BDW: Start-up

The pace at BDW has always been fast and furious. We get briefs, work for two days, and then pitch to the client. I thought we have a chance to slow down during BDW:start-up — it would be an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned while applying it in a holistic manner.

Now that we are officially in BDW:start-up, I realize the pace is only picking up. We’ve officially formed teams and picked out the problem space we are working on. In addition to setting ground rules for how we’ll work together, we are working on the competitive analysis, personas and user journeys.

I have to admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. My teammates and I are all personally interested in the topic, but none of us has any deep subject matter expertise in it. As we’ve talking to potential users and customers, its clear there is plenty of potential for disruption. In fact there is there is so much, it’s hard to know where do we start. This is so different from my last start-up where the founders both had deep subject matter expertise and technical knowledge.

Just as I was about to freak out, I was reminded by one of my teammates that we have “The opportunity to revel in the glory of starting from nothing and creating a useable product.”

That is what I love about start-ups. You have the chance to make an impact on the user’s experience, to create something useful. Plus the chance to work with people that are passionate about the problem you are working on. I can’t wait to see what we’ll develop over the next five months.

I am currently a student in BDW’s 50 week graduate program. Learn more about the BDW program.

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