Category: My Experience

Pushing Past Easy Excuses to Quit

I am really bad at quitting.  Failing miserably isn’t enough to get me to quit either.  For example, when I was a freshman in college I got a 19 on my first Computer Science test.  It was a wake-up call that instilled fear in me to drop the class, but a semester later I couldn’t shake the thought of dropping it.  So instead I decided to spend my entire summer re-taking the course.  Eventually, majoring in computer science, and well we know what happened after that.

Even when catastrophe strikes I cannot quit.  My freshman year, my dad lost his job.  I had to choose between taking out a rather large student loan to fund my education and pay it back, leave college altogether, or apply to one that I could afford.  I took out the loan.  I successfully paid that loan back 3 1/2 years ago.

Then there are times when people tell me that I’m not good enough or try to get in my way.  Once again not quitting.  My junior year of college I wanted to add Electrical Engineering as a major.  The dean at my engineering school was opposed to me entering with 2 years left, and not having completed half the curriculum.  She suggested that I do a fifth year.  Oh sure let me just take out another loan…  I don’t think so!  I finished both my degrees with just 2 years left.

I know what you’re thinking,”Thanks for sharing your story of perseverance Poornima, run along now…”

But here’s the thing, each time I faced a hurdle instead of letting it completely paralyze me I took it in stride.  And in those college years I didn’t even have the strong support system I have today.  In fact, my parents who were at this point providing very minimal financial and emotional support were still breathing down my neck to finish school.  I didn’t let my peers who were smarter, more experienced, and didn’t have to worry about money bother me.  I just put my blinders on and plugged away.

I just have two things that keep me going: “Will an older Poornima feel regret for quitting?  What immediate discomfort will quitting avoid that I can learn to live with just a little longer?”

Here are some additional choice moments in my adult life when I could have quit, but I just pushed through:

2006 I wanted to work at Mint.  Aaron said I couldn’t because I didn’t know web development.  I asked him for one month to prove that I could learn and be a productive engineer.

2010 My first BizeeBee co-founder left for personal reasons.  Usually a great excuse to close up shop, right?  I pushed myself and the team to launch the product months later, making revenue from day one with a handful of early adopters.

2012 While most startups were closing shop or getting bought up in talent acquisitions due to the Series A Crunch, I used up the rest of personal savings to bootstrap BizeeBee and start Femgineer.  I’m still building and pushing the businesses closer to profitability everyday.

Now this isn’t me passing judgment on those who have quit things.  In fact, you might not even have really quit, you may have just taken a timeout.  But just know that quitting is an indefinite timeout :)

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Seven Somethings That Keep Me Smiling

The journey of a founder is tough.  You have to get comfortable with rejection, learn to bounce-back from mistakes made due to a lack of knowledge or experience, and keep hoping that your vision will come to reality.  All the while motivating others, building and shipping a product, and finding ways to make the business profitable!   

 

While I’ve been in startup land for 7+ years, it’s officially been 3 years since I started my entrepreneurial journey as a founder.   It is a hard transition from founding engineer to founder, but I’m actually happier, calmer, and more confident than I was when I first struck out on my own.  Not because business is booming, in fact I’m personally poorer and have more gray hairs than I did when I started, that’s just what happens when you bootstrap!  I’ve gotten smarter and stronger when it comes to dealing with a host of issues to the point that it now takes quite a lot to phase me.  No I haven’t become a robot…  I’ve just learned that spending too much time lamenting means that I’m not spending time enjoying how far I’ve come, and that it will cause me to stray off course from where I’m headed next.  

 

Before becoming a founder I had small bouts of depression and anxiety, and over the past few years I’ve had a long list of really bad things happen to me.  I’m fortunate when they just happen one at a time, rather than all at once!  But I’ve learned to push through all of it.  I don’t let life’s little stresses get in the way of what I love doing most, and I have to be honest and remind myself that I chose this journey!  

 

I know that not everyone is built like me, and they shouldn’t expect to be!  I had a rather tumultuous childhood as an immigrant that has helped me build up a reserve of resiliency.  However, even a few years ago I sought out professional help, but was told that the most I needed was to learn some life coaching techniques.  They have helped me out tremendously.  I say all this because in the wake of a fellow founders death it’s important to recognize that we are all after all human, social creatures, who need support, and nurturing.  There is no shame in going through a rough patch, and actively seeking out help.  The key is to seek it out!  

