I was caught in this trap for years. While I felt I’d assembled the online experience & background to build, I felt the need to continue asking questions.
Sahil is right : 👇 👇 👇
And here I was:
“What backend are you using?”
“Should I build on PHP or Ruby on Rails?”
“Is this automated, or are your manually curating?”
“How did you get this off the ground in the early days?”
All the above is shit I used to blather. Unknowingly. I just blathered it cause it convinced me I was working. That I was *close* to building something. That if I unlocked ~ the secret ~ , it’d allow me to move forward.
It’s all garbage, for the most part. Just a decoy towards building. A game my mind conjured up.
I can’t quite recall when I made the shift, but I remember reflecting on the absurdity of asking these asinine questions. That were simply posed by my brain to fool my inner-nature.
When I did that, the fun shit began. Good or bad.
My primary surrender was to the expiry .com domain name world. I’d spent a few years observing that category, and was confident in its foundation for building. To allow them to inspire me on project ideas. And not pussyfoot on budget, but allocate $10,000+ for each domain (paid for via CC, & paid off by my then 9-5 job as a PM at a software startup). I’d essentially bid against domain investors whose intention was flipping domains for profit. My thought was, if I could shoehorn in a business model, it might justify a bid price slightly higher than a domain investor. So I went with that angle. And started.
The domains presented wildly unusual ideas; like they were speaking to me:
… here, DudeRanch.com is expiring; build a marketplace directory for that 130 year old vacation industry
huh, sounds fun. Ok.
*bought for $17,949* (created 6-figure revenue generator; now sold)
check this out, CallTracking.com expired, see if there’s a need for a stripped down call tracking application
hmm, let’s give it a shot
*bought for *$21,000* (it failed, btw, but I was able to sell it)
yaas, VidaliaOnions.com – somebody abandoned it. Find a farmer, partner with them, and ship sweet onions across the USA
Dayum, are you sure?
stop / asking / questions \
It was right. These days, I just answer to .com domain names. Sometimes they’re right, sometimes they’re wrong. Their batting average is impressive, though. Much better than mine.
I so prefer building from this position. From surrender.
I’m not in charge anymore. My mind feels wonderfully empty. It’s helped me shift my focus to serving. The domains make the hard decisions; I’m just here to be helpful, have fun, and learn a little.
hi Sloane! don’t forget, I love you beyond all belief : )
Follow me on Twitter as I continue to document my journey there. Or get an email when I post new stuff (below):