I have tried many startups/projects in the past, some I started myself and some I co-founded with others. Most of those shutdown after I/We hit the first wall. Some of the projects didn't even last more than 3 months and didn't have a single customer. There were some of the projects where I have happily spent 6 months coding / developing without any customer using it. When it was the time to get customers, I tried a few weeks, reached out to a few people and that's all and moved on to the next startup idea. I was fascinated by the glamour of running a startup. I never was driven enough to push through the wall when hit. I think that I start a startup to enjoy the moment of owning a company (for a short time). I have wasted 5 years trying to do random things but never could find some idea I can stick around for longer and build a company.
I have built around 20 android apps, the best one has 100K+ downloads and still going.
The companies I have attempted in the past
Try and pay (based on chrome extension, co-founder quit due to health conditions. I wasn't motivated or driven enough to bring in a new co-founder to continue that startup)
SentimentsAI (using AMAZON AI tools to generate sentiments based on social media comments)
TenancyWithoutAgents (startup in real estate, quit after 6-8 months, discovered that we need access to real estate certificate)
Grocery Delivery ( discovered that delivery charges are very high and people are not willing to spend that much and there is a thin margin)
Chat app, Door Prizes (developed for one client, they used it free of cost. I was hoping to get more clients but I didn't get any. I have reached few people and they never responded. So I shut down that too)
FarWork(reached out to few co-working spaces, reached out to few people, got few answers from few people and that's it then covid19)
EscrowServ (Escrow service in the construction industry, wasn't interested in that industry, so I quit after developing for 8 months)
MarketForLocal (started a marketplace to connect local-sellers to customers. The co-founder quit because she didn't want to work more than 2 hours a day and I didnt bother to continue).
Once turned to eBay seller as well and imported stuff from China and didn't last more than 2-3 months. Because I didn't want to be eBay seller.
I am always confused with this advice "follow your passion" (Elon) vs "don't follow your passion" (Mark Cuban). I am passionate about coding, also at the same time, I am passionate about owning a business. I want to code for a business that I am passionate about. I have few ideas and afraid to commit to one. I am not even sure If I am passionate about any of those. I am afraid that I might pick the wrong idea and might end up quit again and waste my time.
How can I find the idea that I can stick for longer? How do I know that I won't quit again (very easily)?
I just want to know how you interpret my situation. I am open to hearing any advice or observation you may have.
Thanks
I've been where you're at *multiple* times. The advice I gave myself was to throw my arms up and just get a job and focus on being better at developing software, the act of coding, since thats what me/you are "passionate" about.
If you want a business though, you have to first ask yourself, "Why do you want a business?".
Is it because you want to be well known and show up in all the publications?
Do you want to hire people and make decisions on where and how the company grows? What do you want?
Saying you want a business is the easy part.
You can code a platform and get it to the point of being able to be sold (which is great, but these days thats the easy part), but you need to do the other work: figure out what you want and set a goal and run towards it.
As I read your question theres a lot more context that can be given to your situation that I don't know about, I dont know you, and havent talked to you, but I can tell that you probably aren't excited to actually talk to people and try to sell it, which is a lot of developers.
Most developers think they can build it and customers will come, we've all heard that before, and that's the hard part I mentioned earlier.
If you're looking for a suggestion, then my suggestion is: stop building stuff for now. Figure out your goal (not an idea, not a company, but a goal outside of the actual platform) and when the goal amps you up and gets you excited, you'll run down that path, until then, keep coding and getting better at writing software and in your off time, go do hobbies like kayak or something. Make yourself bored, it will come to you then.
0. You are not alone. This is a VERY common situation.
1. Screw your passion, work is a job. Find the best opportunity that you are confident can be accomplish... and do not quit until you are getting the result you want and/or until a better opportunity arises. But be careful about switching too often, the key is weigh options based on probable outcomes.
2. In my experience, it's better to offer a service that you cannot personally fulfill... because you will be forced to focus on the business itself and find/train/manage people to do the work.
3.Your primary focus should be on making sales, not operations. If you can't make sales, there's zero purpose in doing anything else. Worst case, you get better and better at selling while refunding a bunch of money until you figure out how to fulfill the orders (without you personally doing the work).
4. Just take next steps. The boring minutia that you might want to avoid, is EXACTLY the that no one wants to do (hence the opportunity); so THAT is where the value is created. Turn "off" your thinking cap during the work week, and just execute on next steps. Evenings and weekends are for planning and thinking, work week hours are for executing.
5. If this isn't working in 3 months... you either were not honest about probably outcomes when you chose the opportunity, you didn't execute during the work week, you tried to do everything yourself, or you prioritized everything else above sales.
PS. I commend you for everything you have accomplished. Getting "stuck" is super common. Most of the time, you're too much in your own head and just need to "Do the Work" as Steven Pressfield says.
