whiteisfamily
New member
Hi there,
I'd like to share my startup journey with you. Over the past 2.5 years, my friend and I, both with technical backgrounds, embarked on a quest to explore around 70 ideas, all in search of the one that would truly "work." Here's what we discovered:
We quickly realized that frameworks can be overrated. Initially, we delved into lean canvases, jotting down numerous assumptions and scouring the internet for answers. However, we soon learned that the internet itself cannot provide all the answers we sought—people can. That's when we embraced the wisdom of Steve Blank: getting out of the building. We started engaging with individuals, conversing with them informally, and endeavoring to understand their real-life behaviors and any problems or issues we could potentially solve.
The key lies in prioritizing the problem over the solution. If there's a pressing problem that can be clearly defined, and people are willing to invest their resources—be it money, time, or other means—then a solution can be found. Every week, my co-founders and I share messages along the lines of, "Look, this product managed to secure millions from X. They're doing exactly what we discussed back in 2021, but it seemed impossible then." In due time, what seemed impossible will become a reality, whether it takes 10 years or just a few months. Your most daunting nightmares or wildest dreams will eventually come true. Just have patience.
Let's talk statistics. Roughly half of our ideas were discarded right after a quick search on Google. About 25% didn't even pass the initial interview stage, as we discovered they were mere fantasies, not genuine problems faced by people in the real world. For a handful of ideas, we reached the minimum viable product (MVP) stage. Getting to an MVP or prototype quickly allowed us to gather invaluable feedback from real users, leading to the best insights and learning opportunities.
With our current idea, we decided not to give up despite initial negative feedback. We persevered and continued building the product we had in hand. I shared an early MVP of it on this subreddit over a year ago, aiming to gather user feedback as swiftly as possible. Since then, we've accumulated a wealth of valuable data, which led us to the realization that a complete overhaul of the product was necessary. And so, we created the app. But even then, we faced setbacks. We discovered that the app wasn't functioning as intended, with low retention metrics, a confusing user flow, and a lackluster UI. Yet, we refused to surrender. We took another shot at it. You can check out the new version of our app, Nemlys, on the App Store or Google Play. Nemlys aims to foster deeper connections between people. It may be far from perfect, but our goal is to continue learning, improving, and starting anew.
It wasn't until a year into pursuing the same idea that we finally began to witness some traction and positive responses. Success doesn't always come overnight, does it? If you're in the startup realm, you understand that iteration triumphs over perfection. So, keep iterating, moving forward as swiftly as possible. And most importantly, never give up!
Cheers
I'd like to share my startup journey with you. Over the past 2.5 years, my friend and I, both with technical backgrounds, embarked on a quest to explore around 70 ideas, all in search of the one that would truly "work." Here's what we discovered:
We quickly realized that frameworks can be overrated. Initially, we delved into lean canvases, jotting down numerous assumptions and scouring the internet for answers. However, we soon learned that the internet itself cannot provide all the answers we sought—people can. That's when we embraced the wisdom of Steve Blank: getting out of the building. We started engaging with individuals, conversing with them informally, and endeavoring to understand their real-life behaviors and any problems or issues we could potentially solve.
The key lies in prioritizing the problem over the solution. If there's a pressing problem that can be clearly defined, and people are willing to invest their resources—be it money, time, or other means—then a solution can be found. Every week, my co-founders and I share messages along the lines of, "Look, this product managed to secure millions from X. They're doing exactly what we discussed back in 2021, but it seemed impossible then." In due time, what seemed impossible will become a reality, whether it takes 10 years or just a few months. Your most daunting nightmares or wildest dreams will eventually come true. Just have patience.
Let's talk statistics. Roughly half of our ideas were discarded right after a quick search on Google. About 25% didn't even pass the initial interview stage, as we discovered they were mere fantasies, not genuine problems faced by people in the real world. For a handful of ideas, we reached the minimum viable product (MVP) stage. Getting to an MVP or prototype quickly allowed us to gather invaluable feedback from real users, leading to the best insights and learning opportunities.
With our current idea, we decided not to give up despite initial negative feedback. We persevered and continued building the product we had in hand. I shared an early MVP of it on this subreddit over a year ago, aiming to gather user feedback as swiftly as possible. Since then, we've accumulated a wealth of valuable data, which led us to the realization that a complete overhaul of the product was necessary. And so, we created the app. But even then, we faced setbacks. We discovered that the app wasn't functioning as intended, with low retention metrics, a confusing user flow, and a lackluster UI. Yet, we refused to surrender. We took another shot at it. You can check out the new version of our app, Nemlys, on the App Store or Google Play. Nemlys aims to foster deeper connections between people. It may be far from perfect, but our goal is to continue learning, improving, and starting anew.
It wasn't until a year into pursuing the same idea that we finally began to witness some traction and positive responses. Success doesn't always come overnight, does it? If you're in the startup realm, you understand that iteration triumphs over perfection. So, keep iterating, moving forward as swiftly as possible. And most importantly, never give up!
Cheers