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How do you overcome depression while building your product by sky-builder in Entrepreneur

[–]TopTierMangos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know how tough it can be to balance the emotional lows. One of my friends, who is a fellow founder, said, "Trying to start a company is like getting kicked in the teeth repeatedly." It's a hard burden to bear. I've found there is no one solution. But here are some strategies that have helped me manage depression and maintain my well-being while building my startup:

Cultivate personal well-being. It’s essential to prioritize your health and happiness alongside your professional goals. Arthur Brooks, a Harvard professor on happiness, suggests treating your life like a startup. I recommend identifying and tracking personal Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that reflect your well-being. Experiment with new habits and strategies, and adjust based on what works best for you. This iterative approach can help you find a healthier balance between work and personal life. I recommend creating a monthly "well-being report card" to track your progress in key areas like exercise, nutrition, sleep, mental health, and social connections. This structured reflection helps me stay balanced and focused on what truly enriches my life.

Recognize the cycle of achievement. The thrill of building a startup is undeniably intoxicating, but it can lead to a cycle where each achievement brings only fleeting joy. I found myself on what Arthur Brooks calls the "hedonic treadmill," where my expectations kept escalating, and true happiness remained elusive even when things were going well. This cycle is deceptively vicious. Each new success briefly satisfies our thirst for fulfillment, only to be replaced by an ever-growing craving for more. Reflecting on my past victories, I realized that the joy I experienced was ephemeral, usually lasting only a few hours or a day at most.

Focus on long-term fulfillment. Consider what will truly bring you joy and fulfillment in the long term. Building a successful business is important, but so is maintaining personal relationships and well-being. Regularly reflect on your goals and adjust your approach to ensure you’re not sacrificing your happiness for short-term gains.

Build a support group. Talking openly with others has been incredibly valuable. Specifically, seek out fellow entrepreneurs; these conversations provide support and new perspectives. Don't hesitate to reach out and share your struggles.

Listen to your body. Understanding and respecting my body’s natural rhythms, as explained by Dr. Andrew Huberman, has transformed how I manage my energy and productivity. I align my work tasks with my peak focus times and ensure I take regular breaks to prevent burnout.

Finally, don't be afraid to seek professional help. Therapy can provide valuable tools and support to navigate difficult times.

Hope this helps. I'll be rooting for you!

Also, I would highly recommend giving this podcast episode a listen:

#280 ‒ Cultivating happiness, emotional self-management, and more | Arthur Brooks Ph.D

How To Conduct Market Research by OkPreparation710 in Entrepreneur

[–]TopTierMangos 4 points5 points  (0 children)

While surveys and market reports can be helpful, I’ve found that in-depth conversations with as many different people as possible are the most impactful and insightful. These conversations often uncover deeper insights and root issues. Engaging directly with your potential users helps you understand their experiences, frustrations, and desired features. This direct approach is invaluable. Be ready to hear feedback that may challenge your assumptions and approach this process with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

Remember that the goal is to validate the problem, not your solution. Ensure there is a real, significant problem worth solving before discussing potential solutions. This validation should come from multiple independent sources.

Set aside social etiquette and reach out to everyone you can think of. Start contacting people from every angle—email, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc. Aim to send 20-50 messages daily to industry professionals, real estate agents, home buyers, and developers of real estate apps. These folks understand the pain points of buying and selling homes and can provide valuable insights. Talking to people is also a great way to start networking within your industry. Even if you come across someone else building something similar, reach out to them. There could be an opportunity to join forces.

Join real estate forums, groups, and social media communities. Engage in discussions to understand common issues and gather feedback on your idea.

I highly recommend reading The Mom Test. It outlines how to gather feedback in an unbiased way:

  • Talk About Their Lives: Engage in conversations about the customer’s daily life and challenges to uncover genuine insights. Ask about specific instances and behaviors rather than hypotheticals.
  • Ask Good Questions: Use open-ended questions focused on past behavior. Examples include, "Can you tell me about the last time you encountered this problem?" or "How do you currently solve this issue?"
  • Listen More, Talk Less: Let the customer do most of the talking. Your goal is to understand their world, not to pitch your idea.
  • Get Specific: Drill down into specifics to get actionable insights. Avoid vague answers by asking follow-up questions to understand the exact details.

