If you were to ask me how FIXD was going a week ago, my answer would have been very positive, super upbeat, and energetic. If you were to ask me the same question today, the answer would not be as cheery. Last week we were planning on moving the iOS release of FIXD up 3 months. Today we are back to square one with iOS. Last week we started a trial period with a great iOS developer, we had a lead on some awesomely cheap hardware that would work with iOS, and everything was running smoothly (*first sign that all was not well in Startup Land*). Today we lost our iOS developer, we were taken advantage of by a “supplier” (luckily on just a sample), and we are back to where we started in terms of the iOS development.
Days like today usually get me down and put me in a poor mood, but today is different. Last weekend the Startup House hosted a Cardboard Regatta. The House was split into teams and each team was tasked with building a boat. We weren’t allowed to use anything besides cardboard and duct tape to build the boat and it had to hold two people as they raced across the CRC Pool.
After 4 years I should be used to it, but seeing the result of giving a few passionate GT students a challenge is simply amazing. There is a common thread among these students: the ambition to tackle new challenges, the ingenuity to come up with things the world has never before seen, and most importantly the resilience to soldier through adversity. Each team began to iterate quickly: testing, failing, learning, and repeating until each team had a sea-worthy vessel.
Also, the Startup House had its first guest speaker, Rob Kischuk, a GT grad and Founder of PerfectPost. Rob talked about all the mistakes he made in the founding of his startup, but there was a common thread through his whole talk that has kept me going through this dark day. The only mistakes that will sink your startup is to quit trying, to quit learning, and to quit iterating. There will be good days, there will be bad days, there will be days when you wish you had never chosen this path, but you must keep moving forward.
I know its cliche, but I believe Rocky Balboa said it best:
This community has inspired me to keep moving forward. The loss of an iOS developer won’t sink FIXD, getting ripped off by a supplier won’t sink FIXD, quitting will sink FIXD and I’m not ready for this ship to go down.
About the Author: John Gattuso will be sharing monthly updates about his experience as a student with a startup living in GT’s Startup House. Check out his first installment & stay tuned to follow his journey as a budding entrepreneur.