305 karma · joined March 7, 2012
Get it working, I always need tools customized to a particular task that a simple app would solve.
Sometimes, the best tool is a hammer...
In startups, the work isn't just about keystrokes, and it's not just about sales, it's about solving problems, quickly. From what you've said, it doesn't look like this is a fit.
It's a marriage once you're in it. Cast a wide net, be picky, get out there and date for awhile. Hate to be cliche, but there are plenty of fish.
Find someone who will fight as hard for it as you will, who will fight hard to earn and maintain your respect, and will communicate with you.
Don't be his start-up booty call.
Any Vancouver entrepreneurs or techies that want to punch me in the face, get in touch :D.
I remember that they were the best years of my life.
10 years later, after reaching the success i craved, the validation, and the confidence of knowing I could do it again, I sold everything and started from scratch.
I haven't had an income for 2 years, I've never been in more debt, and I've heard 'no' from hundreds, 'get more customers' from thousands, and been ignored by millions.
Also, I've never felt more successful.
Entrepreneurship is hard, but that's why I love it. Everyone expects you to fail, the incumbents build walled gardens, customers want you to work for free, and your friends don't believe you're smart enough, focused enough, or have what it takes.
It's our job to stand alone against a crowd, and when the wave of dissent and disbelief has crashed over us, stand steadfast.
Our refusal to accept the status quo is an insult to those who have built a life around it, and while they never accept us as one of them, they eventually respect us for refusing to buckle, and join the herd.
You said you might take some flack for this article, but you shouldn't. You described the feelings we all have quite succinctly. I just hope I can remind you of the other feelings that might keep you focused, and forging ahead.
Best of luck.
Her advice to us last year was an instigator of our pivot, and probably the most valuable we got all year.
They have a really interesting solution they're working on that they'll use it with, but I don't think I can say anymore. I do know that they'll be releasing the API to devs and public in the near future.
I've reread your blog post a few times to make sure I've got a real sense of the pains you're talking about. You've got one of our early favorites in there too, I'll tell you how alpha testing went with it.
Pinged you with @fourmojo.
I don't expect that I'm the norm, but I chose to put party nights, poker nights, industry events, and other distractions aside for work, and get to spend enough time with her.
When daycare is closed, however, I'm right screwed.
I've sketched out probably every idea Dave has illustrated here, and most of them don't make it far enough to even bust out an MVP. I have the advantage of a massive network of restaurant owners, from high end to QSR (quick service restaurant), and an even bigger network of hospitality staff. They chew on them, and spit them up.
It's not that it's impossible, and paradigm shifts in how the business is done is something I've pursued my whole life, but it takes a tremendous effort, and a retraining of your customers. Friction.
My operations were fine dining, casual wine bars, and nightclub/lounges. Exceptional experiences are the highest pursuit, and every problem DMC has an issue with would never exist in one of our operations. It's just a competent operator, well trained staff, and proper systems.
Some of the QSR chains I've worked with could use some help from tech, but the customer at a QSR is looking for less customer friction, not more.
I'd love to sit down with DMC sometime and give him some insight on where the real opportunities are in the space. He's right, it's a prime target for disruption, but not in the way he's thinking right now.
I was a no kid adult until 37. I had great success, owning bars and restaurants and living a very busy life. I was happy to believe that a childless life was my destiny. My wife was told it was a medical impossibility for her to have children, further reinforcing this mindset.
I had it all, and had no time for children. Having owned fine dining restaurants, I had a dim view of them in social settings, and having a very active social life they were a dirty, smelly, noisy intrusion.
We found out we were pregnant, and it scared us, mostly that we'd be losing out on the life we built for ourselves.
Two and a half years in, I've never been happier, and more motivated. I've been more productive as a father than I ever was with all the other distractions. I've launched 3 companies, consulting on two more, and lost 30 lbs.
A great parent, like a great leader, is made, not born. Inside all of us is a great, loving parent, but there are some who will not bear the risk to their lifestyle, just like we wouldn't.
Staying motivated, honestly, is about realizing that you are ultimately responsible for managing your time. Don't blame your kids. They're hard work, but so is running a company, or leading a revolution. I would argue that they're worth it, even as I'm working from home as I toilet train her.
I wont judge anyone who chooses to avoid being a parent, just as I wouldn't judge anyone who never chooses to start a company, chase a dream, or take a big risk. But I will say this.
