12 Startups, 12 Months

I started to seriously program a little over a year ago diving in head first and it has been an absolute blast. I fell in love with just building cool shit, something about it had me hooked. Though, the one downside is that it is a terrible time to break into tech, as everyone has seen the massive layoffs and impending doom of automation.

Like a good candidate I completed the Blind 75, and like every time I complete a project I hang in a state wondering what’s next? I was looking to build something fun and exciting, similar to the initial reasons I started to program. I thought how when previously building projects there were recurring fears that hold me back, namely perfectionism (premature optimization), fear of sharing my work and failing in public. And serendipitously, yesterday I stumbled upon this 10 year old blog post 12 startups in 12 months by @levelsio who had similar goals to myself at the time. I decided that this could be the antidote.

The Plan? 12 Startups in 12 Months. #

The plan is simple: to push myself out of my comfort zone by rapidly ideating, developing, and launching one startup per month. This is essentially a form of exposure therapy with the hope being that on the other side I won’t be hindered by my fears and have an increased confidence in my choices.

Goals: #

To start I wanted to set simple goals that encompassed overcoming the individual fears and also have fun by building things I feel are cool.

1. Pick an idea that excites me, not what is trendy.
2. Launch an MVP for each startup within the one-month timeframe.
3. Write a monthly reflection detailing progress, lessons learned, and areas for improvement.

Embracing the Unknown: #

I’m fully aware that not all of these startups will succeed, if any. It’s about building up that internal muscle that I believe successful entrepreneurs have, the muscle to fall, dust themselves off and keep on going. It’s not about creating 12 wildly successful businesses; it’s about learning from each experience, growing as an entrepreneur, and overcoming the fears and obstacles that have held me back.

Join Me on My Journey: #

Throughout this year-long adventure, I’ll be sharing my progress, insights, and experiences on this site and Twitter. I invite you to follow along, learn with me, and perhaps even embark on your own entrepreneurial journey.

Stay tuned for updates on my first startup, and please feel free to share your thoughts, advice, or questions!