Do not get upset. Peter Drucker once said, “The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” It seems you have tried many things from Sentiments AI to Market for local. Have you exploited Covid-19 yet? The best is the best opportunity to exploit upon. Tell yourself to work on pandemic. You know as well as I do that world is changing. Climate change, global warming and pandemics is a response to mankind’s greed for more and more exploitation of the earth resources. Do not get stuck. Here are few ideas that might help you reach a definite answer.
1. These Outdoor Cushion Makers Aren’t Sitting Down: Known for their durable outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic, Polywood is pivoting to respond to a call to action from Indiana hospitals that have reached out and asked for one million cloth surgical masks. The company is enlisting their sewing team that normally assembles outdoor furniture cushions to help create the masks and their textile partner Revolution Fabrics is currently testing different fabric blends for breathability. Polywood will do their own in-house research, in conjunction with local health leaders to quickly scale and produce masks that can also be bleached and reused to meet escalating demand.
Website: www.polywood.com
2. Smart Security Kiosks Stop the Spread of New Threats: While large numbers of US citizens are expected to work from home due to the continuous spread of COVID-19, utility workers, first responders and medical staff are still expected to fulfil their duties. Security provider, Force 5 has taken a unique approach at keeping staff healthy during this pandemic and developed kiosks at security points that ask workers health-screening questions before entering critical areas or interacting with critical personnel. Questions such as: “do you have clearance?” and “have you travelled?” are asked to protect workers. They are also developing a thermometer to check staff temperatures and integrates with their kiosk’s — to automatically reject high risk individuals entering a facility.
Website: www.force5solutions.com
3. Ancient Games Become New Mental Health Tools: Online chess and backgammon website, Chess Gammon, based in the United Kingdom, has seen a spike in demand for these traditional games. With billions of people housebound, the company has been helping people at home stay mentally active and reduce the risk from going outside. Who would have thought that such ancient games would have suddenly become so popular again.
Website: www.chessgammon.co.uk
4. The Hacked Booking App That Now Rallies Volunteers: Zelos, is an app for volunteer management based in Estonia. Originally developed for events and festivals, when the virus struck their Northern European country, they connected their app to collaboration app Trello within 48 hours and created a helpline for senior citizens. The elderly calls the helpline, and an operator uses Trello, to push information to volunteers’ smartphones. Within 24 hours, they had signed up more than 1,000 volunteers and within two days were helping seniors to get groceries (and avoid the 3-day wait times). The founders do not have the resources to scale this idea beyond Estonia and are looking for those interested in implementing this idea in their communities. The API is free, and people would only need to cover minor software costs.
Website: www.getzelos.com
5. Unemployed Tailors Have Become Lifesavers: Boston-based custom clothier 9Tailors provides top quality, custom suiting and has been greatly impacted by the region-wide lockdown. “In a time when you aren’t able to do what you normally do, you must look for what you can do,” says founder Samantha Shih. The company found itself with tailors with sewing machines who were out of work, and local hospitals with a lack of medical supplies. It was a perfect match. Using their excess fabric, comprised of 100% wool, they employed the unemployed tailors and seamstresses, who also urgently needed an income, to produce reusable face masks for healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle.
Website: www.9tailors.com
6. Beyond Hand-Washing: Full Body Sterilizers: Boster Biological Technology, based in Pleasanton, CA, has been producing high-quality antibodies and testing kits to the scientific community since 1993, but with the arrival of COVID-19, they sprang into action to develop new products that help patients and medical workers. The company is working on a whole-body sterilizer that will be sprayed over your entire body. They are also developing thermal scanners to be installed around the US that will check body temperatures of visitors to airports and buildings — the first screening step in identifying coronavirus patients.
Website: www.bosterbio.com
7. Pandemic Masks That Kids Really Want to Wear: Children’s toy company, Bunnies By The Bay, is manufacturing masks for kids and medical workers with heart-warming images of bunnies and whimsical designs. They are also donating products and resources to hospitals and orphanage groups — an ongoing mission of theirs. With the rise of COVID-19 they are a next step to help spread comfort and love to children, while helping to save lives.
Website: www.bunniesbythebay.com
8. Lonely? Visit Russia’s Stay the Fck Home Bar: Open 24/7, the Stay the Fck Home bar was launched by Russian creative agency the Shishki Collective to encourage more people to stay at home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over 30,000 users visited the website in the 24 hours since its launch and during the first opening week more than 120,000 people visited the online bar. The virtual video-conferencing bar is without borders, where people from all over the world can meet, have a drink, and try not to lose their collective minds by supporting each other. Already, #Stayrhefuckhome has grown beyond the original idea to include 15 themed bars — including wine bars and Italian bars. “We are going to collaborate with world-renowned DJs, organize events and keep having fun despite this worldwide quarantine,” – says Mike Shishkin, CEO of Shishki Collective. Some people are popping in for only a few minutes, but some people are spending an entire night together. For example, one attendee from Kiev took his mates on a “bar crawl,” driving around the city and showing everyone the beautiful landmarks of Kiev through his phone camera.
