Designer Founders’ Problems Pt.2
Still not there, but still aspiring to be one
So a while ago I wrote a random piece on trying to be a designer founder and the problems I had. Now almost 2 years later I am at another intersection of life and thought I’d do another piece on how far (little) I’ve come. Here are a few things I’ve started doing:
Getting out of the comfort zone
I tried getting out by going to Startup Weekends & Meetups and the experiences have helped quite a bit (was able to meet a cool developer who I am actually working with on a small app right now as a test run). But since then I’ve stopped going to Meetups, I need to get myself to keep this going.
Build/Find myself the lack of security
Personally I’ve found that when things change dramatically, or shit/risk happens, I suddenly work really fast and hard and it actually motivates me — for about 2 weeks, then I get lazy again. I am currently seeking ways to keep myself feeling insecure with the last resort of just cold-quitting my job. It might be money or building things that motivates you but for me it’s insecurity. Whatever it is, find yours and stick to it.
To-Do Lists
I am not talking about a general to-do list, I am talking about everything to-do list. Perhaps it’s just getting old and memory fading, but I started making to-do lists that range from “pay bills”, “call mom” to “put the pen back in office” and “set alarm for picking up letter tomorrow”. The list is very tedious but it
A) Lets me go from one thing to the next quickly without having to think what I was supposed to do next
B) Helps set my daily goals better because I can just say to myself that I need to get at least 5 things off of my list today
C) It boosts self-morale as you check things off daily and feel productive!
From then until now I’ve also learnt and built my own ideas on a few things like:
What is a MVP — how minimal should it be
This is extremely important for the product as you have to figure out what is the baseline you really need to measure your sucess in the next step, and every step after that. By getting the MVP wrong (being to minimal) you could waste a lot of time trying to correct or prove the initial metrics when you get them. Is the metrics poor because we aren’t solving the right problems? Or because we aren’t solving the problem the right way? Or the UX just sucks and people aren’t even bothering with it? You really need to nail this with the team and come to a consensus.
What is focus and becoming rigorous about what you choose to do, both in terms of for the product and for yourself
Does it matter if the design or implementation for a certain thing isn’t polished? How does it matter?
If you can’t do everything, then which things should you work on? What is the impact and tradeoff in the long term? Sometimes your pride or sense of responsibility get in the way, but constantly think about what is really important for what you’re trying to get to in 3months or longer.
The different “levels” of perspective & view
This is somewhat related to the point above, when should you dive deep and care about the pixels VS. when should you take a step back and look at why that pixel matters more than other things you should probably be doing instead, like fixing another UX problem first or sucking up to the VP more. Being a founder would require even higher level perspective than I have now that’s for sure and the best way to gain that perspective is to just do it I think. I don’t believe in “prepared for / ready for” any more — the only time when you’re ready for anything is when you actually just do it. For now I can’t even wrap my heads around how to meet investors and raise money should I need it, but I guess the quickest way to find out is to get leads and just do it — even if I have to completely blow the 1st couple meetings.
Make connections when you can
I read on TechCrunch once that said “raise money when you can, not when you have to” — and I think the same thing can apply to “make connections when you can, not when you have to”. It takes a lot of extra effort to build and mend relationships, especially with those who you don’t see or work with regularly. Chances are you may never “need” these relationships, but when you do, the extra efforts you put in go a long way later. So do it while you can, you never know how long the opportunity will last for you to build relationships.
While I felt I haven’t progressed much in the past year, I didn’t feel my time was wasted either. I am trying to make as much progress as possible while taking care of parents visiting for 3 months AND also planning my wedding happening in a month. I think I have all the excuses I need to slack and put things off, but I assume this is nothing compared to being an actual founder. If I can’t juggle the mess right now then I wouldn’t be able to juggle and lead anything later so I take this as a testament of my abilities right now.
Currently my next goal is to make a change within 2 months and at least meet with 1 or 2 investors. Will update on how bizzare the meet was once it happens. Let’s all wish the investors luck!
PS. Not sure if this is what you expected to read about coming in, if not let me know what you like so I can make sure Pt.3 will be worth it!
PS. If you’d like to share your experiences please contact me and I promise to entertain return!
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