The struggles of soloproneurship
How I've started to overcome the loneliness of building a business alone
A few weeks back I was listening to the journey of Pooja Bavishi on the South Asian Trailblazers podcast. She is the Founder and CEO of Malai, an Indian-inspired ice cream company based in NY. She shared something that I have felt but didn’t think was shared: building a company is a lonely job. In my past roles, I’ve derived so much joy and energy from the people that I work with. Even the mundane tasks become enjoyable as you feed off of others’ creativity. Thank you Pooja for speaking so openly about your journey.
I was reminded of this again this week when I was invited for a fireside chat with the Dropbox UX Research team. The topic was one close to my heart and core to Listen Labs: how to take their product global. The audience was bubbling with questions. What I loved the most was the varied perspectives from a cross-functional audience. Program management asked about the logistics behind vendor management and recruiting. Market research asked about getting buy in for and speeding up large scale survey research. UXR asked about maintaining the depth of empathy that field research can bring even when only conducting remote studies. I felt reinvigorated. Not only was I seeing receptivity to the thoughts I was sharing, I was being challenged with such diverse perspectives.
It can be lonely in the echo chamber of small business. All you see is your own perspective. After some time, even a single voice in the opposite direction can make your world come crumbling down. A few weeks back (it’s been a while since I’ve written, eh? I’m sorry), I was speaking to a partner at a VC firm. They listed out the litany of reasons why research was not going to be an easy sell for startup founders. Without any other voices in the room, it became my confidence vs. theirs. Quickly, the voices of self-doubt started settling in. Within minutes of hanging up the call, I found myself questioning all of my decisions and the entire business model I had put forward. Sound extreme? Yeah. Probably was. But that’s the emotional state I was in.
So what did I learn from this and where am I now?
As a solopreneur, it’s important to surround myself with alternate perspectives that will care deeply and challenge me directly (h/t to Radical Candor by Kim Scott). The care deeply part is important. I want the reality checks that harsh critics will give me but without the care to balance that critique out, I’m asking for my inner critic to join the party and bring me down. Schedule weekly calls with people that will give me a balanced perspective.
I miss working with people. Even if it’s for small projects, I’d like to start working with people. This will help me achieve more through creative discourse, become excited through shared motivation, and learn from others. Maybe these projects will give me the momentum I need to fly. Find a few small projects and identify people to partner up with.
I’m not alone. There are others like me that are going through the same ups and downs, the same emotions. I have a friend trying to setup his real estate empire, one rental, one flip at a time. Despite the difference in our area of expertise, his struggle is strikingly similar. Speaking to him gives me solace and fills me with hope. Sometimes we share our ups and downs, sometimes we cancel out our ups and downs. Find people that are on a similar journey and open up.
Just like any good product, the business will take some iteration to get to product market fit. I was forcing myself to find my niche from day 1. If I wasn’t clear about the one thing I could do better than anyone else, no business would hire me. Wrong. You do need to be able to speak to your skills succinctly and effectively. Put up your antennas (antennae?) and listen for what is important to them and be ready to position yourself accordingly. I’ll find the right packaging; it’ll just take some effort. Right now my focus is on doing what I do in the best possible way I know how.
Gratitude
To Andy Warr, Director of Research at Dropbox, who invited me to come speak to his team, thank you for the opportunity! It was great to meet your amazing team.
Thank you Pooja Bavishi for sharing your journey with the world and being vulnerable in sharing the struggles you faced. Thank you to the South Asian Trailblazers podcast for the fantastic work you do in showcasing the stories of these fantastic leaders.
Thank you to all of you who have reached out to learn more about my journey with Listen Labs. Happy to talk to more people! I always learn something new and find a new way to tell my story.