Working On Making Something Out Of Nothing

I have come back from the crippling effect of grief. I'm pushing forward on the the very idea of a startup. The idea. We have that in place. Know that, ideas of a startup change. That is our beautiful gift. We surge forward with the idea, and it changes and grows.

I took this photo. Pretty amazing Colorado I'd say.

We are working on things that might be small. Ways to get this startup to the next milestone. It's beautiful. I'm engaging with people who can help Passdown grow. To me as a founder I'm honored by the people who have said "we want to help in this project" I feel really blessed. 

It's a bunch of high school kids, and they believe.

I have chosen a traction channel that is not listed in the Traction book that is in my top ten list. (picked by you) The thing is that book has taught me something. Traction is gained by many different ways. Not just the nineteen traction channels in the book! It's any way you can get it,if you ask me.

This means you do the scary unthinkable. Get Traction no matter how.

We are doing a very old school channel, but I'm adding my twist on it, and the young high school adults are so, into it. We are using art infused with personal. 

Totally happy I am, that I can give young people the opportunity to learn about startup building, as well as the gift of raising money for their summer mission trip to Japan. Yes, they will succeed at going to Japan and spreading good will, but Passdown might not succeed.

Most startups ultimate demise. Always seek to not be this.

I will be meeting with these young kids and discussing the project in a few days. To me I am so happy. They may help a startup to become immense in growth, or they will see what happens to ninety eight percent of us. Failure. No matter which way it goes, people learned something. That's important.

Grow your startup with ways that others do not. It's a crap shoot. Roll the dice and take action on things you think would not help you. Cause maybe it will. 

Can't say if this will work, but be assured I will tell you about it all the way.

Keep building your startups ~ it's important

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.