 

The journey of a founder is a hard one.  Over the year’s I’ve come up with my own secret formula for staying even-keel, and much of it has been inspired by the life coaching techniques I’ve learned. Here are my 7 somethings that keep me smiling:

 

    1. I do something silly Like braving the cold waters of  the Santa Cruz bay to body surf with Lyndi.

 

    1. I do something just for myself.  Indulging in massages, chocolate, red wine, and always setting aside time to do yoga.

 

    1. I do something serious. Taking the time to acknowledge that I have comforts and personal freedoms that people, especially women across the world don’t have.

 

    1. I smile and do something for a stranger, without expecting anything in return.  My personal favorite is smiling at those who scowl,  opening the door for them despite their less than peachy nature, or letting them cut in line when they are in a “hurry”. 

 

    1. I do something with good and close friends.  I’m fortunate that I have a lot of friends, who care about me.  There are times that I cannot meet with them, but I do my best to make time.  When I do, I keep it simple like playing a  game, talking on the phone, or just enjoying a meal together.

 

    1. I do something aspirational. Reaching out to those who just might be unreachable, and doing it over and over again until they acknowledge my presence.

 

    1. I do something depressing.  I know this seems ironic, but I like to visualize the worst possible failure that could happen to me.  Once I know what it is, I know that I can handle it even if it happens, and I work hard to try and mitigate it as much as possible.

 

My barometer for success has always been and will continue to be having a smile on my face.  It’s how I  know I’m enjoying myself, and doing what I love.  When things start going a little south I try to do 1 or all 7 of these somethings.  You can try these out yourself, but you may have to find your own special somethings. The most important thing to remember is that sometimes you need a little help and guidance to find them, and that’s OK!

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How to Overcome Stage Fright

Even I who have been public speaking since the ripe age of 12 had stage fright.  The major cause of my stage fright was actually concentrating too much on the content and outcome of speaking, instead of connecting with an audience.  Here’s a step-by-step guide for how you too can overcome stage fright with time:

    1. Get comfortable talking to strangers.  We’ve all been taught to not talk to strangers.  (Caveat: don’t talk to strangers in dark alleys.)  Do approach people at events, coffee shops, or even when you’re waiting in line for the groceries.  It’s easier to initiate conversation than you think.  You can start with something like “Hi, I’m so-and-so.”  Or if you want to be more subtle, “Hey, are the drinks here any good?” Practice breaking the ice, and do it as often as you can.  Yes there maybe some people who look at your funny or walk away, so what?  Remember they are a stranger, but who knows maybe you’ll make a new life long friend!  The upside is in your favor.

 

    1. Get comfortable with groups.  Pick group settings such as your family, friends, or colleagues and lead a discussion or conversation.  It doesn’t need to be formal, but you need to be the one to initiate it.  You also don’t need to be talking the whole time, but you need to steer the conversation with questions, and keep it going for 10 to 15 minutes.  This is basically an exercise to get you comfortable handling and engaging with an audience.

 

    1. Record yourself on camera.  One of the reasons people have stage fright is because they somehow think they look silly or awkward.  Instead of assuming this take a little video of yourself.  Maybe you do have nervous ticks, or maybe you’re very eloquent and just don’t realize it!  Hard to judge, but the camera never lies.

 

    1. Combine elements 1-3 and tell a story.  The next time you’re a dinner party recall a story or incident you recently had experienced.  The key ingredient when telling this story is to put together a mix of people you know and people you don’t know, but a small enough group, no more than 10.  Keep your story short, no more than 5 minutes.  Before you speak do 2 things: take 10 deep breathes and then proceed to deliver your talk as if you were talking to a friend.  Telling a story is much easier than giving a presentation, because you’re focused on recalling a series of events.  This approach also lets you practice spontaneity, which is really important.  Too often people have stage fright because they think they’ll forget their “lines”.   With a story there is nothing to forget, because you’re just recalling a series of events from memory!

 

    1. Practice, practice, practice!  Between high school, when I was actively public speaking every week, to college when I was just doing problem sets and coding, my public speaking skills got really rusty.  I wanted to get back into it, and wouldn’t you know the stage fright of course came back!  But I made it a point to do 1-4, and to keep giving talks despite feeling uncomfortable with new audiences.

 

Stage fright is normal!  Most people are self-conscious, especially those who are like me and care about coming off polished!  But they key is to worry less about coming off polished and instead focus on making connections with your audience through the act of having a conversation.  Try these simple steps out, because if you start here it becomes easier, but the key of course is to start small and simple.  

