Hi Fastlane Forum, since the beginning of the year I've been tying up loose ends on my existing projects (mostly hobby projects, no businesses) so that I can focus on my first business venture. I'll talk about the venture itself shortly, but first I'd really like to thank everyone on the forum - I've learned so much in the past year, especially reading the gold and notable threads, progress threads as well as following up on book recommendations that have further expanded my knowledge and way of thinking about business.
The "seed idea" I've chosen is related to plants. I'd like to help customers reduce the mental load of owning plants while also helping to take better care of them, so that they have more time to be actually present with their plants. For a few months (before COVID hit and I moved back home) I lived in fairly modern condo in the city with a balcony overlooking more city. The thing is, the apartment was boring and grey. I was fine with it, but my girlfriend couldn't get over the constant concrete jungle. As a solution, I envisioned a thriving balcony filled with plants that both of us could enjoy and use to "escape the city". The problem was I can barely take care of the 4 or 5 small houseplants I currently own, forget about a "thriving balcony" full of them.
I posted about soil moisture meters previously and got some great responses. I was getting hung up on whether or not I was actually solving a problem. My conclusion from the thread was that I need to just freaking start and be ready to adapt my idea in response to customer feedback. So here I am, starting now. I'll update this thread weekly.
Hopefully this thread inspires you, especially if you're like me and have never started a business, or who never thought of yourself as an entrepreneur. I expect to push my comfort zone a lot with this project, and I'm not afraid of admitting when I do. I expect to make mistakes. I expect the process to be hard, and that I'll want to give up sometimes. However, I know the awesome power that comes with being able to push your comfort zone, learn from mistakes and sticking it out despite the obstacles.
The "seed idea" I've chosen is related to plants. I'd like to help customers reduce the mental load of owning plants while also helping to take better care of them, so that they have more time to be actually present with their plants. For a few months (before COVID hit and I moved back home) I lived in fairly modern condo in the city with a balcony overlooking more city. The thing is, the apartment was boring and grey. I was fine with it, but my girlfriend couldn't get over the constant concrete jungle. As a solution, I envisioned a thriving balcony filled with plants that both of us could enjoy and use to "escape the city". The problem was I can barely take care of the 4 or 5 small houseplants I currently own, forget about a "thriving balcony" full of them.
I posted about soil moisture meters previously and got some great responses. I was getting hung up on whether or not I was actually solving a problem. My conclusion from the thread was that I need to just freaking start and be ready to adapt my idea in response to customer feedback. So here I am, starting now. I'll update this thread weekly.
Hopefully this thread inspires you, especially if you're like me and have never started a business, or who never thought of yourself as an entrepreneur. I expect to push my comfort zone a lot with this project, and I'm not afraid of admitting when I do. I expect to make mistakes. I expect the process to be hard, and that I'll want to give up sometimes. However, I know the awesome power that comes with being able to push your comfort zone, learn from mistakes and sticking it out despite the obstacles.
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