Backpacking your project
A hip-hop metaphor for technology ventures, à la Ben Horowitz
“Backpack rap” has become a contentious phrase in the music community. That’s probably because its in the annals of history as part of the genre’s meteoric rise to mainstream appeal in the 90s. One thing that’s more widely agreed upon is the term’s etymology.
With roots in graffiti culture, backpackers were hip-hop heads that carried all the tools of their trade around cities with them in (you guessed it) backpacks. Starting with paint, this quickly expanded into musical equipment: mics, vinyl, mixtapes, MPCs, 808s, SP-1200s; whatever was necessary to make or sell tracks. The idea was to be ready to make, perform or promote at any moment— a lifestyle, in the literal sense.
In 2013, we often fetishize “maker culture.” The original backpack rappers did it out of necessity, or lack of options. Most hip-hop artists of the early 1980s would probably have preferred to have a major promotional platform, like Grandmaster Flash or Afrika Bambaataa. It would have been easier to introduce their product in an under-saturated market, like DJ Greg Wilson in the UK. Instead, they had little mainstream appeal and the crowded culture of New York and a handful of other cities.
But, these artists believed deeply that rap had the potential to make a lasting impact, at the very least to make a whole lot of people happy. 30 years later, it’s hard to refute that point. Before it was platitude, backpackers felt strongly enough to throw all the necessary equipment on their backs. I’m glorifying it, but it takes grit and persistence to perform in public on a corner, or sell mixtapes on the subway at a loss. Kind of like giving up job security to take a chance on an unproven technology.
Those of us that work on and talk about computers are all too familiar with deep conviction about the potential for lasting impact. Many of us are also all-too-willing to share that belief. Go to a bar in SOMA or Kendall Square, mention Microsoft Word, and half the patrons in earshot will get in line to give you speech about feature creep. But we’re quick to glorify. We’re quick to fundraise. Sometimes, we’re quick to fund. Generally, we might be a little to quick to start up.
Bootstrapping, in the right markets, is awesome. Founders own more of the company, you have an ensured early focus on revenue, and you don’t have to shape your business model around earning a return for investors. I want to take it a step further, and a step earlier in the process, and suggest that some of us should be backpacking our projects.
You have a great idea. It keeps popping into your head, for weeks, then for months, and maybe even for years. You write it down. You sketch a business plan. You have fifty coffees. And then, the popular thinking goes, you start a company.
There’s another option, not new, but not that celebrated: take your idea and make it a side project. Iterate in your free time, gather feedback, and test the market among your immediate community (analog or digital). Most people don’t need a huge seed round, stealth mode, and a shiny office before they test their proof of concept. Forget the big reveal. Sure, this isn’t viable for all markets: hardware needs funding to test an initial product, and highly competitive spaces with security concerns (payments, transportation) can’t afford to launch a rickety 0.1.
For many of us, though, backpacking is a a great option. Dan Shipper just wrote about bootstrapping a 6-figure business and, surprise Peter Thiel, he didn’t drop out! I’d call that backpacking. Most undergrads probably would have stopped going to class. Before Ev and Biz decided to pivot, Jack Dorsey birthed twttr as a side project at Odeo. Pierre Omidyar built the first version of eBay over Labor Day weekend while working at General Magic. Backpackers. The examples are myriad.
The barrier to making software and launching an internet product has never been lower. It’s great that we’ve developed an infrastructure in the technology community to support people that want to give everything up and take a chance starting up. But let’s celebrate the backpackers, too. Next time your co-worker asks you for a code review on his side project, or your front-end friend wants some help building out their search infrastructure over the weekend, give it a second thought.
We all know the best ideas are born from passion. With today’s tools and some determination, passionate people can easily launch an MVP between classes or on nights and weekends. Fail sooner, be leaner, implement on your values, build your portfolio, all that good stuff. If you believe in it, start building it— it doesn’t require giving everything else up.
Thanks to Sam Cunningham for edits.
