The Sweet Spot

Faith, Hope & Pixiedust

 I watched Peter Pan and couldn't shake the words of tinker bell from my brain - those 3 words....faith, hope & pixie-dust.....that should be the motto of startup companies.  You have to throw all caution to the wind and have faith that it's all going to work out, trust what people are telling you (this part gets harder and harder as people rarely tell the honest truth in this business), and if only there were such a thing as pixie-dust that could perform miracles!!!  I've learned to relax and pray, A LOT!!!  This business mixes reality and fantasy more than most businesses and if you're going to survive the journey you need to give in to the fantasy.

Let's Get This Party Started!

OK - this is totally frustrating!!! 

We are a startup company, we have been living on a shoestring budget (both personally and professionally), we finally get the development of the site complete and get a LOI for a major infusion of money within the next 3 months.....but in the interim....we are struggling - trying to figure out how to make it through those 3 months (praying the LOI becomes a reality) and keeping the excitement under wraps. 

It's another example of enjoying the moment - way too much time spent looking into the future and/or into the past and missing the present moment.  We are in a bit of a time-warp right now.  Worrying, wanting, praying, hoping and working 24/7. 

This business sucks the life out of you!!

The Masked Matriarch

 There is an awkward moment when someone asks: "What's your career"?  My answer "I write for an internet startup company" sounds like I'm being aloof, which is never my intention, but if I answered honestly I'd scare off so many people.  Saying that I am a writer sounds responsible and it's a short, concise answer.  The reality is that I am a gopher-girl for Dr.Z.  If he needs his work edited, I'm the girl - ordering office supplies, answering phones, paying bills, organizing the endless piles of papers, organizing emails/contacts/business cards, preparing documents, etc. all fall squarely upon my shoulders. If anyone had showed me a glimpse of what this company would require of me (I was rather naive to think that this vision was his and I was just along for the ride), there is very little chance I would have supported the mission!  Startups can provide money for the essentials....the wife of the founder does not fall under that category.  All work I do I consider my "not-for-profit" contribution because if this company fails, our current life direction fails.  The fantasy about internet companies being bought for obscenely large amounts of money used to provide us with the fuel we needed to continue with this vision, now our hard work and "sweat equity" fuel us.....surely one day they'll be rewarded - right?

Letter of Intent....Useless Piece of Paper?

I shopped at IKEA and enjoyed a mini-show of a few college chicks who were obviously shopping for their first apartment - they were super excited about the goldmine they were finding in the as-is room (markdown department). Oh to be young and starting the journey........

Surprise, surprise....it made me think about life as an internet startup.  Our life is changing quickly, we struggled with the development for so long I had almost given up hope (actually, I gave up hope many times over), and now that our site is launched the energy is shifting very fast. 

A major step today - our first signed LOI,  Dr.Z (hubby's new nickname) is totally stoked and celebrating the milestone....I'm still the cynical one and feel less happy (many share my view of LOI's).  Either way, change is coming and I am already missing my "milk-crate lifestyle" of being a struggling startup company (I can't even believe those words came out of my brain...I must be crazy).  What I'm saying is that I'm fond of the memories I have of my first apartment which was put together on a shoe-string budget and as hard as the past few years have been, we had some amazing moments and grew closer to one another as a result of our journey.

Although I'm anxious to get to the next stage of growth, I'm appreciating the journey!

Blackberry vs. iPhone

Within a day of launching we have switched gears and gone from a start-up vision to the real-deal.  Meaning we celebrated for 1 day before wrapping our brain around the amount of work that now needs to be accomplished.

Still shocking that the development was complete on time (only 28 glitches) - incredibly satisfying to see a completed site - overwhelming amount of work now.....

Now I can see the difference between a free site (many available, we used Ning and loved them) and a paid-for site.  The free site was great and served it's purpose, the completed site is clean, crisp, has amazing graphics and video.  It's similar to the journey from using a blackberry cell phone (has tons of capable features) to an iphone (makes the blackberry seem obsolete). 

That's all for now....gotta go load content!

A Cheap High!

24 hours before the launch is totally cool!  Probably the best time since we began this insane journey.

Hubby is feeling crazy wild and we are totally high on life!!!  This is the best happy hour I've ever experienced - the long wait is almost over and the waiting game is super fun! 

Who cares if the site is a success or not, this day goes down as one of the best in history!

All the hard work is about to be unveiled on the net and I'm taking my own advice (posted in an earlier blog) - I'm stopping to enjoy the moment - no looking in the rear view mirror today or looking forward...we are going to make this moment last!

His Life Belongs to the Startup

The calm before the storm.....2 days to launch and all is well.  The developers are promising to have the new site up and running on Friday.  After all this time we simply don't believe it - we are anxious, excited and nervous.

There's not a lot of talk right now with hubby, all energy is focused on unveiling the "vision".  We've rid our lives of all "crutches" in the past month as the countdown got closer - no alcohol to numb the feelings, no caffeine to rev up the feelings, healthy eating and lifestyle to stay focused and attentive to the business at hand. It's a surreal moment in time.   If hubby isn't working, he's working out (keeping the brain and body active).  If he's with us, he's texting/talking on his phone to his peeps.  His life belongs to the startup.  Friday can't come soon enough! 

Mark Lerner is our Poster Boy!

Okay....further proof why we call them Vulture Capitalists!!!

Mark Lerner is a poster child for the ugly world of Venture Capitalists and the power they think they have in this world.  Imagine how many young, vulnerable woman he has spread his yuckies to that have been wooed by him with his money and power!

His wife has quite a legacy now....ewwww!