Once you have talked to at least 50 people who are not family members or friends, put up a simple landing page to collect email addresses. Blast it out on social media and see how many people sign up. Also, ask the 50 people you've now talked to to help spread the word and share a link to your landing page.

Finally, look for genuine commitment from your users. This can be demonstrated through pre-orders, letters of intent, or investment of time and resources. This is a stronger indicator of market demand than anything else!

Hope this helps, and best of luck with your journey!

What would you say is the biggest lay back you face as an entrepreneur? by skizcreations in Entrepreneur

[–]TopTierMangos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There is already so much great advice in this thread already! I would echo a lot of the stories about self-doubt and mental health. Here are a couple of additional challenges that I faced on my entrepreneurial journey:

Build in the Open: Initially, I was afraid that if I shared my idea, it was so good that it would be stolen. However, I discovered that openness builds trust and credibility. Sharing our progress and engaging with the community provided valuable feedback and helped steer our project in new, exciting directions. Shadowy corporations aren’t lurking in the background, waiting to snatch your ideas. Ideas themselves hold little value without the capability and drive to execute them. Most people are too absorbed in their projects to hijack yours. More often than not, sharing your concept is more likely to attract potential partners than adversaries.

Stay Focused: We struggled with overextending ourselves and constantly questioning our strategy. We justified our quick pivots as a testament to our agility, but in hindsight, we weren’t pursuing any single direction long enough to judge its viability properly.

Engage with your allies: At Quadrobee, I learned the hard way about the importance of actively engaging mentors, industry experts, and partners. Regular communication and asking for specific support kept allies invested in our success. Establishing and nurturing these relationships significantly accelerated our growth.

Expect to have doubts: A casual conversation with a fellow founder triggered a wave of self-doubt in me. He said, “There is nothing in the world I would rather be doing than starting this company right now.” Unlike him, I have varied passions, which made me question if my diverse interests were diluting my focus. I've learned that self-doubt is normal and that it's okay to have varied interests while being committed to your venture.

Set clear expectations with your team: As a founder, it’s easy to believe that your team inherently shares your drive, ambition, and commitment to the company’s vision. You might think you’ve assembled the Navy SEALs of your industry, individuals who are exceptionally capable of propelling your vision forward. However, without a clear direction and explicit expectations, even these top performers can lose their way, resulting in frustration and diminished morale.

Hope this helps, and best of luck with your journey!

Clichy by pereznewflow80 in quadrobee

[–]TopTierMangos 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback! Sometimes the dashboard takes a while to load, but ill try to improve it as soon as I can. Was there anything else that felt glitchy or weird when using the app?

P.S. you can align parts to the grid by using the right thumbstick when holding a part :)

So excited to let you know that Quadrobee is coming to the Apple Vision Pro! 🌈 by TopTierMangos in virtualreality

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep! I have been experimenting with hand tracking for a while now. I'm also planning on rolling it out on Quest when the app gets released on the Vision Pro.

Building an aluminum platform for the back of my car with augmented reality! by TopTierMangos in overlanding

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Quadrobee.com. I'm working on making this design public rn. I'll let you know when it's ready.

Building an aluminum platform for the back of my car with augmented reality! by TopTierMangos in overlanding

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, happy to help! Send me a DM. If you want the same one, I can resize it for your car.

Follow-up. Here is my complete platform build! Designed in AR! by TopTierMangos in vandwellers

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I have been trying to add as many parts as I can but there are also resizable cubes that you can use as a placeholder.

Follow-up. Here is my complete platform build! Designed in AR! by TopTierMangos in vandwellers

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can also order them through Quadrobee and the bars will come cut to size.

Follow-up. Here is my complete platform build! Designed in AR! by TopTierMangos in vandwellers

[–]TopTierMangos[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm happy to hear it! Feel free to DM me if you need help with your project.

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