Resistance Training

The dust has settled. The excitement of winning the pitch contest is over. Time to get to work.

And I am facing new feelings of resistance; resistance to the whole idea of going to Silicon Valley to pitch my business to the US market.

From afar, the hurdle of preparing myself and My Bespoke Chair for the visit appeared totally manageable. Enticing even. But now that it is closer, it towers above me, and I have no idea how to jump it without falling flat on my face.

I feel totally inadequate. I have no team. I have no technical skills to develop my website and user experience. I have no budget for marketing strategies, Google Adwords or any kind of growth hack. I have no financial knowledge. I can't even 'speak' business. I have no-one to grow this business with. No-one else who wakes up every day excited about My Bespoke Chair like I do. I feel utterly alone and weak.

And I'm terrified that in Silicon Valley, my weakness will be magnified and I'll be torn up and spat out.

But I also know that action brings clarity. Feeling sorry for myself is useless and idleness just breeds more self-pity.

I believe in my business. I honestly feel it in my heart and soul that mass customisation will be mainstream for ever product and service online. And I love my beautiful chairs. But I mustn't let fear and resistance paralyse me. I simply need to make a start with one thing, a tiny step. Just one action that will lead to another and another and another.

I need to set achievable goals. And I need to work out the small actions that will incrementally get me there.

So what are my ultimate goals to reach before I step on that plane?

Goals to reach before 11th October:

1. To have a grasp on my financials; revenue, expenses, break-even point, 5 year projections and understanding of pricing both my product to the customer and the business to the investor. Including the language of finance.
2. A go-to-market strategy for the US; who are my customers? how will I find them? how will I get my product to them? what exactly is my proposition? how will I present it?  where will I sell it? 
3. Framework for acquiring a team and board of advisors. In lieu of actually having a firm team in place by October, which may be tricky and probably unadvisable to rush, I want to demonstrate the calibre of people I associate with, who my mentors are and how I will attract the right people to join My Bespoke Chair.

Clearly there are many more issues that need addressing in my business, but these are the most urgent.

Accountability is an awesome tool. Tell someone what you intend to do. Put it out there.

So this blog post is my way of 'putting it out there.'

Tomorrow my first small step is calling a particular financial advisor, a start-up business expert who comes highly recommended by a fellow Sydney-Silicon Valley entrepreneur I admire and respect.

This tiny step, light-footed but sure, will lead to a bigger step that will lead to a confident stride, then to a jog, to a run and then ultimately a mighty leap over that damn hurdle.