All by myself: the virtues of not trying to do everything by yourself when building a startup
When I was young, I never needed anyone. And making content was just for fun. Those days are gone.
When I tried to carve out specific time to work on my Walkleys Innovation project Tiny Moguls, I never imagined that my biggest obstacle would be sitting right there with me….
It was me. I was my biggest obstacle.
This was the first time I allowed myself to take time off work to dedicate mostly towards my own creative project. Trying to build a new community media hybrid model that is supportive and collective in nature, but on your own? The irony is not lost on me. I felt alone and isolated. In addition to that, I felt the niggling hint of imposter syndrome, mixed in with a bit of informed pessimism, since I’ve built something like this before and I know how hard it can get. And currently, the industry is bleak for new media moguls, both established and new.
I couldn’t help thinking the same thought over and over again: who is going to care if this project happens or not? It was both a humbling and empowering experience because the experience reinforced why I need to build something that puts community at the heart of its mission. No one wants to feel like they’re alone, isolated and without support. Many of us don’t know where to start.
The other issue I had was in trying to get a project underway in summer, especially in December when the entire world switches off and disappears for weeks on end. It was hard to get things done. Everyone wants to go to the beach, and there you are, staring into the laptop abyss trying to solve a big question mark.
I learnt that I am very productive and effective when I am accountable to others but when I’m accountable to myself, I’m suddenly paralysed. Everything is a distraction. I barely took myself seriously, so it’s no wonder my friends took me even less seriously, asking me when I was going back to work, as if I was still on holiday. If it’s a holiday to sit in the library trying to get the WiFi to work so you can email freelancers who are now on holidays and not returning your emails, then I say, where are the Library Daiquiris? Librarian? See to it please!
Eventually I made breakthroughs. I met up with great mentors like innovation expert and all-round legend Rose Powell who helped narrow down the problems I was facing and gave me concrete and tangible ways to overcome them like simplifying the big tasks, making it easier for myself by starting small. She advised me to treat this time like a test period, to not feel pressured by a big launch and to do more with less.
Rose helped change how I was looking at things, reminding me that it’s normal to get so caught up in what you’re doing, you can lose perspective and imagine yourself to be careening off course, when actually it’s just a small blip in the road. At the same time she also reiterated that I need to trust my instincts when they’re telling me to take my time, like reflecting on the vision, working out the tone and style, waiting before rushing into something.
Some things you can do quickly, but other things take time, patience, hard work and reflection.
So I mapped it out. I visualised what Tiny Moguls could be. I wrote extensive editorial guidelines (if you’d like to read them and submit something, join our beta group!) I created the aforementioned Facebook group. I set up a Tiny Moguls email with great difficulty (sheree@tinymoguls.com please email me it’s very lonely there). I’m working with writers on stories.
I worked with a designer on a logo which meant having a clear idea of what the brand is trying to represent. This felt like progress, finally seeing something tangible emerge and feeling a rush of excitement because someone else can see my vision too and gets it.
I’m currently working with a developer on the prototype which, even in its simplest iteration, is challenging to map out. There have been a lot of post-it notes on walls and late nights.
I applied for funding which was a useful process to work out what I am doing and how I am doing it. I did more research in the form of another survey and specifically put a call out to teens.
My research helped me steer things in the right direction, realising what people actually want, what their problems are, whether they’ll use certain features. I learnt fascinating things like how 81% of respondents felt compelled to do something about a current social issue or problem after reading an article about it.
I took a lot from the answers to the question: What frustrates you about millennial / gen z (teens) sites?
“Too much kardashians” (FOUR respondents)
“Not culturally diverse enough”
“Videos that scream at me”
“Dumbing down issues/using language they think appeals to that audience/sensationalising.”
“They publish the same content with slightly tweaked headlines!”
“Too many hot takes, not as much ~journalism~.”
And this, which blew me away:
“Often what frustrates me is the fact that even on teen sites, authoritative voices by default are not teen voices. Essentially, it frustrates me that teens who have the lived experience, particular interests and education to be considered an authority on particular issues are not afforded that status simply because of their age.”
When talking to people about the project, I found myself getting frustrated because it’s hard to distill what you’re trying to do in a few sentences. I’m trying to solve a problem that in real time is exploding all around us. I’m trying to let people know how it’s different, while also accepting that I don’t have all the answers yet.
These last couple of months felt like treading water without knowing how to swim — from the shore it might have looked like I was drowning. Now, looking back, I can see how far I’ve come from the shoreline.
There’s momentum now and movement, especially with people coming on board. Sharing what I’m doing with others has made all the difference to how I feel about the project and what is possible. More and more I’m hearing the best four words in the English language. How can I help?
In the words of Eric Carmen and then covered by both queens Celine Dion and Mariah Carey, I don’t wanna be by myself…anymore. The best part so far has been finding people who are just as excited about this project as me and who are ready to take it on together. It’s the answer to the question: who would care if this project happens or not? Because this is what Tiny Moguls is going to be about. The people who would care. Together we are going to make this (and Library Daiquiris™) a thing.
Sheree Joseph’s project “Tiny Moguls” was funded as part of the 2017 Walkley Grants for Innovation in Journalism. The Walkleys are currently reviewing the innovation program to bring it back bigger and better — if you’d like to keep up with announcements about the program and the next round of grants, subscribe to the Walkley newsletter.
