Moonshots
Today, I have been thinking deeply about moonshots. What is a moonshot? Here’s Google’s definition of moonshot: The term “moonshot” derives from the Apollo 11 spaceflight project, which landed the first human on the moon in 1969. “Moonshot” may also reference the earlier phrase “shoot for the moon” meaning aim for a lofty target.
StarkExchange defines it as “Moonshot is a long-standing popular name for the Apollo program which landed the first man on the moon. Its relevance here is that the landing was achieved by a ‘crash’ program dedicating immense resources to solving seemingly insurmountable technical problems in a very short time-span”
The bolded above is all that matters to us in startup-land. I especially like this phrase “solving seemingly insurmountable technical problems in a very short time-span.” This is mostly what we live for — doing what others say can’t be done. Changing the world. Improving human lives. This is what makes a start-up interesting. There is a reason Henry Ford is more historically acknowledged than John D. Rockefeller. Though both had moonshot moments, one was more significant than others. This is what we should be living for — Improving our world. Nothing makes people excited to be building a better way to show ads. but tell those same people about a super-important mission of Connecting the World, of helping People all over the World stay in touch and be integral parts of the lives of each other not minding geographical constraints and those same people will be fired up as if their lives depended on it.
So, I say it again. This is what we should be living for: Moon Shots. It might not be successful but at least we tried.
Make a Mark — Leave a legacy.
In order to Make a mark, you have to religiously pursue Moonshots.
I am a final year student of Law in my university. While thinking and soliloquizing some days back I was hit with an avalanche of thought and deep reflections the key point being — Before I studied Company Law (which I am currently among the best at), many have studied it and after me, many will still study it. My life could as well be irrelevant.
My Moonshots:
Hi, My name Is Izundu and prior to founding Repcommend, I have always been uber passionate about helping people and making a change in the world through software. This journey began since I was 18yrs when I conceived and founded Yolpe.com — a job-matching web-app to help Nigerian Youths find gainful employment. This adventure led to me getting numerous press coverages from Tech media both local and international.
Unfortunately, due to lack of funding and inexperience, Yolpe went defunct. After this adventure, I founded Text-A-Meal — a hyperlocal food delivery network using text, in my local College (Ok, not so moonshoty). This was created during our semester exams to meet the needs of students who needed to eat but were too busy to go out as a result of intense studying.
Subsequently, after the semester exams, we had to close it down so I could focus on studies and also, because its purpose was accomplished. This journey towards relevancy and making an impact has even led me towards being a Sunday school teacher and a prayer fellowship preacher at my Local Catholic Campus fellowship, bringing the word of God to numerous souls.
I was led to found RepCommend.com after a summer spent shadowing my Aunt who is a member of the Imo State House of Assembly, where I noticed the absolute dearth of communication between the electorate and their representatives in the House. Hence I set about solving this by giving the people - A simple, elegant solution for gathering Information from the people, in real time.
I believe that if only the people can reach their representatives whenever they want, with issues that bother them and their community, we have the opportunity of changing millions of lives.
This is my biggest moonshot so far and it almost bothers on stupidity. How do you change the Government of one of the most corrupt countries in the World using the internet? Stupid huh? but to us, we can try.
The match to Making a Mark continues and I will be forever grateful for all the opportunities I have had and will ever have to change the world and with RepCo, I believe our chances are increased.
Business ideas that are solely money generating without making a social impact repulse today's youths. Life is too short to make money for money sake alone. Anyone, including all those who inspire us everyday like Bill Gates and Zuckerberg, achieved success while doing good. Goodness will be key to new-age entrepreneurship and I hope one day to be proud while telling my Kids — “Look child, we changed the world”.
A Great Proverb Says — “”A society grows Great when old men plant trees, whose shades they know they will never sit it”. Lets plant trees together.
