So here we are, the decision to pursue a startup.
I've been wanting to do this for a while now, always with the same lingering questions running through my mind -
I started bouncing some ideas around friends, colleagues and even my university professors and I received some really constructive feedback. Being from Melbourne, the tech scene is still not as big as Silicon Valley but in saying so it still presents an excellent opportunity to build something local, testing it then expanding it out.
I've been wanting to do this for a while now, always with the same lingering questions running through my mind -
- "Do I know enough to even do it?"
- "What if someone has already taken my idea?"
- "Will this idea even work?"
- "Have I done enough analysis to test the feasibility of this idea?"
- "Will this make money?"
- "Where do I begin?"
For me, that last point has always been the biggest stumbling block, how does one even begin to build something like a startup?
Motivations -
Progressing along in your professional career, you slowly start to learn more about yourself and the driving forces that get you out of bed every day.
Being in the technology sector, we're constantly involved in discussions about the most successful startups, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, just to name a few. It's ingrained in our minds in such a way that makes us believe that we could be sitting on the next billion dollar idea.
I'd have to admit that the idea of being the "next big thing" is certainly one of the motivating reasons to go on this journey, but surprisingly it isn't my primary reason to do so.
I remember watching a YC Startup School presentation from Chase Adam of Watsi (video here) that I found to be really inspiring. Watsi by the way is a non-profit that utilises crowd sourcing to fund medical treatments for those in need by using a 100% donation model.
The inspiring part of it is that Watsi leverages the power of technology to change the game in terms of how fundraising is achieved. It's not about the fame or fortune, its about making a positive difference in the world.
Watching the video made me want to pursue a similar goal, to do something you truly enjoy and make a difference in peoples lives.
What Now? -
I started bouncing some ideas around friends, colleagues and even my university professors and I received some really constructive feedback. Being from Melbourne, the tech scene is still not as big as Silicon Valley but in saying so it still presents an excellent opportunity to build something local, testing it then expanding it out.
Even with the feedback, I was still stuck on what to do next. Having an idea is one thing but turning it into a product or service is a completely different thing altogether. I got a little bogged down in the details of what to do and from that I became a little deflated, it almost seemed as though I wasn't progressing with this, still stuck on the start line.
There's probably a conventional way of trying to build a startup, having an idea, a team, a business plan etc, but at some point it is a matter of just going ahead and doing it. I do can all the planning the world but it isn't going to get me to where I want to be if I don't start building it.
What's Next? -
This is most probably the wrong way to go about it, but at the moment the aim is to build a prototype over the next two months and go from there. Currently its a one man show but I do hope that this can change over time.
This will definitely be hard but whats life without the challenges. I'm sure there will be more failures than successes but you can neither succeed nor fail at what you do if you don't give it a shot.
I am open to any pieces of advice, everything from here on out will be a learning process.
So here we go...
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