3 Years Later & I didn't Give Up (A Follow Up Post to Starting my Own Business)

[InvitroCanibal]

http://www.addforums.com/forums/show...80#post1838980

3 Years ago I quit my job to create software based on ideas that I wasn't sure if they would work, on a Business model I wasn't sure would work, for a customer that I wasn't sure existed.

Come to think of it, i don't think that my plan was as good as I thought it was at the time.

To most people, It looked like both me and my fiancee went insane.

We planned it over the course of 3 years, and if everything went surprisingly as planned. It was kinda weird.

I don't know how we did it, but we did it.

We built our system and last month we got our first customer.

I went on a podcast to talk about some of the ideas behind my system and project, without shilling or selling it.


Anyways, I just wanted to follow-up with the people here as I owe this community a lot. My hope is that following up might help someone.


It's hard to talk about what happened and how things went without sounding like a sales pitch so i'll just skip over that and say that it was hard.

It nearly killed me.

I still am poor.

But I didn't give up, and things look pretty good so far.

If anyone wants, i'll add a follow up to this in a year or two.

I just thought it was important to follow-up because there are many people who claim they are going to pursue their goals but they never follow through and you almost expect them to fail.

We kind of live in a Society where failure is the norm, and it's accepted almost without question. I always hated that about people.

I think that people are capable of more than they know. It's the small things in life that matter, and it's the small steps that get you toward what you want.

There is a lot of shame around taking risks, and I think that often sets most of us up, to not take risks and to sabotage our own success. I think though, that most people want more from life, and they have the means to do more, but they're afraid of what others will think. Combine that with being ADHD and having failures, and it becomes excruciatingly hard to set out to do anything interesting or motivating.

However,

Most of the people who shamed me at the beginning quit their jobs to start their own Businesses, just recently.

It's an important reminder that our actions can change what defines the norms and you can't follow the limitations that others set for you. I think that once you understand your own limitations, then you can set goals and start projects that stretch those limitations enough to where you feel challenged, but are tailored to you and your life.

After you find out your limitations, I believe that is when you can figure out what you really want. Most people hit a wall that is their own limitations and they give up and aim too low because they're afraid to hit those limitations again.
Limitations though, are what allow you to know what is possible for you, and what isn't. Without knowing your own limits, how can you know what you want?

I think ultimately, the most challenging thing is finding out what you want and then being honest with yourself enough that you choose to pursue it.

It's true though, that everything has costs, but once you weigh in the costs, it becomes too expensive to not pursue your own goals. Even if it looks insane, it's often insane to do nothing and to never challenge yourself.

Anyways, if you know what you want, I hope that you do the insane thing and go for it, but I hope that you don't sue me if turns out horrible.



Thanks and good luck to you

[Fuzzy12]

Thanks and good luck to you too.

I would love to hear more updates in the future.

[MattieMoon]

Congratulations! I can't count how many times I have re-imagined myself. I like what you said, "I think that once you understand your own limitations, then you can set goals and start projects that stretch those limitations enough to where you feel challenged, but are tailored to you and your life."

Tailored is the key. I am a creative type and have erroneously gone down the wrong road thinking I am supposed to solely make a career happen based on my talents. My recent lightbulb moment was that it has to be a hybrid solution. I can't sustain cranking out artwork alone.

I'm getting it figured out, and I like it. Good luck to everyone who is on this journey!

[Katy_Lucky]

I admire you, even though we don't know each other Wish you all the best and keep on going!!!