All of my ideas for tech development have been shelved into the indefinite future because I haven't been in a position to invest a lump sum of money into an idea and then bankroll the next few years of my life into making that idea hit the ground running.
I wasn't sure how I would ever make these ideas happen, but I kept talking about my hopes and desires when it would come up in conversation and I was introduced to Jeremy Redman, the founder of V One (yourvone.com). I think he's set up his company in an incredible way that could revolutionize indie tech development. Instead of having every client pay up front for development, he begins the process piecemeal, charging a reasonable monthly fee until the cost of the development is recouped. This can allow you to see a basic version of your app in stores in thirty days for $197/mo. Not having seen his work, but knowing he was recommended by a trusted friend gave me the courage to take a leap of faith on working with him. True to his word, he delivered a beta of Hanglight before the 30 day window, and it's currently in limited Beta test int he stores. In the launch process he was communicative, responsive and optimistic. Since the app has hit the stores there seem to be a few critical bugs in the code that makes it essentially functionless. I've tried to communicate to him and he started getting a little slower to respond, ultimately referring me to a ticket submission form on his website which was bugged. Not particularly inspiring when you're relying on a relatively green dev to help you work through your bugs hahahaha!
I believe in Jeremy and I think his company can be something very special. I want to keep working with V One as they develop and ultimately I want to spread the word about them so that more people can start realizing their own ideas. I have a worthy idea, have put in a lot of work and thought into it, and have continued projects to develop with V One, so I suppose I was hoping for premium care - but ultimately you have to remember that in the startup hustle every is working on their own recipe, everyone is trying to stay above water, and they are trying to do good work. Patience is a virtue, and a month ago I wouldn't even have dreamed that I would be a few small fixes away from my useful tool positively affecting the lives of those around me. Ultimately I'm going to use this as an exercise in grace and patience, and I feel lucky to even be in this position.
6.08.2019
How to avoid a coup?
It's the most common story in tech. Leader with a vision, executes, grows into an untenable situation, get ousted/controlled by corporate maneuvering - everything falls apart.
My guess is that, in a scramble to scale some important details are overlooked. Some fatal concessions are made. My basic thought is that opening yourself up to typical funding invited the corporate business model into what is essentially a spiritual quest. If to scale your business necessarily means you'll lose the spirit of your idea, then scaling is a false economy. I believe that a baker who bakes bread without imagining that it is bread that his family would eat is spiritually poisoning the bread, if you remove the authority of the baker via corporate positioning you have tech that is the equivalent of poisoned bread. It's my goal to avoid this at all costs.
I'm planning on organizing Midwest of Eden as an indie tech startup, based on a 501c3 with a philanthropic bent to its main objective. In order to accomplish this first and foremost there needs to be a demand for a product I create (ha!) and it needs to have the type of community support that nonprofits enjoy. That would require some expertise in how to set up a unique organization that had some of the flexibility of a typical corporation, but that ultimately operated with a philanthropic bent. There would need to be a marketing aspect to the project to help spread the truth about the nature of the development.
In short I will need help. I have to rely on the universe to bring me the right pieces of the puzzle as needed. I'm not worried because this seems to be the universe's forte.
My guess is that, in a scramble to scale some important details are overlooked. Some fatal concessions are made. My basic thought is that opening yourself up to typical funding invited the corporate business model into what is essentially a spiritual quest. If to scale your business necessarily means you'll lose the spirit of your idea, then scaling is a false economy. I believe that a baker who bakes bread without imagining that it is bread that his family would eat is spiritually poisoning the bread, if you remove the authority of the baker via corporate positioning you have tech that is the equivalent of poisoned bread. It's my goal to avoid this at all costs.
I'm planning on organizing Midwest of Eden as an indie tech startup, based on a 501c3 with a philanthropic bent to its main objective. In order to accomplish this first and foremost there needs to be a demand for a product I create (ha!) and it needs to have the type of community support that nonprofits enjoy. That would require some expertise in how to set up a unique organization that had some of the flexibility of a typical corporation, but that ultimately operated with a philanthropic bent. There would need to be a marketing aspect to the project to help spread the truth about the nature of the development.
In short I will need help. I have to rely on the universe to bring me the right pieces of the puzzle as needed. I'm not worried because this seems to be the universe's forte.
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