To show you why I’ve been a bit MIA… I’ve created the following chart.  I’m in the final 10% right now.  It is fun, crazy, hectic and stressful… and totally worth it!

If it was easy, everybody would do it” – Tweet by @venturehacks that was a great reminder!

I have made it over the mountain of doubt…

I am now completely entrenched in my product and business.  It is no longer an either/or question.  It is now about… when will this be done? When can we go into alpha? When will the product be ready for show and tell?  When can I start to announce this to a broader audience?

Development changed everything…

There is a big difference between thinking about an idea and moving into developing the idea.  For me, it has taken the project from a ‘what if?’ to ‘what’s next?’  There are questions every single day, critical elements needed to go to the next step, items that appeared simple that are now in the critical path and have issues.

It. is. EXHILARATING!

I have fun… every single day…

Even when it is stressful, it is fun.  I now understand what other company owners/founders mean when they say it is fun, even when stressful and hard.  In fact, for me, I’m finding that it is when the hard stuff hits, I find it even more interesting and dare I say it, fun!  Figuring things out… from the budget to the product spec to the marketing.  There are definitely pieces I like less than others, but when I put everything together and look at it, I am excited and intrigued.

Exhausting… yes, sometimes…

Seriously.  Especially now that it is really in development.  There are things that must get done or else the timeline suffers.  There are things to think about that affect today that are just as important as the things that must get done so we’re ready for tomorrow.  The amount of thinking energy that is required is extremely high.  There are times that I may appear to be doing nothing because I’m not in front of my computer or on the phone.  But sometimes, this is when I’m the most focused and getting the most done.  Do this long enough, and the mind gets tired, and the body follows suit.

But you know what… it has made me more alive than I’ve been in a long time…

Because it is always a challenge.  No day is the same, ever!  I’m being pushed, and I’m enjoying the challenge.  To take a group of issues at any given time and figure out how to solve them is so rewarding that it literally wakes me up.  Even when I’m exhausted, I can feel the energy of the challenge bringing me to life!  In every job I’ve ever had, I’ve been the one to go into ‘chaotic, messy, need to get it done under extreme circumstances’ projects and pull them together.  This is when I thrive… and it turns out… running a start-up… is pretty much this set-up… every. day.  I’m in my sweet spot, and the added bonus is that it is my company and product in an industry I LOVE.

I know I’m where I’m supposed to be…

There is no doubt that this is where my body and soul want to be.  I feel comfortable in my role, doing what I’m doing.  I absolutely love the thrill of figuring things out that seem impossible or too hard.  I like to work with a small group of people who can focus on the problem and get it done.  To pull resources from various places, at the right times, to get the project where it needs to be.

The past few weeks have been amazing, exhausting, hard and fun.  I’ve only just begun.  I’m happy that it became apparent quickly that this is the right place for me.  That I’m doing the right thing.  That I’m in my sweet spot.  It will make the next few months leading up to launch easier because I won’t be spending my energy on the question, ‘Is starting a company what I’m supposed to be doing?’, I’ll be spending it on the question, ‘what needs to be done next?’

There is nothing like real life hitting a person right between the eyes to confirm some things.  I had this moment last week… all is good now, and the best part is that I came out of it with some very clear confirmations.

1. I am absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, doing the right thing
2. Taking the risk of starting my own thing is the best thing I can be doing
3. My husband is amazing, awesome, and my partner through everything
4. I am going to schedule time for myself so that I don’t forget to move, breath, take it all in
5. There are some amazing people in this world who don’t get nearly the credit or spotlight they deserve

I’m on a path, that I’m excited about, and the fear is gone for now.  I am now sure that I’m making a better life for myself and my family… and that is all that matters.  It may not look the way I or others expect it to… but I know it is the way things need to be.

Go hug someone you love today… and enjoy the ride you are on.

I still can’t believe that is true, but it is!

Startup founder is a title for other people…

Is the first thought I had.  But then I was reminded that, no, in fact, I AM a startup founder.  Yes, yes I am.  I am not thinking about doing it, I AM doing it.  I’m hiring developers, defining a product, working through business plans and marketing ideas. I’m working on this thing.

But, when I think of start-up founders…

I still think of a lot of other people.  Like, Naveen (Foursquare), Loic Le Meur (Seesmic), Jason Fried (37signals), Hiten Shah (Kissmetrics).  You get the idea.  I think of those who now have some traction, some publicity, and are months & years into their thing.  So, OF COURSE I don’t think I’m a founder like them.  I’m at the beginning, beginning.  I’m at the place that these guys were at a long time ago (in startup years!).  I am a startup, I’m just not in the same place, I’m at that place that most people never see publicly.  What a great thing to realize!

So now, I say to people, I’m a startup founder…

And I leave it at that.  I don’t add on the consulting gig I may have to help bring in some revenue, I don’t mention what I used to do, I don’t mask it.  When people ask what I do, I tell them… “I’m starting a company, I’m a startup founder.”

I admit, it still feels weird, but, every single day, it feels more real.  I’m getting more comfortable in this skin.  Maybe time is helping, maybe the writing of checks in helping, or maybe… just maybe… I see that I am doing the work to make something happen and am starting a company.  For real.  It’s not just a dream anymore, it is reality.  I am doing this… now.