“We were driven by idea of openness and mutual support around the world,” says Shishkin. “We want people not to close up and become anxious and suspicious because of the virus. Rather, we want them to lead with openness and mutual support and give people a chance to expand their social circles around the globe.”
Website: www.staythefuckhome.bar
9. Truck-sharing Company Helps Students Relocate Fast: Truck-sharing service Truxx announced they are offering discounted service for university and college students faced with early move-outs as campuses continue to close in response to COVID-19. The aim of the offer, dubbed CollegeRoxx, is to help students make their unexpected moves just a little easier. The company also stepped up to help in Nashville after a tornado. Many companies have used their service to help with sudden logistics challenges that they face with the current pandemic. Cofounder Jamie Hess reckons they are perfectly positioned to help those planning to convert buildings to hospitals or overhaul production lines that require new supply chains. Their truck-sharing model offers an agile, cost effective service that can help.
Website: www.truxxit.com
10. Tell Your Boss What You Really Think. From a Safe Distance: Online suggestion box, DirectSuggest, has a virtual suggestion box application that is being used throughout the world to assist organizations to manage, adapt, and mitigate issues around the coronavirus pandemic. Thousands of employees are staying engaged with their companies and making innovative suggestions on what they think is necessary to prevent the virus from harming their daily operations. DirectSuggest are currently offering a free 90-day promotional offer to assist in spreading the level of impact they can make in businesses around the world.
Website: www.directsuggest.com
11. These Lawyers Have Turned into Publishers for Good: Connecticut law firm Pullman & Comley has essentially turned itself into a COVID-19 publication, putting out blog posts multiple times a day on different legal topics. As the crisis began to unfold, this 101-year-old firm with 90+ attorneys was inundated with questions from companies, municipalities, educational institutions and non-profits and attorneys began writing almost immediately as a service to the communities they serve. Many of the topics they have addressed are ones that many may not even have considered yet: Working from home and sick leave policies — what is required of employers and what is within their rights? Childcare and children-at-work policies — how can employers support parents of kids whose schools or day-cares have been closed? What types of business closures could be covered by insurance? How has telehealth coverage been expanded and who can now see a doctor remotely? Quarantine and isolation policies — who can be quarantined and under what conditions? How do school closures affect obligations of school districts with respect to students with disabilities?
Website: www.pullcom.com
12. Disinfect Your Office With Small UFO: Sending humans into buildings infected by the COVID-19 virus to disinfect them is a health risk, especially in small rooms and in confined spaces. Most drones can’t fly stably indoors and into confined spaces, but Digital Aerolus has developed the Aertos 120 UVC drone by combining the disinfection power of UVC lights with unique industrial drones. The drones are designed to fly indoors and in confined spaces and provide UVC cleaning, significantly reducing health risks. Potential areas include doctor’s offices, hospital rooms, waiting areas, grocery and retail stores, businesses, and areas where first responder and healthcare workers rest between shifts. UVC light sanitation technology is currently used in the healthcare industry but many of the UVC lights are large, cost-prohibitive, or impractical to deploy. By combining industrial drones with small but powerful UVC lights, it has allowed many more organizations to use this life-saving technology.
Website: www.digitalaerolus.com
13. Find a Machine Globally to Fulfil Your Local Needs: Neil Ferrier, the head of luxury lifestyle brand, Discommon in Greenville, South Carolina, recently pivoted all his efforts toward aiding medical workers in the state. He rallied his overseas production contacts to produce 7.5 million disposable masks and is delivering these masks to the hospital system in South Carolina. Frustrated with the delays in shipping, as 230 countries try to get their products out of China, he utilized his resources to locate critical mask-making machines in Hong Kong and was instrumental in working with multiple parties to facilitate a National Guard Lockheed C-5 to pick up the machines and deliver them to Carolina. Locals are now able to produce masks at fabric mills in the area.
Website: www.discommon.com
14. Is Your Product Already Fighting the Virus?: Copper H2O produces water bottles made of copper, which recent studies have shown is naturally anti-viral and can help stop the transmission of the coronavirus (but not a 100% solution). Many companies have already used their copper bottles for staff as a way of helping to minimize the spread of the virus and to avoid disposable, single-use water bottles. Recent scientific studies on copper as an anti-viral have shown the benefits of this metal.
