After Five Deaths I'm Building Again

For the last two days I have spent time working on Passdown. I don't even know if that's the right name for this startup. The logo Sultan designed for us, well it is superb if you ask me, so I'm not changing it. 

It felt so good to focus on my goal for Passdown, and that is to get traction in a certain amount of time. If I cannot achieve a certain amount of traction, then I shut this startup down. That's it. That's the plan. Don't waste time, money or anyone else's money, if the people don't get it, or want it. 

Passdown started with the first of five deaths. It was my twin brother Mark who's decomposed body was found just a little over a year ago. (March 19th 2014)

His death lead me to think of many things. To look into the future and build whats missing as Paul Graham would say. Oh sure there are companies doing aspects of what I want to build, but I see something different. Along the way I've spotted a large profit area that no one is doing. I can see clearly why no one is touching this.

The hurdles are immense, yet that's the point of startups. You see things that others think are impossible and you find a way to make it possible.

Passdown has to not only get traction from beautiful users, it also has to get social networks that allow follow counts to accept our algorithms and desire to help them make a few dollars, when they don't really need a few more dollars. That scares off most developers. 

What we we want to build is something that will not only make social networks extra cash, but it will increase their user count. It will help humanity in ways they cannot see or comprehend, because after all that's what startups do. We build the future now. 

To get users to see it, and social networks to see it, well, that's my job right now. That's my current startup situation. : - /

It's a giant untapped market, but can I explain what is in my head? I've learned I have problems with that. It's my greatest frustration. I've written it over and over in different ways. I've had great success when I speak to people about it, but then I wonder, maybe they just acted happy when they really didn't understand what I was saying? I don't know.

Passdown is about death, but it's more about life. It's more about our life now as we live it. These five deaths I've had to deal with this past year have been super hard for me no doubt. In some way I think they are telling me to keep building, if not for the living, for the dead. How I love them. Each and everyone who left this world way too soon.

For now I'm going to do the plan to get traction and if I fail at it, this startup is toast. There is no real set timeline, but I'm thinking by the end of this summer. If there is no real traction stats to prove it is something to build, then it will be the sixth death in a year and half.

Get Traction ~ Or Kill Your Startup.

The Only Person of the Five Who Lived a Full Life
Granddad with my son Simon.