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Initial Inspiration

When I was 12 I wrote and delivered first oratory.  Seems like a great feat for a 12 year-old right?  Well the truth is that I got a lot of help from a very kind neighbor Ms. Washington.  Ms. Washington was a lawyer, I really wanted to be a lawyer at 12.  At the time not only was she the only lawyer I knew, but she was the only lawyer I knew who was also well spoken, kind, and above all approachable.  I told her about my oratory and what was on the line, a $1000 scholarship, and she agreed to read my oratory and help me out.

I visited Ms. Washington one afternoon.  She reviewed my oratory, gave me some suggestions, and even handed me a copy of an oratory that she had written that had been published, wow!  I was impressed and inspired.  That afternoon at Ms. Washington’s I learned how to add imagery to my oratory so that the audience could visualize what I was saying.  But what I really learned from Ms. Washington I wouldn’t realize until yesterday afternoon.

Jasmine Lee is currently an intern for Femgineer.  About a week ago Jasmine told me she was going to be applying to the Thiel Fellowship, and asked if I would read over her application.  I of course agreed to read it.

Reading Jasmine’s application was mostly a treat for me.  I learned what initially inspired her into engineering, and understood the intimate moments of her theater experience that took her from stage fright to fearless.  Sure I could have just asked Jasmine over the course of her internship, but there was something rich about reading her written words.

After I read Jasmine’s application and gave her feedback, it occurred to me that I was now Ms. Washington!  It was a quiet and satisfying moment.  When you get older, like say 30, you forget how far you’ve come, and what led you to where you are today.  Stopping to help Jasmine was like a time machine, that put it all in perspective.  Thank you Jasmine for helping bring back those wonderful memories of where it all began for me, and thank you Ms. Washington for being my initial inspiration.

PS I’ll be quietly rooting for Jasmine to get the fellowship!

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Do the Hardest Thing

Its no wonder I got a 19 on my first computer science midterm, I didn’t learn the greedy algorithm!  Instead of doing what’s easiest that will bring me the maximum benefit I always chose to pursue the hard path.  Even after dropping out of my first CS class, I forced myself to take summer school, and take the class again.  Then when most were dropping out of engineering school, I convinced myself into double majoring in electrical engineering and computer science with just 2 years before graduation.  I had to persuade the dean that I’d be OK signing up for long hours of doing problem sets and coding while my peers enjoyed basketball games and beer pong.  I didn’t tell her that I’d also be taking on 2 TA positions, and being an RA. College is expensive!  Well all that  hard work paid off and got me to the place I always dreamed of living in California!  300 days of sunshine, which came with at steep price, but even my entry level engineering salary gave me a comfortable lifestyle.  Oh and I recently got invited to serve on Duke’s engineering advisory board!

I once overheard my dad tell a friend of his: “My daughter is a war monger.  While most people enjoy peace time in the form of a comfortable job she has to go out and do startup after startup, with no break in between!”

Why do I do this to myself?  Truthfully, because I’m a little naive…  I came to the US when I was 2.  My parents didn’t have a green card at the time, so the only way they could make money was to have my mom wake up at 5am to clean houses, while my dad went to engineering school.  I was there to experience the trips to the Good Will store, I lived with my family in one room for 4 years, and I walked around saying things like: “When my daddy gets a job…”  All that hardship instilled an immigrant work ethic and endless drive in me.  Rejection, disappointment, failure, and resiliency are easy to handle.  I suck at leading a secure and stable lifestyle.  Sometimes I feel like I might be missing out on things that are conventionally accepted, but I just cannot change who I am and stop being driven to achieve the goals I set for myself early in life.

Some other hard things I enjoy doing:

  1. Bikram Yoga.
  2. Running Half Marathons.
  3. Living a minimalist lifestyle.
  4. Making my own healthy food as much as possible.
  5. Being compassionately confrontational.
I’ve programmed myself to do the hardest things in life, but they’ve also brought me the greatest joy!
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Cramped Creativity

I’ve been thinking about creativity a lot lately, how to inspire and preserve it, and create a process to replicate it.  I know creativity requires randomness, which is part of my frustration.  My own creativity has emerged from being an early adopter of new ideas, and having a lot of varied experiences.  However, in the past 3 years I’ve been cycling through ideas, and have siloed myself into a routine when it comes to hobbies and work.  Also, as an early adopter of ideas I’ve been responsible for conveying them.  Spending more of my time evangelizing, and less time discovering new ones has resulted in mental stagnation.

