This past year, I've been embodying the mindset of “actions speak louder than words”.
What do I mean by that?
For the longest time, I've said that I wanted to own my own business or pursue the entrepreneurial route (even though I didn't really know what that'd entail). I would start projects but would reach a point where I lacked the knowledge of figuring out how to monetize them.
After I quit my job, which you can read about in my first blog post, I was in a position where I can start putting my dreams into action. I didn't have any excuses anymore and nothing was holding me back, besides the financial and learning curve of course. I gave myself 6 months - 1 year to figure it out. Whatever “it” was. I participated in Y Combinator's 7-week Startup School course. Opened my eyes to the complexity of what it's like to build a startup. Essentially they emphasized that successful startups solve a problem, quickly build, iterate based on user feedback, and repeat. They answered questions like “Should you start a startup?”, “Why has your idea not been built already” and other thought-provoking and important questions to ask.
Through this program, I was able to connect with aspiring problem solvers and learned a lot through the process of what makes a good founder. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in the United States, 70% of new businesses fail within the first ten years. Most of the time because of poor product-market fit, no users, lack of demand and etc. But you won't find these things out until you start. The faster you fail the better because you can pivot faster. Y Combinator also talked about when and how to pivot.
The point is to just do it.
And that's what I did with a bunch of projects which are still in progress. I have shared some with people, but realized that they lack depth, and functionality and are not intriguing enough for people to continuously use them. I spent a lot of time learning the technical curve, probably not the greatest idea. But I am taking action so that's what matters. Will keep you up to date once I get an MVP out in the world.