I'm Taking The Plunge. Join me?

✨ Hi, I’m Sara! In this newsletter, I share my musings at the intersection of tech, product, and human tinkering, with the aim of navigating business and life in the Technology Era with purpose.

Subscribe to join me on this journey and check out the Polyweb podcast.

 An Impossible Task

This is going to be a different issue of the newsletter from usual, and not just because it’s coming out on Sunday instead of Thursday.

I have a little announcement to make - I have decided to take the plunge and build my own startup.

Starting this Monday, I'll join an early-stage VC as an entrepreneur in residence.

Before you begin to think, "Congratulations, but who cares?" let me explain the catch:

I am going to document my entire journey - the good, the bad and the ugly. As I go through the process, I will share everything with you, including information, templates and resources, as well as my thoughts and mistakes.

As I write these words, I am feeling an equal mix of terror and excitement.

Honestly, I might be crazy. I have no idea how I will accomplish everything in the next 10 weeks. It seems an impossible task, with 90% of startups failing.

While I don’t know how, however, I can tell you why I am going to build a startup.

Getting Up Close and Personal: Why I'm Building a Startup

2023 has been a rollercoaster year for me, full of emotional highs and lows. I launched the Polyweb podcast, but largely dedicated my time to a profound journey of self-discovery, taking time off from everything for the first time in my life.

Here is a list of things I've tried and new habits I've formed in an effort to reconnect with myself and address some deep-seated emotional trauma and health challenges. Please don’t take this as a prescription for what you should do or expect the same results. Every journey is different and what worked for me may not work for you:

1. Meditation: I started with 1 hour or less and slowly increased to up to 2 hours every morning. I allow my thoughts to flow freely, while staying aware of them. For me, my body is a huge gateway to emotions and thoughts, so I focus on bodily sensations to stay present.

2. Long nature walks: especially in the morning, even in bad weather

3. Journaling: Daily journaling, or what I call 'brain vomiting,' dumping all my unfiltered thoughts

4. Reading: I read over 30 books, mainly in self-help, business and spirituality. The most impactful was Michael Singer's "The Untethered Soul."

5. Therapy: Weekly therapy sessions.

6. Physical Healing: Engaging in physiotherapy and osteopathy to release trauma stored in the body.

7. Health Coaching: Working with a health coach to address gut and digestive issues.

8. Business Coaching: To figure out life goals and overcome stagnation.

9. Shamanic Sessions: To free stuck energy and emotions

10. Psychedelics: Particularly mushrooms, which led to a profound, albeit challenging, experience. I wouldn't recommend trying this - it's risky. In my case, there was value but also 30-45 very difficult minutes.

So, what did I achieve by end of 2023?

Not much in a classical sense - I didn't get rich or land big consulting projects. Polyweb grew from nothing but is still small.

• Embracing Emotions: Initially, sitting still with my thoughts and emotions was a challenge. The most I could manage was maybe 10 minutes of meditation, and even that was difficult. I used to engage in multiple activities simultaneously to avoid confronting my painful and uncomfortable emotions, almost like a marathon runner trying to outpace his thoughts. Now, I can face my emotions, no matter how uncomfortable, and resist the urge to flee.

• Rediscovery of Spirituality and Community: I had lost my sense of spirituality and community when I stopped believing in God. While I'm still not religious, I now feel a connection to something greater than myself, a sense of being part of a larger whole.

• Overcoming the Fear of Death: I used to be consumed by a fear of dying, a kind of hypochondria that was always 100% on. Taking a flight would trigger panic, haunted by the fear of a crash. I can't pinpoint exactly when or how, but that fear has dissipated. I no longer fear death and have come to accept it as a natural part of life.

• Quieting Mental Chatter: My mind used to be in constant turmoil, like a never-ending news broadcast playing in my head. It was difficult to find peace, even in sleep. Now, this relentless mental chatter has subsided. More often than not, I find myself fully present, free from intrusive thoughts.

• Being Present in Relationships: This newfound ability to be present has profoundly impacted my relationships. It has allowed me to be genuinely there for others, especially my friends and loved ones, in a way I wasn’t able to before.

I got an intimate look at myself - my flaws and strengths, where I am, and where I want to be. This led me to want to make a bigger impact while preserving freedom. Hence my decision to build a startup.

What’s in it for you: What you can expect in the coming months

This special series of the newsletter will be released bi-weekly, alternating with podcast episodes. It will contain structured reflections on my personal experience building a startup from scratch.

I’ll share everything - including examples, thought processes, resources and templates.

Topics I’ll cover include:

• Generating and validating business ideas.

• Choosing the right co-founder.

• Selecting your niche and identifying the ideal customer within it.

• Collecting and prioritizing customer problems.

• Finding cost-effective solutions to these problems.

• Developing and building your MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

• Effective ways to pitch to investors.

• The experience of working with VCs and raising venture capital.

• The ins and outs of incorporating a company.

• Hiring strategies and structuring your company for growth.

For a more unfiltered daily view of startup life, check out my new TikTok account where I'll be posting thoughts and experiences in real-time.

Please share this newsletter with friends or contacts going through similar startup journeys - I'd love to connect with them!

Have questions? Feel free to hit reply and email me anytime.

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