I know this is probably one of those posts that people will roll their eyes at “yeah right you’re mind is really stagnating…”  But here’s why I think this is an important personal battle:

  1. All the experiences I had between 0 to 30 years of age were brand new.  Studying engineering, participating in a startup, building friendships, and traveling around world all before the age of 30 were great.  But now I’m left wondering what’s next?  Most people would say its time to settle down, sadly I feel like I might not be the settling down type…  Especially since I know my abilities haven’t peaked, and there are more things to experience.  However, I do feel like I am less of a sponge when it comes to absorbing vast amounts of new ideas and information.  I’ve also gotten really good at spotting variations of the ideas that are being rehashed, which is once again frustrating.
  2. As people get older they get stuck in their ways, this of course diminishes creativity.  Just being young and not knowing anything keeps you open to ideas, but when you are older you are more set in your ways, and opposed to challenges because of comfort.  There’s also less desire for self-discovery.  While I can continue to force challenges upon myself, the peer group who is willing to do this with me has gotten smaller.  That’s not meant to be an excuse, just an observation.

So how can I stay wide-eyed, avoid cynicism, and have new experiences that will actually help me to grow?  Sheer drive and digging deeper.

Creativity is not a talent. It is a way of operating.

- John Cleese

I’ve had a breadth of experiences, but I cannot say I’ve had a depth of experiences.  So instead of dismissing an idea or experience as “been there done that”, I’m actually forcing repetition, and looking deeper.  For example, I’ve been practicing the same form of yoga for almost 9 years now.  To prevent boredom I deconstruct postures, and think about how I can go deeper in them.

When it come to my other love: engineering, this past year I’ve spent less time actually engineering, and more time teaching and writing.  This is extremely gratifying but there is part of me that grows antsy to build.  To fill that void I have to channel my engineering skills into building my business.

Finally, I know the desire to continue being creative, and having a level of dissatisfaction will keep me growing.  Curious to know if other people who are my age feel the same way, and how they resolve it?

 

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What Do Femgineers Care About?

I’ve been reaching out to a number of femgineers this month and meeting up with them on my travels through the US.

Last night I received the wonderful gift of being taken out to dinner by Lady Coders.  We dined in downtown Seattle, and enjoyed an evening filled with conversations about code, and exchanged ideas on how to build company culture that is aware of work-life balance for everyone!  I couldn’t help smile when I overheard someone at the table say “men deserve paternity leave too!” And giggled when I heard a woman blurt out, “It should ONLY take 1 week to learn a new programming language.”  This is the world of the femgineers.  A place where we we balance getting things done with sharing experiences.

Then this morning I jumped on a Skype call with Chiu-Ki Chan a fellow femgineer focused on Android development and public speaking, such a rare breed!  I had been gently nudged by Angie Chang of Women 2.0 to reach out to Chiu-Ki given our similar interests in tech and public speaking.  We talked about the two things that were very important to us:

  1. Public speaking as an artform that we hold as sacred, and can be a great way to tie in our technical expertise.
  2. Presenting at conferences and events quality content and knowledge, that people can use everyday to build tech products and companies.

I ended my chat with Chiu-Ki with a sense of excitement, its not everyday you get to meet a femgineer who can also speak in public articulately!  Stay tuned for more to come from our dynamic duo :)

Well there you have it a sneak peek into the lives and concerns of femgineers.  What’s most refreshing about all of us is that we can code, speak, travel, and give back to our community!

 

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Self-Discovery Happens When You’re Shunned

When I was 6 my parents bought their first house in a pretty friendly yet homogenous neighborhood. It didn’t matter to them because they saw kids playing outside, and neighbors talking to each other. I loved it because it was safe and gave me a lot of freedom, like the freedom to ride my bike anywhere, and being able to knock on any kid’s door and ask them to play.

Then one day I had a bright idea, I asked my mom if I could have a sleepover with some friends. Of course she didn’t know what a sleepover was, I had to explain the concept to her. She said ti would be OK, but to only invite 1 friend over. So I invited my friend Alison whom I thought was my “best friend”. Alison and I had a great night of fun together.

Then a few days past, and I noticed something weird begin to happen. I’d go ask kids in my neighborhood if the wanted to play and they’d come up with some excuse to exclude me. I didn’t really get it, I was a little upset, but decided to just hop on my bike and go for a ride. Even Alison was mysteriously unavailable.

