<div class="bbWrapper">Sorry I missed my update yesterday. Got allergies or some sickness in my throat and head - took a little Benadryl, and passed out early.<br />
<br />
The past 2 days (being somewhat sick) have focused on LEARNING what I can.<br />
And, I've been trying to drink from a firehose of knowledge.<br />
Cramming in as many new ideas, so my brain can start sorting through them.<br />
When it's time to get DEEP on these concepts, I'll already be familiar with the basics.<br />
This also "de-mystifies" some of the SaaS-building process for me.<br />
Even if there are a lot of pieces, they are still <i>limited</i>. There may be 8-15 different pieces of a SaaS, but still... that's manageable, once you know what to learn about.<br />
<br />
<b>Here's what I've studied on Mon/Tuesday:</b><br />
<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Speed-re-read <i>The Lean Startup</i>. I read it a few years ago, but this time it makes <i>much</i> more sense. Mostly, I was excited that the book confirmed my own approach to Customer Development. It also reinforced skills and focus on Validated (Actionable) Learning, building things people NEED, and making scientific, data-driven decisions to rapidly move a new company forward towards Product-Market fit. Bonus Points for describing a startup as "an organization working under conditions of extreme uncertainty," which fits me to a tee (no customers, no idea, no product yet.) That's where I'm <i>supposed</i> to be. That's what a startup <i>is,</i> by definition. I already knew that, but it's still very comforting to get expert confirmation.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Drilled a new stack of Python flashcards for Coding techniques.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Started an introduction to key concepts and terms in Django. It was video-based, and pretty confusing, but I have a much better idea of what Django is like. I need to get into a hands-on Django course soon, but it's not the right time to start. Need to tie some other loose ends first.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Learned some basics of Front-End SaaS Development. The names and types of software tools, key concepts that I'll need to understand in the future to build my SaaS.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Learned some early basics of front-end frameworks to help me build a prettier product faster. Visual Design is a weak area of mine, so I'll probably be leaning on available frameworks. Discovered the popular (free) solution Bootstrap, as well as key competitors. Bootstrap is probably my best option - full featured, most popular, highly documented.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Preliminary Research on my Full Tech Stack (Back-End <i>and</i> Front-End). Learned about common solutions for each piece of a full-blown SaaS.</li>
</ul><b>Today was basically a "CTO Training Day."</b><br />
In a fully-staffed startup company, a CTO (Chief Technical Officer) would be responsible for these sorts of decisions and knowledge.<br />
Technical Knowledge is my one <i>serious</i> weakness for my SaaS Business.<br />
I have years of hands-on experience as a small-business "CEO" (Executive Big-Picture Leadership), "COO" (Daily Operations), "CFO" (Business Finances), and "CMO" (Marketing). All these roles are comfortable... even fun!<br />
It's only the "CTO" technical role that I feel completely uncertain and out of my element.<br />
That's why I'm continuing to put so much emphasis on LEARNING technical stuff, rather than DOING it.<br />
It will probably be at least several more weeks - and possibly 2-3 more months - of TECHNOLOGY LEARNING - before I'm ready to jump into Customer Development interviews.<br />
<br />
Once I start Customer Development, my life will get VERY busy. And, the whole business will begin moving faster and faster.<br />
I'll have less and less time to learn new stuff, and I'll need to focus on building the product AND talking to customers constantly.<br />
So, now's my best chance to learn. And I need to stuff my brain to capacity EVERY day, if this is the "action" I'm taking right now instead of making phone calls, emails etc.<br />
<br />
<b>Still, I need to prevent total Introvert mode:</b><br />
My need to learn should <i>not</i> be an excuse to go 100% introvert.<br />
I'd like to do SOME (Extroverted) Customer Development and NEED-hunting, before I spend months learning to code in a vacuum (Introverted).<br />
<br />
I have no doubt the Customer Development phase will succeed with enough time and patience... it's just that I should start following principles of Testing my Assumptions as soon as possible.<br />
<br />
And, I'm sure I'll learn new interesting things, once I've done a few dozen Customer Development interviews. So, I don't want to delay that stage for too long.<br />
<br />
<b>If you're reading today, it might seem like I'm all over the place right now, but I'm confident in what I'm doing.</b><br />
Every action I've taken still fits the original vision / plan perfectly.<br />
Everything I've done in the past 5 weeks has either on A) Find Real-World NEEDS and B) (Learn to) Build the Solution.<br />
<br />
If my NEED Research is good, and my Building Skills are solid... then I can build a useful product that solves a Real-World NEED in a market with significant Scale.<br />
It's not worth rushing. "Move Quickly" is not the same as "Skip Important Steps" or "Jump In Without A Foundation."<br />
If the project is a success overall, a few more weeks (or months, for that matter) won't make a bit of difference.<br />
<br />
I'll focus on enjoying the process - glad to be alive and engaged with my work.<br />
Slow and steady wins the race.<br />
<br />
If you read back over this whole thread (not that I expect you to!), you'll find that the essence of my original plan has NOT changed. I feel certain that I've continued to make progress and execute every single day to get closer to my goal in each 24 hour waking day.<br />
<br />
Everything I've learned about Coding has moved me forward towards Building the Solution.<br />
And everything I've learned about Startup Business has confirmed and supported my "New Approach" to entrepreneurship, based on Widespread, Real-World Market NEEDS, scientific hypotheses and research, continual rapid data-based experiments, and using an Extroverted approach.<br />
<br />
I'm not ready to start Customer Development Interviews in earnest, but still 110% confident in my planned approach.<br />
<br />
The more I learn about the Technology, the more clear my Solution concepts can be.<br />
<br />
Feeling great, even with the sore throat.<br />
<br />
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<i>Dominator 800<br />
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<b>EDIT:</b> Staying up a bit later to make HTML flashcards.<br />
This way I can get a huge jump-start on a critical Front-End language.<br />
<br />
Good news, HTML is much, much simpler than Python.<br />
It's a *display* language, not a *programming* language.<br />
<br />
So, mostly it's just about learning what HTML can do, and making a flashcard for each concept... that gets me 80% of the way.<br />
<br />
By the time I've finished my Learning phase, I'm going to be insanely employable by technology companies, lol.<br />
Ironic, since I have <i>no interest in ever being an employee !!<br />
</i><br />
<b>EDIT 2:</b> Stayed up pretty late with a show in the background. Drilled my complete HTML flashcard stack (easily 60 cards) twice through.<br />
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For anyone who tries flashcards of their own - <br />
When I drill the new concepts, I've been distinguishing between "I get this, but I can't remember it yet" and "I actually don't understand this concept."<br />
<br />
The "Can't remembers" get extra review in a special pile, and I try to think of memory tricks.<br />
<br />
But the "I actually don't understand this" goes to a separate pile that needs extra research. I add to these cards until I think I understand them, then I drill them again for memory.<br />
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Hope this makes sense - it has REALLY continued to help me learn as fast as possible.<br />
<br />
More updates tomorrow!</div>
