Lifecycle of an idea, no one knows wtf they're doing
Hey there,
I’ve been thinking a lot about the direction I want to take with this newsletter, and self-development is definitely not on the list… So please call me out if I ever sound like a self-help guru 🤦♂️
My goal is to share an unfiltered behind the scenes of what I go through while trying to build something at the crossroads of ML research and tech startups. And because I’m really good at getting into trouble and I see nothing but systems and frameworks, I have a lot to share 🥲
But I’m not gonna lie, it’s also hard to show up every week. And it’s not the first time I struggle with consistency. As the end of the year is coming faster than expected, I started reflecting on 2021 and what I’ve accomplished… well not a lot, to be honest. My goal for 2021 was to build a profitable SaaS (software-as-a-service). I tried different strategies:
building something new every week,
doubling down on withcurated.com.
A year passed, with a LOT of ideas, but just a couple of “finished projects”.
This is because of the lifecycle of an idea…
Lifecycle of an idea
It goes like this:
You get the idea.
You get super excited. You think about it every day.
You plan way too far ahead: this month I'm doing this, next year I'll be there, and in 3 years I’ll be an absolute beast!
After 7 days, you quit… Maybe you haven’t got any feedback, or, more likely, because you have a new, even more, shiny idea (this is the shiny object syndrome)
Here’s what we should do instead (this is an advice for myself first):
Got an idea? Write it down. Let it sleep for a couple of months.
Has the idea been tickling you the whole time? Now is the right time to move on.
Don't plan anything. This project is 99% likely to fail so don't waste your time. Instead, think about what’s the best thing you can do now. If you have a ton of ideas of what you'll do once you reach the 6th month, write it down and forget about it.
Move step by step. You quickly see that nothing is going as expected and you’re grateful that you didn’t waste the first days planning ahead.
You lose motivation. Shit hit the fans. You’re shouting at the void. You get negative feedback. You’re tired. See it as a long term commitment. Trust the process.
I’m still struggling a lot with step 3…
But it’s okay cause you know what? No one knows wtf they’re doing!
No one knows wtf they’re doing
Story Time! ⏰
I started freelancing thinking I would see how people are actually running a business. I knew how to build apps but this is only 10% of the work. How do you actually get customers, find a good branding, write content, set up the legal infrastructure, pay taxes, etc.
Well, my first mission was with a big, big company ($14B cosmetic brand) so that’s perfect right? I was literally in a Zoom with the CEO (weird flex…)
I don’t really know how I’m gonna build their platform, but I know one thing: I’m gonna need an email to send notifications to the users. So I ask for one, a week before the project even starts. A month passes, and I still don’t have an email even though I keep asking every week.
I have to build a platform that is supposed to host a 4000-people event, and we only have a week left, and still no email…
At this point, the VP is added to the loop as we are stuck. After a few back-and-forths he admits:
“I have no idea how to create an email“
He could have just google it 🤦♂️
That day, I stayed up until 4 AM to call their IT guy in India who literally told me “Please tell me exactly what I have to do” 🤦♂️
Moral of the story: you don’t have to control and know everything. If you are actively looking for a solution, you are already ahead of 99% of people.
That’s it for this week, hope you enjoyed this new format.
Cheers!
(and enjoy your little trip 🌴)