A few weeks passed, and things got worse. I’d knock on different kids doors in my neighborhood and kept hearing excuses: “I’m grounded.” “I have chores.” “I’ve got a LOT of homework.” Something was up. But mostly I was just lonely, and didn’t know what was going on.

Then one day a new young couple moved into the house across the street. My parents went over to say hi, and I went with them. I found out the young lady’s name was Julie, she didn’t have any kids.

The next day I went over to Julie’s and knocked on her door, and asked if I could come in. I don’t know where I got the courage, but I guess at that point I was getting tired of getting rejected by all the kids in the block. Plus I figured that since Julie didn’t have kids she needed someone to hang out with too! Julie didn’t mind and let me in, and introduced me to “ice tea”, which she had just brewed. Julie and I got to talking and she told me that she was a stewardess, which meant she got to fly on planes, and her husband was in the air force and he got to fly too!

For weeks I kept visiting Julie, learning about her life. One day she told me she would be gone for awhile, she was traveling to China. Whoa! I knew China was close to where I came from, and they had pandas. So I wished Julie a fun trip, and told her to pet a panda for me!

While I waited for Julie to come back, I just spent time by myself reading, and riding my bike. Then one day my parents brought up Julie, wondering why they hadn’t seen her in awhile. I told them she was in China. They wondered how I knew. So I told them about how I went over to Julie’s, how she fed my ice tea, and we would hang out.

My parents freaked out! They told me that I was “bothering” her and to stop. I didn’t get it. None of the kids on my street would play with me, and now Julie was off limits according to my parents.

Well I did the only thing I could do as a 6 year old at the time, I just went back to hanging out with myself. Then one day as I was eating lunch at school a kid came up to me and asked me, “Is it true your family eats raw eggs and your dad wears a skirt?” I didn’t know where the heck that came from. “Because Alison said that you do.”

Mystery of being shunned was solved. Well what do you think I did? I marched on up to Alison and said, “Stop spreading rumors about my family, we don’t eat raw eggs, we’re vegetarian! AND my dad doesn’t wear a skirt those are his PJs.”

That was the first time in my life I realized what it meant to be different. I felt powerless because I couldn’t hang out with Julie who would accept me, because my parents didn’t like it, and I couldn’t change the minds of other kids in my neighborhood. But I wasn’t one to cry or get upset, so I just kept spending more time with myself reading. I read a LOT. I read almost every series that was out there, the Box Car children, the Chronicle of Narania, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, and so on. But it wasn’t enough to just read, I wanted to do what these authors had done, I wanted to write too! So I started writing a lot of stores.

When I got to the second grade I had a teacher who reminded me of Julie my neighbor. She was warm, open, and encouraging. I took my short stories to her, she read each one, and told me to keep writing. Writing became my way of creating worlds, and it filled the void until I became socially accepted again. What’s most interesting is that even though I started to have more friends as I grew up, I still gave myself time to read, write, and ride my bike. I didn’t just tie myself down to the one set of friends like I had originally with the kids on my block. Instead I made friends with kids at school, kids in other neighborhoods, joined some clubs and got introduced to older kids! Boy was I cool then… Even Allison and I reconciled a couple years later, and right before I moved away she came to my going away party. Allison had done me a favor while her little rumor was hurtful, had I not been shunned I wouldn’t have discovered my new talent, writing! I also had to get a little out of my own comfort zone, make friends with new people, and as a result got to have more interesting experiences beyond playing cops and robbers with the kids in my neighborhood. Life growing up was good.

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How to Adjust to a New Team

I recently had one of my readers write in and ask me the following question:

“I just started a new engineering position, and my boss would like me to speak up to show the team that I’m knowledgeable.  I’m not sure what to do.”

Here’s the letter I wrote back responding to my reader’s question:

Dear Femgineer Reader:

First congratulations on the new gig!

Coincidentally, I’ve been in your bosses position before so I understand where he is coming from.  I don’t know him, but I’m guessing his primary goal is to make sure that you’re adjusting to the team, and that they are accept you so that you can all work together happily and productively.  As a result, he is encouraging you to speak up and even giving you a gentle nudge to do so.

I don’t know you very well, but in new situations you might be someone who likes to take sometime to learn the ropes, gauge people, their communication style, and establish a level of comfort before you actively contribute.

