An Entrepreneur, one year on …
It has been exactly one year to the day I founded Mobiusly and became an entrepreneur. The year has gone by quickly, but I couldn’t have hoped for a better first year for Mobiusly. I’ve earned more money this year than I’ve ever earned in any other single year as a working professional and employee. In addition to the financial rewards, I’ve also grown more as an individual and learned more about myself than I could’ve ever hoped for.
It’s been hard work
Upon reflection, I see I’ve had to work harder this year than I’ve had to before. Throughout most of the year, I’ve held 3 “jobs” simultaneously – one full-time contract at the Ministry of Transport, one part-time contract at the St Vincent’s Hospital and finally the tech founder of an online startup. It’s been hectic for sure so it’s a good thing I know how to wake up early consistently.
At the Ministry of Transport, Mobiusly has helped build an online Payments Processing System which handles over $1B annually for all Bus Operator contracts in NSW (Australia’s biggest state). I go to sleep every night knowing I make it possible for school kids to get to school on time.
At the St Vincent’s Hospital, Mobiusly has helped build an online Pathology Results system to provide timely information to doctors about their patients. I go to sleep every night knowing I help doctors help people get better when they are sick.
As the tech founder of an online startup, I’ve helped architect, develop and shape a great product that I’m really proud of. Also, we’ve just launched! It has been an awesome learning experience. The startup also happens to be congruent to Mobiusly’s credo and mission to help people do what they do better with great yet simple software. I’m pretty excited about it, and hope it’ll really take off.
I’ve had to make sacrifices
I’ll be honest and tell you now that it has certainly been tough going and I’ve had to make sacrifices along the way. Most weeks I work about 80+ hours. I’ve had to use every trick in my personal development arsenal in order to stay focused – including minimising distractions, fighting off procrastination, working in time boxes and keeping motivated with well defined goals.
Of those 80+ hours I work, I get to do 40+ from home. Thankfully, throughout all this, I’ve somehow still managed to make time for my wife and 2 kids. Needless to say though, I wouldn’t have been able to make this year such a success for Mobiusly without the support of my wife – who understands my passion and believes in what I do enough to put up with me.
My friends however have been neglected – for that I am really sorry! I seldom found the time to “hang out” or have drinks at the local pub. Whilst my friends went to socialise or have dinners together, I’ve had to go home early to take care of the kids and work on my second and third “jobs”. It is definitely with grim determination that I soldier on.
It is totally worth it
At this point, you’re probably thinking … You’re crazy! Maybe you’re right. But I made a conscious decision at the beginning of this journey that my dreams and goals are worth attaining and that in order to do so, I (may) have to work as smart and as hard as I could. I also realised I may not be the smartest, fastest, most good looking or most articulate person out there, but these shouldn’t ever stop me from trying. I refuse to acknowledge that my limitations are anything but self imposed.
So was it really worth it? For me, the answer is a resounding Yes! And not just from a financial sense. As I’ve followed my dreams, I’ve become a more competent person. I’m also happier. I’ve learned that I am prepared to work hard, have the ability to stay true to my tasks and can keep going when faced with tough choices. I’ve also realised if I work at it, results and success do eventually come.
Theodore Roosevelt from a 1910 speech puts it better than I ever can
If you value your dreams in any way, you have to give them a fair chance of success. What’s a little hard work in the pursuit of dreams? For me, I didn’t want to be that guy on his death bed 50 years from now looking back at his life and wondering what might have been if only he tried.
I’m reminded of a speech I came across recently by Theodore Roosevelt. I quote:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Dare to dream. Work hard for it.
In the end, remember that dreams give us reasons to be better than who we are. Without them, we are but walking empty shells. Don’t listen to that part of your brain that fears failure. Don’t listen to that part of your brain that tells you that you don’t have time. Because if you want it bad enough, you’ll do it anyway and you’ll find the time to do it. No matter how busy you are.
It doesn’t matter whether you have more or less skills, charisma, contacts or time than the guy in the next cubicle. It doesn’t matter at all whether you come from a poor or rich background. It certainly doesn’t matter whether you were a B/C or A student in school. What matters is daring to have dreams and working hard to achieve them. Yes, you might fail the first few times. But you’ll learn and you’ll get better.
Eventually, you’ll succeed.
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This post is about working on and finishing personal tasks and why getting them done on time is so hard. For the time starved, the lesson here is:
Create Self-Imposed Deadlines. With Punishment for Failure.
The longer version:
Many of you have commented about the lack of frequency in my recent postings. This is something I acknowledge to struggling with a bit! Trust me, it isn’t because of a lack of motivation or anything like that, because writing on this blog is something I would really like to keep going.
What’s wrong with Time Boxing?
I know I’ve been writing about Time Boxing, but it seems the strategies there alone aren’t sufficient to help me Get Things Done.
I don’t think there is any inherent flaw with the Time Boxing strategy. After all, if you want to finish something, you first need to allocate time to it, then work on it for a fixed period and finally judge if it is finished or not. The boxing aspect allows us to focus on the “time” or “duration” component of the task, without which we may aimlessly prod along without being conscious of how long something is taking.
