Update: 2 Months In

Two months in and still going very well. I’ve been busy with the following:

1) LLC Formation. We officially have a Washington State LLC. I’ll write an entry soon about why we went with this business entity.
2) “Hiring”. We have a second engineer joining the project, so I’m now working with two MIT grads. I consider it a good sign that such qualified engineers are willing to quit their jobs and pretty much work for free on this project.
3) Product brainstorming. Most of the advice I’ve read and been given says to release a prototype as soon as possible. We’ve taken a different approach, giving ourselves until the end of March to finalize our specs. This has given us a lot of time to think, and the idea has developed significantly as a result. Very significantly. With minimal code already written, we don’t have to worry about how changes will impact what has been done. I continue to be more and more excited about what we’re doing.
3) Networking. It has never come naturally to me, so I’m focusing as much of my time as possible and forcing myself to go to Seattle startup events. I’ve already made some great contacts and look forward to making more. Maintaining and building these relationships can easily be a full-time job.
4) Part-time job hunting. Part of my plan if this startup fails is to establish myself as a consultant. I had one promising opportunity come up but unfortunately it wasn’t the right fit. When I saw the billable rate, it made me realize I can support this startup working half-time, further delaying our need for funding.
5) Reading. I’m learning every day. Current subjects include accounting, sales and making ideas stick.
6) Not blogging. My list of blog topics grows every day, but I need to do a better job sitting down to write. This is a good example of why I need the product I’m building. Look for more regular entries starting NOW.

When I left Microsoft, I was told by other entrepreneurs it would take about 3 months to shake off the corporate world and dive into the startup. We’re going to finish our first three three month with an established corporate entity, final product specifications, a well-rounded team, and fully functioning domains & blogs. I expect the pace to double in April when the starting pistol really goes off.