Launching A Startup - Valdarez's Blog

Valdarez's Blog

Launching A Startup

Posted on January 12, 2010 at 12:52 AM.

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I have been in the tech industry for roughly 15 years now in one form or another. I have spent a good portion of the last 10 years consulting on both development process and system design. Every startup I have ever worked for has been successful yet I left early to begin on the next endeavor or purchased the stock only to watch the company fail to IPO year after year after year, effectively leaving me high and dry when it comes to the virtual pot of gold that every startup employee seeks in return for their long hours, blood, sweat, and tears.

I had an idea for a product last August, and I spent the last 3 months vetting the idea and doing market research. The results were good, and after lining up both alpha and beta customers, I am taking the plunge in launching my own startup.

I'll be funding the startup initially via my own funds hiring another developer and then setting funds aside for a graphics artist specialist and a DB/Arch Specialist.

My rough goals are to have my alpha customers up and running on June 1st, followed by beta customers by Jan 1st, 20011. I'll bring on a few more beta customers after features are fleshed out more and will be targeting a full launch no later than Jan 1st, 2012.

There's a lot of work that lies ahead, and I'm eager to take it head on though I will admit my excitement is tinged with a fair amount of fright. The prospect of emptying ones savings during a recession is enough to shake the most stalwart of us. Yet I believe in the product ever as much as do my customer's. So viva la 2010. It's either the year I soar to new heights, or begin a rapid descent. Lets hope I got me some wings.

For those that ask, I can't share the company name or idea at this time. That's part of being a startup. I can say that it's a software solution for a fairly niche market, and that few on here will be using it or interested in it when it launches. It fills a very specific need for very specific people.

Comments

# 1 rspencer86 @ Jan 12

Good luck, man. Should be an exciting couple of years for ya.

# 2 elgreazy1 @ Jan 12

Is this the deally you mentioned the other day where I was supposed to get you some pics? Dang, I dropped the ball there... damn school getting in my way!

# 3 Valdarez @ Jan 12

hah, no, that was pure conjecture.

Elgreazy and I had discussed the possibility of making a game for the XBox Live Arcade. Definitely out of my area of expertise. I'm sticking with what I know from a company standpoint and what I know how to build. I put together a formal business plan in case I need to raise funding. I built software for a venture capital group years ago, and I am fairly familiar with what they are looking for in a business plan with regards to market cap, execution plan, and break even / profit points.