Why building a company is both a challenge and a privilege
Three years after co-founding and building Planet OS it is time for me to move on. As my role of the original technical team builder and engineering lead has fulfilled its purpose, I will now be an advisor, seeing the company enter the next phase. I plan to take a short break before committing to something new. Before doing so, I want to share my key lessons from working with an amazing team, building a unique search & discovery engine for the industrial Internet of Things.
In the light of recent developments, I am proud to see NOAA announcing the Big Data Collaboration with Planet OS involvement [1], and Bravante choosing Planet OS as their main partner for distributing environmental data for Chevron, BP, Total, Quieroz Valdez and Premier Oil [2]. I believe this validates that Planet OS is set for success.
Being a co-founder is a 24/7 role. There is always more to do than fits the day (and night) and successfully juggling the tasks needs constant prioritisation and foresight. This is where the methods developed in the industry, like Kanban, 5S and zero waste, truly shine. Resources in a startup are under constant stress, so paying attention to the details really matters. Mastering the ability to say ‘no’ is crucial.
In a startup, every day is Day #1. It does not matter what you achieved yesterday — if you don’t give it your best today, things will start decaying. Luckily, cumulative interest works also for a company — as the team learns and acquires new skills, it grows stronger with each new bit of information. Making sure knowledge sharing and continuous improvement are ingrained in your company processes and communication is vital for growth.
Small decisions go a long way. There is a saying that temporary solutions are the most lasting. This is especially true when developing software where the frontier is constantly pushed by brilliant teams, so their past design decisions get a long lifespan in the codebase. While amazing feats of engineering consist of long hours, clever hacks and perspiration, it is important to recognize situations where a few small decisions today will make life easier by an order of magnitude tomorrow. Getting this right in a startup pays great dividends.
Positioning market trends in favour of your company is one of the hardest things to pull off. Planet OS is in the intersection of cloud, big data and Industrial Internet of Things, all of which are evolving rapidly. Cloud technologies are maturing and becoming commoditized, paving the way to innovation on top of the infrastructure. Big data is starting to see the first steps of consolidation with Hadoop and Spark technology families showing the lead, while streaming solutions are still looking for a clear leader. Development of devices is skyrocketing in terms of variety and capabilities for different applications.
Last, but not least, founding a company is one of the amazing stories you will look back and remember for life. The stronger the support of your family, friends and colleagues is, the better results you will get. You will build a bond like no other within the founding team. The people aspect is key next to technology, product and business aspects. Making sure you dedicate time to the important people in your life and company really pays off. The world truly is a connected place and the people your company needs are just a few hops away. Building a product at a rapid pace isn’t possible without the support of a growing network around you. Thank you.
The three years distilled into a few paragraphs is but a scratch on the surface of experiences and stories that a startup will give you. I truly wish that anyone aiming high invests part of their life into a startup to get first-hand experience in what it really takes to build something from scratch and see it succeed. Expecting to hear more from the team behind Planet OS, I am grateful for having shared the ride with them. I look forward to new endeavours and grabbing an occasional coffee with people I haven’t seen for a while.
