Starting a Start-Up: Step 2

Step Number 2: Now what to do?

If you have already read Step 1 you would have realised the difference between thinking and implementing. Like they say, what good is an idea if it does not leave the boundaries of your mind. So now with the first step about to be implemented, I was finishing off with the final separation formalities. One good thing that I did was not to broadcast about my departure. So that ways, most of the people would realise it with a surprise, only when my official email Id would start bouncing back. But then by that time, I would have gone far away. I would thus be spared of most of the sympathies and condolences. That was how I had planned it.

With almost no goodbyes and last-words, the departure was going kind of sweet. I think I should reiterate how I hate farewells because sometimes it gets so emotional that it makes us feel we are leaving this world or something like that. On that final day, after returning all the company properties, when I walked out that door, I did feel I was leaving behind a part of my life there. I felt a strange void with a mix of unprecedented silence which caused my heart to beat faster. I could feel those typical butterflies in my stomach. It was raining heavily. Both outside the building, as well as inside my heart.

The huge glass door that separated the real-world from the digital-world closed behind me and I heard the beep of the access control systems. The beep that confirmed the safety and security of the digital-world inside, also confirmed my final exit and I felt one more chapter in my book of life getting over. I was now out and on my own. The void feeling and the butterflies still accompanied me, but I was somehow contended. I felt free and I felt happy. I felt normal and I felt simple. Technically I was jobless and I immediately felt meek and humble.

The walk to my car was one of the longest and the loneliest that I had had recently. On the way back I imagined the database query that would soft-delete my records in the company database and leave my employee ID lying in some remote cloud somewhere in the physical world... like an aimless and useless dangling pointer. The ride back to home was introspective. I usually listen to the radio to tackle the daily traffic. But that day I listened to my soul.

Reaching back home, things changed pretty quickly. My family greeted me with enthusiasm since they knew they would see more of me. My kids cheered me as if I were returning home after winning some tournament. Rocky (our adopted dachshund) kept jumping at me and wagging his tail. I wondered whether he knew about my resignation as well. As I spent time with my world, in my world, I felt the void getting filled gradually and in a few hours, I became the same old me, except the fact that I was jobless. The next few weeks were fun.... Sleeping, coding, watching movies, playing the piano, learning, reading, listening to music, teaching, roaming, cooking, gardening blah blah blah.... I was actually getting used to the carefree life. I wondered why housewives (and househusbands) cribbed when they got all the time in the world to do whatever they wished to. In the back of my mind and in the depth of my heart, I knew that I had a specific goal. But the complacent me kept procrastinating the next step. Days were passing by....

Until one fine day, a good friend called me up and asked me how I was doing. I told her that I was having the time of my life and explained in detail how happy and contended I was. And she asked me how long I planned to be like this. Her gentle question punched a blow to my subconscious mind. I did not have an answer. I remained speechless for a while and then started to murmur something but I soon realised that it was making no sense. Then she told me to be serious and think about the real reason why I quit. As I kept the phone I justified to myself that I was actually doing a lot of things.. freelancing, learning, teaching, relaxing blah blah blah. But I was NOT living a dream.

Immediately I took out my notebook and starting jotting down points. I wanted to understand the various paths that would help me reach my goal. I drew some contextual diagrams, a few component diagrams, sequence diagrams, flow charts and what not. A few hours later... a high level architecture diagram was ready. It described the intention, scope, audience, overview, high level components, integration with external systems, stakeholders, recommended hardware and software technology and a conclusion. The conclusion was a one liner that said "Best of luck"

In the next few posts, I will try explaining a bit more on the architecture diagram.

So that is the end of Step number 2. Know your goals.. Know what to do.

Advice: Goals should have well defined and optimal paths. Otherwise you might end up taking the longest and most complicated path to reach your goal. If your destination is far away, break the journey into smaller paths and make sure you work on each path optimally so that your eventual journey becomes eventful and fun.