Website: www.copperh2o.com
15. Give Your Empty Land Away (For a While): CEO of Car Passionate, Michael Lowe, was not sure how his car parts company could contribute to the COVID-19 outbreak, but then he realized that even small gestures and ideas can help. “As my staff and I are working away from our premises as much as possible, we aren’t using the entirety of our land, so what I decided to do is allow all key, front-line workers to park freely wherever and whenever they liked.” Their team have offered their services to the vulnerable by adapting many of their vehicles into delivery vehicles and turned industrial pressure washers, used for cleaning industrial grime, toward keeping vulnerable areas clean. Their positive role modelling has made other small businesses in the area want to join forces with them and help deliver essentials to the vulnerable.
Website: www.CarPassionate.com
16. How to Fight an Invisible Enemy With 3D Printers: Minuteman Press franchisees like Michael Levy in Levittown, Long Island are taking action in the fight against COVID-19 by using 3D printing to produce critical items like face-shields and hand sanitizer labels. Levy never imagined that his 3D printing machine would one day be used to help fight a disease, but that’s exactly what’s happening today. While the face shields Michael and his staff are printing and assembling are not designed by medical teams, they are being requested by medical professionals and requests are mounting as quickly as he fulfills them. “I’m getting calls from anesthesiologists, dental hygienists and other providers. All are saying they want them now and don’t have them readily available, so we print them all day to accommodate this need.
Website: www.minutemanpressfranchise.com
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
Forget everything you read and learned from all sources, You are certainly not an isolated case I had a similar problem and I did everything like you now I started a group for entrepreneurs . i trying to create social capital to generate income. The main problem of today's entrepreneurs is what they want to be and developer and entrepreneur and company owner and seller .... all of a sudden . it is not possible and that is why many fall in the market if you want to hear from me I would gladly suggest you to join our network
Like so many of us do, we try and fail at a number of things before we reach and master what we are passionate about. I would suggest:
a. Take a personality test and a career interest test (this can help guide you in understanding more about your personality type, identify strengths and weaknesses, and explore career fields that spike your interest).
b. Take a course that will help you put together a strong business plan. I offer one on my website and with everyone making the transition to the virtual world I am certain you will find something that will guide you in the right direction.
c. Learn how to apply systems and automations into your business. This will help keep you organized and minimize burnout. Again I offer this course and you can find plenty on the internet to suit you.
d. Invest in yourself a business coach. I am certain that this also is a part of the missing pieces that you are experiencing in your journey. I am not a coach but I will be glad to point you into the direction of some awesome individuals.
I read your message and gotten the following impressions:
1. You know what you can and you described that you had delivered them without much problem.
2. You are quite experienced and well-read, but somehow it seems that you are can produce something but you did not continue when you don't feel interested.
3. You keep mentioning that you lack drives in many situations, then why you still wanted to do business?
4. You always can give a reason for every business you quit. I wonder you how you react to those reasons, and why you allow similar reasons to repeat?
these are few initial impressions I got.
I think there are a few pointers that may help you:
1. Get a mentor help you overcome your blind spots and make you more discipline
2. Focus on doing business, not simply selling products/ services
3. Your decision not your action that sets your future. If you try to do a lot of things in a short time, suggest slow down to gain more.
4. Learn frameworks/ models that can help you to gain insights to view situation deeper
5. try to revisit your personality to understand yourself better
Hi,
I have tried a few businesses in different sectors and managed to survive and prosper.
Having looked at the pattern of your activities, it seems that your projects fail to find customers on the whole.
Perhaps you should consider (at least to start), selling your services to others who already have clients.
This can generate revenue to keep you going while your business finds a direction.
You can advertize your services on Fiverr and Upwork, and clearly you have technical skills that are in demand in different industries.
If you would like to talk some more about this suggestion and other possible markets for your skills, then give me a call on +447539 141257
Hi there.
It sounds to me like you want to get in touch with what motivates you from within so you can find a business idea that will keep you motivated, am I hearing that correctly?
In order to do that you have to find out what it is that motivates you, what keeps you going.
I run a coaching business specialized in getting people in touch with their core purpose. What is a purpose? It's the inner driving factor that propels you forward in life. It's the themes you find most interest and satisfaction in.
To get you in touch with your purpose I offer one-hour coaching sessions. Since my business is brand-new I'm offering you to try out the first coaching session and let you decide, after the session, if you want to pay for it or not.
If you're interested, you can book an appointment on my website.
www.thewaytoyourpurpose.com
Kind regards,
Julian
Take a short inventory.
Consider what books you read, content you consume, conversation topics you find highly engaging, any activity where time stops for you.
Take an intersection of these, looking for so activity...
1) You've done daily for last 10+ years.
2) You'll likely do daily for next 10+ years.
Design a business around this activity.
Tip: Business success relates to consistency over time.
Anything you can stick with, likely will produce good success...
Rather than picking something new... or exciting (never trust anything exciting), look for what already engages you now.