If that is indeed the case, then here is what I suggest to have a smooth transition.  I’m a firm believer in setting expectations so that people aren’t thrown off by your behavior.  To this end, start by letting your boss know your general style.  Since your job involves engineering, you might be someone who needs to first understand projects and process before you go out becoming buddies with everyone on the team. Whatever your approach is think about it, and then have a conversation with your boss during your next 1-1, you can frame it something like this:

“Hey Mr. Boss, I’m really excited to be here! This week I’ve learned XYZ.  I know you want me to speak up so that people know I’m smart and talented, but I just wanted you to know that usually in the first month of starting a new job I generally do X, then Y, and then Z.  Then when I feel like I have a good understanding, and start to develop a rapport with my teammates I will be more open to speaking up.  Does that make sense and help you understand where I am coming from a bit better?”

Now if that’s not the case, and its more that you’re shy then one way to overcome that is by getting a little bit more comfortable with your teammates.  You could start by just having lunch with each individually or as a group.  The more comfortable you feel with others, the more likely you are to want to contribute.

Finally, I’d say congratulations on having a boss that actually cares and wants to hear your opinion, those are a rare breed.  So when you end your conversation, be sure to let him know that!  Tell him, “Thanks for taking this time to chat with me.  I appreciate you encouraging me to contribute, and I certainly well.  I also appreciate that you see where I’m coming from and can understand my approach.”

Main takeaways:

  • Acknowledge and address your boss’ concern during a 1-1.
  • Set expectations by figuring out what your style of learning and collaborating is, and telling your boss .
  • Building a rapport will make it easier to collaborate with your team.  To establish tis you need to make it a point to get to know your teammates, what they work on, and their general interests.
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#1 Reason YOU Should Build a Product

I’m not sure they why the call it software, it’s so damn hard to build.  In fact I’m convinced the only reason they call it software is because hardware is harder to build :D  So maybe this great marketing tactic is what draws people into building software, and the number of those who are building is certainly growing.  While I’ve been building software for 8 years, 6 in startup land, I’ve noticed a definite trend in the past 2 years, which is that there is a really high proportion of people who want to build products.  In fact their desire is so great that they go to length to do things like: raise capital, hire people, and then proceed to build.  But then something strange happens… they hit a brick wall, not just once, but again and again.  They’re unable to ship even the first version, and after some hard work they throw in the towel and claim: “there just wasn’t a product-market-fit”.  There never is and there never will be if you’re driven by a want.  This of doesn’t just happen in a startup, it happens at any stage of the company, its just most prevalent in startups.

passion for building productsThe truth is like anything in life, you don’t build products for the fame, the glory, or the exit.  The #1 reason you build a product is passion.  And if you ain’t got it, then you need to figure out how to get it, because honestly it cannot be taught, and this is coming from someone who wants to increase ticket sales of her Intro to Product Development class :)

The reason I say passion should be the #1 driver is because a lot of things will go wrong.  While I’m not a fortune teller I can be certain that things will go wrong.  I could even come up with a list of 100 things that I’ve personally experienced, but I need to save time and get back to building my product, so here are the top three that you need to be able to stomach:

  1. You’re co-founder leaving you.
  2. Running out of money.
  3. People not believing in you and thinking you’re insane.

If you can handle those 3 then I’d say you’re good to go!  The rest like deadlines slipping and losing sleep are easy by comparison.  You need to use your passion for building a product to help you get through those 3+ difficult moments, and they aren’t really moments, they will feel like an era.

While passion cannot be taught, it can be harvested, and cultivated.  Here’s the secret sauce: build a product you believe in.  It doesn’t matter if you’re the founder, engineer, designer, or whatever in a company.  You have to believe in what you are building.  Its great if it solves a problem for you, but even if it doesn’t that OK.  Only if you believe in the product will you want to build it and improve it.  If you don’t believe in the product, you’ll concoct excuses to jump ship the minute you spot an iceberg ahead.

Discovering what you’re passionate about takes time.  For some people it can be years and for others its a lifetime.  While it can take time to find inspiration, I’d definitely encourage you to learn the process of building a product.  That process is important.

Understanding the process, putting in place, and then falling back on it during those tough moments is how you know you’re passionate.

So if you want to learn the process come to my Introduction to Product Development course on Saturday October 27th in SF.  I canot guarantee you’ll walk away passionate, but once you find it you’ll have the right process to make things happen! Use the discount code Femgineer to save 15%.  Looking forward to meeting YOU!

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