What It Takes to Hang a Sign?

What does it take to hang a sign in Waco Texas?  It seems like a clear enough question to answer.  You have a good idea, you put the design down on paper, you send it off to the printers and you hire someone to hang it up...

Ok, so clearly that's not what I really thought.  But I hadn't foreseen the road blocks, misdirections, lack of sleep, endless rewrites, financial pressures and insecurities (and did I mention planetary levels of insomnia?) that come along with a devotion to a great idea.  As I am married to someone who has never met a bad night for sleeping, this has left me much time to ponder the frightening/exciting world of business creation.  

One might think that creation begins with a good idea.  Well, to quote Seth Godin, "Ideas are easy, doing stuff is hard." Having the good idea seems to just be the common point of departure.  Landing with a successfully established business that is profitable,  relevant and community-engaged is what separates the thinkers from the doers. And this motivation cannot be externally driven, one has to pin down exactly what pushes them forward in this inner pursuit to achieve in the tangible what they only glimpse in the unseen.

Wow, well that was a weighty thought.  While I blame the two americanos and way too much alone time, the sentiment does not change: entrepreneurship is not for the weak kneed.  And so here is my story in pictorial representation.

Step 1: A great idea equally grounded in personal conviction and pleasure.

Step 2: Adapting that great idea to personal needs, community ideals, business structures and financial risk. 

Step 3: Risking self enough to engage others smarter than I for a little help.

Step 4: Keeping the vision, even when all the circumstances seem to say its an empty possibility.

Step 5:  Risking everyone and everything for a singular vision and purpose; being "all in".

Conclusion: A celebration of the small triumphs that lead to your small, little slice of victory.

And so began our journey; It started with a good idea but only came to blossom under the commitment to a bigger idea of self.  One that starts with the fundamental conviction that Waco needs an infusion of excitement that is convicted that thinking and doing are essential to the human experience;  and the acceptance that delays, upsets, redos, misdirections and insomnia are really just part of the journey.  So I declare a new theme song for this phase of the journey thanks to American Authors' "Believer".

I'm just a believer

That things will get better

Some can take it or leave it

But I don't wanna let it go

So, in conclusion, what does it take to hang a sign in Waco?  Pretty much everything...and a lot of caffeine.

AND BY THE WAY....Did I mention we started demolition today :)

Many, many....many pieces

Well, I've been sitting for hours trying to clean up some work on our business plan.  Then, 5 seconds too late, I remember the #1 rule of the modern age..."Save early, save often!"  It is a battle cry at my house.  But alas, we don't always live by our own motto, and I now find myself sullen and counting the many little tiles on the floor of my favorite coffee shop.  I could get back to work, but I feel the need to wallow in my own despair before I put my big girl pants on and get back to work.  So I sit in my chair and contemplate the content of a new blog.

My Brain on business plan writing :p

Things I'm currently working on:  Kickstarter for an initial $500 to pay for incidentals (business cards, IP lawyer, bookkeeping program, TShirts and incidentals); Getting a bank account set up inrw and online; writing a business plan; marketing around the central Texas area; creating and distributing a survey for area educators; and keeping utd on the social media sites we have now.  Clearly, my brain is scrambled most of the time.

So, I have used SurveyMonkey to put together a survey to send out to educators and locals about what they would like to see in a makerspace.  I want to attach this to a kickstarter, so there is an action in place if they would like to help.  But kickstarter needs some type of A/V attached to it to be successful and a business account attached to it.  Amazon is tied in, as that works with Kickstarter.  But Amazon needs a bank account to pay into.  I can't stand Big Banks, so I'm trying to find a local to farm that out, but one that is also online.  In the mean time, I've spent $50 on a local advert at a school to sponsor a team, but had to use a personal check.  My mind is racing with business questions and I'm quite sure the IRS is going to nail me in the future, regardless of how I spent my $50, where the money came from, and they really won't care if my account was properly  approved by Amazon or not.   UGH!!!!

But, I'm greatly excited and energized by our latest community meeting.  We met with a bunch of engineer students at Baylor.  They remind me of why we are doing all of this.  There was excitement, joy and creativity in their minds as they helped us brainstorm some practicals.  I keep quoting Field of Dreams to myself and march towards just building it.  But as any teacher or parent would hammer (rightly) into my mind, laying the groundwork is fundamental to success.  

So it all comes back around to the many tiles on the floor.  At first, I noticed all of the many, little pieces that seem near-impossible to lay in place.  But now I see the fun little patterns as I tilt my head this way and that.  I may be laying little pieces of a grand plan, but I'm striving for the day when the pattern of our hope takes over what we see with our eyes.