For at least a decade now, I have wanted to start my own business. I've had a range of ideas on what that business might do, some of them good, some of them bad. I tried building and fixing computers; I tried to start forums with friends; I even tried to make video games with friends. Every time I failed to follow all the way through. The reasons aren't really relevant. What is relevant is that each time I learned something new. I learned why I failed, what went wrong, and what to try next time.
None of the failures were catastrophic, I was and am still young, but they were important. I learned that getting customers is hard, keeping customers is harder, and finding the right customers is hardest. I learned that it isn't enough to build something interesting, you need an audience. I learned that getting the right people together at the right time is nigh impossible. People tell you what they think you want to hear. Business partners will say they are interested, but aren't really committed. Business partners may have the will, but not the time or money. Business partners may just be looking to come along for the ride.
All in all, the lessons are hard, but the benefit is knowing to not make the same mistakes again. With that said, I am proud to announce that I finally have a business venture that is going to get off the ground. I am already much farther along than I have ever been, and I have no intention of stopping.
I don't want to announce too much now, but over the next few weeks I will illuminate the business more. For now, I just want to reflect on the progress I have made. Not just to tell others, but to reinforce to myself that this is really happenning.
Almost 2 years ago, I was approached by a new friend, Tony, with a business idea. He had been thinking about it for a while and wanted to know what I thought. The idea was simple enough. Tony had interested future customers. And it was the kind of app I would want to use. Tony and I talked, and he asked if I was interested in joining him. I had to say yes.
That was 2 years ago. In that time I've built prototypes, learned whole new technologies, rebuilt the prototypes, learned iOS development and Objective-C, became a better server administrator, and even changed jobs. Some months I made progress. Some months I didn't. What never failed was Tony believing in me, and me believing in Tony. Finally, 8 months ago, the prototypes reached a state where they were no longer prototypes. They were ready for finishing touches, but we still needed an iOS app. We needed the core product.
Today, I can say that app is ready. That is why I am writing this blog post. For the first time, a business I have worked on is on track to truly launch. Soon, we will begin our media push. We will launch our websites. We will put our app in the App Store. And we will have a fully-fledged business.
We have the domain name.
We have the Facebook page.
We have the Twitter account.
We have the LLC.
We have the product.
We have the customers.
We have the skills.
We have the drive.
This is real.
I believe this is the pivotal moment for myself and Tony. We've been working for this, and we believe we will succeed.
The future is unwritten, so I intend to write it.