So I leave you with this…

What is it that you aren’t claiming because you think you haven’t done what others in your space have done, yet?  Well, I say… as others have said to me… you ARE doing it NOW.  Claim it.  Remember that those you’re most likely comparing yourself to, were at this stage once too… you just hadn’t heard about them yet.

Yes, I am a Startup Founder, and that feels good.

I saw a post about women in startups and tech over on TechCrunch Europe, written by Eileen Burbidge (@eileentso), and I really liked her angle!

We all know the stats…

So I’m not going to bore you with them here.  The reality is, there are not very many women who are starting and running tech based startups and there few women inside of VC’s that are funding startups.

Before I get going… let me clarify one thing…

I think having a group of cool women to talk to, get advice from, and hear stories from is extremely useful and awesome!  Mentoring other women and inspiring other women to try this… it’s part of my mission as a business owner!!  So please don’t misread what I’ve said below.

Okay, so, on with it!

Women need to stand up and do it…

Over the years, I’ve talked about doing my own thing a lot.  About starting a company, about coming up with an idea that would be worth leaping out of the security of a full time job, about building something out of nothing.  But you know what, talk does nothing… it’s all about ACTION.

The day I picked up the phone and made a big call, well, I’ll never forget that day.  It’s the day I looked my own fear in the face and decided to move something forward rather than just talk about it.  That call was the little push of positive feedback I needed, and it is the day that it all changed.

We may be surrounded by men…

Here’s the thing about being a woman in this industry.  You may, and most likely will be, surrounded by men.  When you’re in meetings, at conferences, at trade shows.  Many of them have been influential people in my career and have helped me navigate the corporate waters.  I’ve had men as respected colleagues, mentors and friends over the years, and they are some of the strongest supporters of more women coming into the space.

My trusted advisors, 75% men.  It’s a reality, and I’m fine with it.  I have strong women around me too.  The key for me in choosing who to be surrounded with has not been whether they are a man or a woman.  It has been:

1. Are they a person I respect in this space?
2. Are they someone I like working with?
3. Are they someone who knows more about a subject than I do?
4. Are they someone who will challenge my business because they want it to be better?

It is that simple… and it has provided me with an amazing, diverse and fun group!

Am I naive??

In one word, no.  I know the world out there is not perfect.  I know that there are still people and organizations out there who don’t believe a woman can hold her own in the business.  I also know that this has become much more the minority than the majority (thankfully!!).

When I talk to my Mom, a woman who got her doctorate in Mathematics in the late 60’s, while working at IBM as a Main Frame Engineer, I am reminded how good we have it.  Ladies… we have a lot to be thankful for.  The world is a different place, and while the stats may not show a lot of growth on paper, the mentality has definitely shifted.

So, I say we get going!

It’s time to stand up and move forward and make it happen.  So, who’s with me??

Because we all need them and their advice!

How Good Advice Already Helped Me…

About a month ago I had a very important meeting.  It was with a trusted advisor who sat me down and asked really good questions.  About my company, business model, market, etc.  They asked what the major risks were (and there were a couple) and then… the reason everyone says to get trusted advisors became clear… quickly!

They helped me assess the risk from a place of experience, respect, and wanting to help me.  A great combination.  They helped me see how a change to the overall vision would help me continue down the path I was on, but with good plans in place to help safeguard the company if the risks became reality.  This in turn actually changed some of the core design elements, while keeping the immediate idea in place.

Wow!

Good advice turned into a good plan to share with others…

Others, who were also helping a lot, started asking lots of questions.  Wanted to make sure I was protecting myself, and not being too narrow.  Niche and narrow are two different things, by the way.  They were not concerned about my ability to deliver a product, they were concerned that I may build something that put me in such a corner, I would never be able to get out fast enough to change direction if I needed to.

Because I had met with ‘trusted advisor’ mentioned above… I was ready to address these concerns with a well thought out and reality based answer.  I was able to show that I not only go to advisors, but I actually hear and listen to them.  I actually make changes based on sound advice.  This instance proved that I had filtered correctly.

Why must we filter?

Well, because honestly, not all advice is good advice.  This is why I only surrounded myself with a few (and by a few I mean 3-4) people that I really trusted early, early, on (in reality I’m still surrounded by a small group of people).  I wanted constructive feedback that I knew I could trust.

I also wanted realistic feedback from people who I knew had my best interest in mind.  Who would tell me no, who would point out the pitfalls who would tell me when I was dead wrong.  They would tell me all of these things from a place of respect, a place of caring, and this type of feedback made all the difference.  I knew it was real, it was well thought out, it was to help me get this thing off the ground.

They are still the people I go to first…

When something comes up that I need help figuring out.  When I need to have a reality check about an idea, a meeting, even other people coming into my world.  Right now, as I begin building and am out on my own… this is the time I need them most.

My trusted advisors mean everything to me right now and today, watching some things come together, I was reminded again of just how fortunate I am to have them there for me.  Things they helped me work through got me to this moment.  It is amazing and exciting and I am thankful!

If you don’t have a team of trusted advisors yet… go get them.  You will be glad you did!