Lessons From Building My MVP (Part III)
Stuck. That’s the best way to describe how I feel about Prepare.io right now. I’m stuck and not entirely sure what to do.
In my last post, it seemed like I was close to getting a working product. I had just lost my developer, but I was 80% done with the product. A few more weeks of development and I’d have something to ship. So what happened? It’s six months later and I still don’t have anything that works.
Simply put, I had no money. The startup I was working at during the day ran out of funding, so I had to scramble to get a job or start freelancing. I ended up picking up a half a dozen clients, it wasn’t enough to pay my bills and a developer. It’s stressful when you’re worried about paying rent. Everything else seems non-essential, even the project you want more than anything to get off the ground.
Why Didn’t You Bring on a Technical Co-Founder?
Why didn’t I try to recruit a technical co-founder? Because every non-technical person wants that and I didn’t want to be one of those people who tried to convince a developer to work for free in exchange for X% of the company. I really wanted to get an MVP out and a handful of customers first. I wanted to be able to approach a bad ass dev and say,
“Hey, I’m not a joke. I can hustle and work to get a product out. I’m not a wantrepreneur. Come work with me and let’s change how teams blog.”
Was this the right plan? Honestly, at this point, I don’t know. I had an advisor tell me that if I can’t go out and recruit a technical co-founder, I’m not a very strong CEO (paraphrasing). I believe that’s a true statement. For a moment, my old developer expressed interest in coming on as a co-founder and we were going to meet in person to see if it would be a fit. For whatever reason, that never came to fruition. Which meant I was back at square one, trying to find someone to take over the development for my project.
“Give Yourself 30 Days”
Feeling stuck, I reached out to several advisors for counsel. I’m extremely grateful for the time they’ve given me. Their advice has been sound and really helpful. Perhaps the most helpful piece of advice I was given was when I was told to give Prepare.io 30 days.
He told me that Prepare.io was killing me. He’d seen it before with many other entrepreneurs. They get stuck on an idea and can’t let go. It’s consumes them and it actually holds their professional careers back. So he told me to give myself 30 days to find a developer for Prepare.io. If I couldn’t do that, then it was time to put the idea on a shelf and walk away. That doesn’t mean I can’t ever come back to it, but it means I’m done with it for now.
Well, 30 days has passed and I didn’t find anyone. Which means I’m in the process of emotionally putting Prepare.io on a shelf.
Even though Prepare.io is currently a failure, I’ve learned a lot. I don’t regret any of the time and money I put into it. I took a shot. I’m upset that I failed to get a product out, but I still got further than so many other entrepreneurs. I’ve gotten over the fear of starting something, now I have to work on finishing something.
One day I’ll write a proper post-mortem, but today is not that day. I’m not ready yet.
What’s Next?
Now what? That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I feel like a beat up piñata. I feel defeated, empty, and torn up. You can see it in my eyes and hear it in my voice. I’m a shell of my former self.
I’m in search of a full-time job. I’ve been supporting myself through freelance work, but I’m ready to commit to a company. I need time to re-energize and reclaim my mojo. I may have failed as a tech entrepreneur (for now) but I still have a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to marketing strategy, product development, and content creation. Despite feeling beat up, I’m confident that my next employer will be happy with my contributions to the team.
For any other entrepreneurs in a similar situation, this advice has really helped me let go:
“It’s okay if you fail. What’s the worst thing that will happen? You go out and get a job. You’re doing alright if the worst thing in your life is that you have to get a job.”
