One Key Lesson from a Semi-Failed Startup
After leaving drugstore.com, and before I started working on Cheezburger, I worked on a startup with some friends. After awhile it never quite “started” or “upped”, depending on which way you look at it.
We still have it going with one part-time developer, but I doubt it will ever amount to anything. Which is really too bad because I think it was actually a pretty good idea. In fact, all of our market research and dozens of potential customers told us it was a good idea.
I was struck just last weekend when I crossed paths with someone who was part of our initial focus groups and she was still enthusiastic. So enthusiastic that she was eager for it to launch so she could pay us money to use it! I had to ask myself, “with such a great product, why didn’t it ever get going?”
I think the answer is that there are ideas you are passionate about and ideas that are good, but for a startup to succeed your idea needs to be both. In other words, a good idea that you are passionate about.
If you have a bad idea that you are passionate about, then you’re just beating your head against a wall. Smart people recognize this, so they’ll either quit or change their idea.
On the other hand, if you have a good idea that you are not passionate about, then you’re not going to have the energy or desire to push through the inevitable obstacles that come with starting up. Passion is the irrational drive that keeps you going through good times and bad.
In our case, we had a good idea that we weren’t passionate very passionate about. It doesn’t matter how many potential customers are begging you to ship your product, that isn’t the magic elixir that gets you up early and keeps you up late. The magic elixir is passion. Remember that, and you’ll go a long way.
So what was the idea that was great but you couldn’t muster passion for? Why are you not passionate about it?
Joel Gross
13 Jul 09 at 10:11 am
Great question!
The idea was a self-publishing service for mothers. It’s really a great product, and perhaps one day we’ll ship it. However, I’m not a mother, and so it doesn’t really solve a problem that I personally experience. In other words, there is no personal emotion to drive the passion.
scottporad
13 Jul 09 at 1:46 pm
This is where your wife needs to come in and crack the whip!
Joel Gross
23 Jul 09 at 10:12 am
[...] Inevitably there are going to be tough times, and as I’ve written before, if you’re not passionate about your project then you won’t persevere because your heart won’t be in [...]
The Only Thing That Works is Doing Something You Love at Scott Porad
20 Oct 09 at 7:37 am
Great advice. I’ve been in a number of start-ups with only a vague passion for it. I finally found one that I love and I’m enjoying my 16 hour days more than I ever would have imagined.
dan
22 Oct 09 at 9:35 pm