For a few months I’ve been bringing up a pre-alpha codebase for a web client and server. It’s based on Meteor, and has a live deployment on Amazon AWS, with access currently restricted to a few user testing volunteers who have been helping me refine the UX.
Separately, more recently I’ve been working with an iOS developer friend to bring the app to the iPhone. Feature-wise, it’s currently less advanced than the web version, but it’s early days yet, and we’ve been focusing on some of the more experimental, novel features of the UX, rather than churning through implementation of the more traditional elements.
I’m thrilled to now have one of Silicon Valley’s most highly regarded law firms on retainer, and in the next few days I’ll be working with them to incorporate a new company. It’s a really exciting development, and crosses a major threshold: writing large checks. Up to now, my only project expenses have been small things like iOS developer access, a tiny Amazon server and a font. This has been my first call to really show commitment to the project.
On a personal note, I wanted to share one little nugget of experience from working on my own for the past twelve months or so:
Having complete freedom and independence is a double-edged sword.
As an office worker, I think it’s easy to fantasize about the freedoms afforded to those working from home. You can escape the drudgery of sitting in your car/train/subway/bus for an hour a day, perhaps interminable interruptions, or maybe a feeling that someone’s looking over your shoulder much of the time. For me, there’s an additional factor: productivity, I find, often comes in waves. Some days in an office I’ll feel massively enthused and creative and end up working super-late; other days I could be in completely the wrong headspace and achieve very little. In an office environment, there’s a heavy burden of peers’ expectations forcing me to stay in and at least make an appearance during office hours, regardless of how little I might be achieving, whereas if I were to just go home early or take an impromptu day off, I might recharge the productivity battery much quicker. Certainly, grinding gears in a cubicle for the sake of it makes matters worse, not better. And I know that the guilt associated with leaving super-early is just in my head, but that doesn’t make it any less real.
That said, working by oneself for extended periods really isn’t fun. Offices are more than just a place to get work done: they’re spaces where people get to share discussions on what’s going on (relevant discussions, that will actually help with your projects!), bounce ideas of each other, support each other, and share some good times. You won’t have a water cooler discussion working from home, and, frankly, they’re really important.
…Which segues nicely to an announcement: I’m now seeking partners to join me in building this concept up from a personal project to a fully-fledged, customer-facing business. I think there’s a huge opportunity, and seizing it will mean moving quickly with a talented, experienced team.
I’m looking primarily for people who, like me, have cut their teeth working at larger, successful companies, and who relish the idea of changing the world through a small, passionate and ambitious team.
In particular, the skills I’m looking for are:
- Mobile programming: iOS development primarily, with Android a close second.
- Web programming: desktop and mobile.
- Back-end coding and admin: initially I’m looking for someone who can cover the gamut from server-side coding (Javascript) to deployment, maintenance and DBA (MongoDB).
- UI/UX/Graphic design: for mobile and web front-ends, as well as company branding and image.
- Community management/PR/marketing: for user acquisition, community support, evangelism, and company communications.
I won’t underplay the challenges: this is a high-risk opportunity. If that appeals to you, or if you know anyone, I’d love to hear from you!
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