The problem with Time Boxing however, especially for personal tasks, is there is no tangible effect from a delay. There is no accountability and no punishment for going over-time. Writing on this blog is a hobby, so if I don’t publish an article for another week or month, what’s the penalty?
Nothing. Nada. Zip.
In contrast, this is totally opposite when dealing with work related matters. We do it all the time. Homework is due next Monday, so let’s get to it now. The client demands a modification to a site or we don’t get paid, so let’s get cracking. Our boss is waiting for the status report, so we’d better launch the word processor and start typing.
The two biggest problems with doing personal tasks
I realised the other day, I don’t have well defined goals for blogging. This stems from the realisation that the two biggest problems with finishing personal tasks (like writing on a blog) are:
- The absence of a hard deadline
- The absence of punishment when failing to deliver
Seems obvious! Why hadn’t I thought of it before? Without a concrete deadline, how can I judge if I’m behind or not? Also, how can I plan my time to ensure I meet it? Also, if there are no real consequences for not making a deadline, what’s going to stop me from playing on my Xbox? And, what’s to prevent me from procrastinating time and time again?
Nothing. Nada. Zip.
Treating work and non-work tasks the same way
The lesson here is that we need to treat our hobbies and personal projects exactly the same way we deal with work and other important things in our life. If we don’t, then it’ll always play second fiddle and we won’t get the great results we hope or expect.
This means we have to elevate personal hobbies, tasks and projects to the same level as our work. Yes, they may not be life-sustaining activities (ie doesn’t pay the bills), but if we want the same kind of results we get from our work, then we have to treat them the same.
Make yourself accountable in your startup
This applies to all you aspiring Entrepreneurs out there.
Are you having trouble launching your latest startup? Is it taking longer than you thought? Are you spending enough time on it? Is time being spent on a piece of code which won’t matter for another year? Are you working on the right things?
If any of this sounds familiar, then you’d do well to head my words.
Make yourself accountable for everything in your business. Every action and delay must be defined and quatified. How long will it take? What’s the benefit? What’s the cost? Who will be affected?
If you don’t have anyone you are accountable to (eg no investors and customers), then you have to make something up. For example, perhaps donate $100 to a worthwhile charity for every week you are late. Now, that’s going to hurt. Are you feeling more motivated now?
With great pleasure, I can now say Mobiusly is back on track. I deviated a little over the last couple of months, but it’s all good now especially since I committed to a deadline and understood the consequences of being late. I’m hoping to launch the first product in 1-2 weeks time, depending on how well beta testing goes. I’ll post more details here or via Mobiusly’s official blog, so make sure you subscribe to it too if you’re interested in seeing what’s being cooked up.
In the meantime, examine your own lives. Are you getting things done?
UPDATE: A healthy discussion is emerging at Hacker News about the disadvantages of focusing on the negative as motivators. More about it here.
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Today is the 26th of January and is celebrated nationally as Australia Day. It marks the anniversary of the “First Landing” (or “Foundation Day” as it is sometimes known) by a fleet of 11 ships sent from England finally anchoring in Sydney Cove for the first time. It is a celebration of survival against hardship and adversity. It is a celebration of human triumph in challenging times.
Apart from being Australia Day, today also has a special meaning for me. It marks the day I finally became an Australian. It has taken me over 6 years, since my arrival late in 2001, to accomplish this. Much like the early settlers, this has not been an easy journey. However, much like my predecessors, the rewards have been rich, gratifying and priceless!
If I could look at myself back in time in early 2001 when I decided to make Australia my future, I would see a naive but determined young man – eager to make his way in the world and to succeed in one of the greatest cities in the modern Western World (Sydney). That young man would dream of a great life, one filled with happiness and success against all odds. What that young man did not know then was how his dreams would pale in comparison with the reality over half a decade later.
Although I’m still a relatively young man by anyone’s standards and still have a lot to learn and experience, I count myself very blessed! I have a wonderful wife and daughter, which I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. I have great parents, a wonderful brother and his family. I have a great career in software engineering and creation, which happens to also be my hobby and passion.
On a daily basis, I learn and grow. I am constantly challenged everywhere I go and at home. I have the opportunity to eat ice cream whenever I want to. Whilst I am not rich, I have enough money to satisfy my “wants” in life. How can anyone ask for more?
It is fitting then that today, on Australia Day, I become an Australian. It is a fitting ending to this chapter in my life. Being an Australian and living a wonderful and happy life here has been a life-long goal of mine. I came to Australia only with my luggage in hand and a pocketful of money. Whilst the journey hasn’t been easy, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have worked hard for it and earned my right. Finally, I have my reward! Oh how sweet it is…
If there is one thing I learned through this process, I’ve learned the importance of self-belief. If I didn’t think I could do it, I wouldn’t have tried. If I had let self-doubt and negative thoughts to dominate me, I wouldn’t be sitting here.
There is no goal unattainable if you believe in your own abilities to accomplish them.
Good luck for all your dreams in 2008.
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