatory body that is in charge of algorithmic auditing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/my-fantasy-is-that-there-is-a-new-regulatory-body-that-is-in-charge/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [When you manage your company for long-term shareholders, and you manage the company for clients, two of the biggest stakeholders, you will make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginni-rometty/when-you-manage-your-company-for-long-term-shareholders-and-you/) [Ginni Rometty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginni-rometty/) > [“Be a worthy company and clients will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/be-a-worthy-company-and-clients-will-come/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [“The auditing of time sheet hours is a time wasting process that can be eliminated if contracts focus on paying agencies for deliverables rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-farmer/the-auditing-of-time-sheet-hours-is-a-time-wasting-process-that-can/) [Michael Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-farmer/) > [Nixon started auditing late-night show hosts because they were making jokes about him. Then, every single one of their staff got tax audits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/nixon-started-auditing-late-night-show-hosts-because-they-were-making/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [I describe the design process as like the tip of the iceberg. What you don't see is the long haul: all the endless auditing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/i-describe-the-design-process-as-like-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-what-you/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [Before I finished another level of Scientology auditing, I had a very hard time with being wrong and I always had to have my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-masterson/before-i-finished-another-level-of-scientology-auditing-i-had-a-very/) [Danny Masterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-masterson/) > [Paralysis, anxiety stomachs, arthritis and many ills and aberrations have been relieved by auditing them. An E-Meter shows them up and makes them confess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/paralysis-anxiety-stomachs-arthritis-and-many-ills-and-aberrations/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [If you get into Scientology, you will go to auditing. It's like therapy except that there is an E-meter between you and your auditor.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/if-you-get-into-scientology-you-will-go-to-auditing-it-s-like-therapy/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [We are constantly auditing our supply chain. Making sure that safety standards are - are, you know, are the highest. We're making sure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/we-are-constantly-auditing-our-supply-chain-making-sure-that-safety/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [A lot of people think if you just had more process and more compliance -- checks and doublechecks and so forth -- you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/a-lot-of-people-think-if-you-just-had-more-process-and-more/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [A robust internal auditing program shows its presence both at the beginning and end of continual improvement projects. In the beginning, internal audits identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-novak/a-robust-internal-auditing-program-shows-its-presence-both-at-the/) [John Novak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-novak/) > [I hear a lot of 'Top Model' girls say they are dismissed by clients because they recognize them, but it never happened to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-siad/i-hear-a-lot-of-top-model-girls-say-they-are-dismissed-by-clients/) [Fatima Siad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-siad/) > [My Client Brock Lesnar conquered the Undertakers Undefeated Streak at Wrestlemania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-heyman/my-client-brock-lesnar-conquered-the-undertakers-undefeated-streak-at/) [Paul Heyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-heyman/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) ## More by Cathy O'Neil > [ With recidivism algorithms, for example, I worry about racist outcomes. With personality tests \[for hiring\], I worry about filtering out people with mental health… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/with-recidivism-algorithms-for-example-i-worry-about-racist-outcomes/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“They draw statistical correlations between a person’s zip code or language patterns and her potential to pay back a loan or handle a job.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/they-draw-statistical-correlations-between-a-person-s-zip-code-or/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [I don't think anybody's ever notified that they were sentenced to an extra two years because their recidivism score had been high, or notified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-don-t-think-anybody-s-ever-notified-that-they-were-sentenced-to-an/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The national conversation around white entitlement, around institutionalized racism, the Black Lives Matter movement, I think, came about in large part because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-national-conversation-around-white-entitlement-around/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“model’s blind spots reflect the judgments and priorities of its creators. While the choices in Google Maps and avionics software appear cut and dried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/model-s-blind-spots-reflect-the-judgments-and-priorities-of-its/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [I would argue that one of the major problems with our blind trust in algorithms is that we can propagate discriminatory patterns without acknowledging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/i-would-argue-that-one-of-the-major-problems-with-our-blind-trust-in/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [We've learned our lesson with finance because they made a huge goddamn explosion that almost shut down the world. But the thing I realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/we-ve-learned-our-lesson-with-finance-because-they-made-a-huge/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“Employers, for example, are increasingly using credit scores to evaluate potential hires. Those who pay their bills promptly, the thinking goes, are more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/employers-for-example-are-increasingly-using-credit-scores-to/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [Google is so big you have no idea what a given person does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/google-is-so-big-you-have-no-idea-what-a-given-person-does/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [It's a standard thing you hear from startup people - that their product is somehow improving the world. And if you follow the reasoning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/it-s-a-standard-thing-you-hear-from-startup-people-that-their-product/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The NSA buys data from private companies, so the private companies are the source of all this stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-nsa-buys-data-from-private-companies-so-the-private-companies-are/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“The algorithms would make sure that those deemed losers would remain that way. A lucky minority would gain ever more control over the data…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-algorithms-would-make-sure-that-those-deemed-losers-would-remain/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [“As we’ve seen, they (the companies) routinely reject applicants on the basis of credit scores and personality tests. Health scores represent a natural—and frightening—next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/as-we-ve-seen-they-the-companies-routinely-reject-applicants-on-the/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [We don't let a car company just throw out a car and start driving it around without checking that the wheels are fastened on.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/we-don-t-let-a-car-company-just-throw-out-a-car-and-start-driving-it/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) > [The public trusts big data way too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-o-neil/the-public-trusts-big-data-way-too-much/) [Cathy O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) [Explore all 59 Cathy O'Neil quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-o-neil/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. 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It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. 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