The reward far outweighs the risk.
All great things are difficult, all worthwhile achievements demand sacrifice, and while some may be intimidated by a heavy workload, for me it's a clarion call to be the best father I can be.
It has made me the best founder I could be.
In my 20's, I was smart enough to know everything, and it cost me a lot of learning. Those entrepreneurs have advantages, mind you. A single minded purpose, a refusal to accept the status quo, and the notion (by investors) that you can be trained, molded, and focused.
In my 30's, I was smart, and chasing validation, victories, crushing competition of all shapes and sizes, and basking in the glory of success. I achieved some cool things, I spent a boat load of money on stupid stuff, and I started to learn how to be an adult.
I'm now at the beginning of my 40's. I understand far more. I piss off far fewer people, and I have a wisdom that propels me towards happiness and fulfilment, but I still have a fierce hunger for success, crushing competition, and tearing a hole in the status quo.
Now, however, I know exactly how to do it. I make far fewer mistakes, build bridges instead of walls, and have a rolodex filled with decision makers, allies, and mentors.
I work, constantly. Booze, women of questionable morals, and flashy toys don't have the allure they once had. I get shit done, and leave the chest thumping to the kids.
The spin on young founders comes from a different world, and it's not altogether wrong, but it requires a 500 Startups approach (invest in a bunch and hope a few make it).
Older founders have a much higher rate of success, if they can handle the psychological pressures that come with it.
If you're doing it to get rich, you'll most likely fail. If you're doing it for a lifestyle, the odds are stacked against you. If you're doing it to be cool, well, save yourself some money and buy a Mazerati.
If you're doing it because you have an obsession with the problem, and you can't sleep because you need to see it solved, and you can enlist others to be soldiers in your army to fight this obvious injustice/inefficiency, then you have a very strong chance of success.
Don't be a founder just to check it off your bucket list, do it because you have no choice but to follow/create your destiny.
Best of luck.
They've created quite a strong community, it could be a challenge to overcome, but I understand they're quite willing to work with people who create cool things.
good luck!
Great looking app, I'll be signing up soon.
FYI, I would seriously look at formatting a reservation system for restaurants, salons, etc.
When I had my restaurants we still booked 80% of our reservations over the phone, and calling back to confirm took ages. Being able to send a quick text confirmation, and to quickly sort the messages visually would be a huge value prop to that industry.
Now obviously there are tons of other applications playing with the social graph, and it's about filtering the noise, but visually it's nicely presented, and makes a nice digital calling card.
Are there plans to develop this further?
nice one, signed up for the beta, can't wait to try it.
growlab.com - Vancouver extremestartups.com - Toronto founderfuel.com - Montreal
There are many others, but those are ones I can rattle off quick. They'll know the people with the need for your skills, in Canada.
Onboarding b2b customers isn't easy, or cheap, so this is crafty move, well played.
Thus, hit both sides of a problem and engineer the solution 2 different ways. As an interation exercise it's invaluable, and as a product market fit it's an excellent test of future friction.
Coding isn't building a business, even if it's exceptional. Many of the chefs I've known that are nationally recognized talents fail miserably when they open their first restaurant.
In order to stay humble to your craft, when you're entering into the new one, prioritize the pursuit of learning opportunities.
I think you should A/B test the entire project.
How you do that is up to you, but I'm sure the community could have some fun with it.
If you create an app for the consumer side, create another one for the vendor side, and see how the problems conflict, or explore the synergies.
If you build something that searches, build something that turns those searches into social discovery or sharing.
If you build something that floats, build something else that seeks to sink it. Chaos monkey comes to mind.
I recognize it isn't true split testing, but you might discover a part of a chain that others have been ignoring, and you might also ignite a passion for a problem you didn't realize you had.
Best of luck.
Staying out of the fishbowl is definitely helpful, and we've found some great traction in a market that has far less competition. I can imagine anyone in our target in SF will have 100 people knocking on their door to get them involved in a beta.
Canada is a great little greenhouse, and a warm pond to test, iterate, and evolve. If you can prove your product/market fit here, then you can look at the big ocean to expand without a huge risk on the cost of scaling.
Props to branding himself as the anti-VC, it endears him to entrepreneurs, and ensures a ton of quality dealflow.
Tis far kinder to be cruel at this point.
Obviously it was an asshat thing to say, but I've heard lots of stories of VC's pushing sensitive buttons to see how founders will react.