Sometimes I take on bigger projects than anyone thinks I can handle.
Sometimes I take on projects I think are bigger than I can handle but everyone else thinks it’s a perfect fit for me. The main difference between those seems to be the amount of information people have. Or they are just cheering me up 🙂
To which I say “Thank you, you are awesome!”
Most of the times I can just take in extra amount of elbow grease and do all the work myself, but lately I’m thinking about a project that makes me feel like in the photo above.
It’s a matter of perception, really. From Earth’s and observer’s perspective, it’s just a kid (even if a very capable one) doing a handstand on a beach. But from another perspective, I’m holding the Earth.
The older wiser I get, I realise that any quest big enough, will require a team effort.
When you’re starting out (some 10 or so years ago for me), it’s easy to fool yourself that you’ll accomplish anything by just putting more time into a project. And projects grow, from a couple hours long to couple months long. Some you don’t even finish before outgrowing them. Progress.
Natural, exponential, growth takes you to estimates of years or decades from start to finish.
That’s where I found myself a couple of years ago. With multiple project ideas to take on, not knowing which one would succeed. So I tried a couple of things, even being in a startup incubator, without going all in, to test and learn. Also a couple I went all in, which turned out to be great lessons. And also great pains. All while helping other people with their projects in different stages, effectively proving what I learnt was working. That’s something I hope to continue doing.
Last couple of years I have been hanging with Jasmina, doing a lot of food related stuff, while photographing and programming on the side. Last few months to almost a year, this culminated.
Not the way you’d expect, she doesn’t have (my) ring on her finger.
I’ve been practising what James Altucher would call “idea sex” (again, not what you’d expect). That ended up with a lovely baby in a form of Food + Tech + A-Problem-We-Need-Solved project.
I’ve been testing and refining the idea for months. Going from what needs to be done, through what next, to how to make money with it, and back. I’ve talked to people I trust and gathered their ideas. Filled in the gaps and gained different perspectives and wants.
That resulted in lists and sketches, pseudocodes and table designs. I was ready to start working on the minimum viable product. I didn’t take me too long to realize how different this is from any other project I’ve taken on so far. How much bigger it is.
I need a team.
Photo: Jasmina Brozović, Edit: Zvonimir Fras