Dear Deadline, bite me!

Dear Deadline,
Firstly, I want to thank you for serving me in my corporate day job world. You protect and push my skills and capabilities beyond impossibilities and allow creative breakthroughs to getting over barriers.   I have taken what you have taught me and applied it to my start up.   Unfortunately, my start up doesn’t care about your pushy, insistent behaviour and prefers you leave her alone.
My start up, is driven by the need to complete a quality product focused on user experience and quality consistency.
Every day I imposed a date on her, she scoffed and told me to stick it. In fact, she bought up more barriers then dreamt off to defy the deadlines imposed. She calmly sat in the same spot whilst I danced around her with encouragement to bust a move. She did not budge.
With some patience and distraction of Christmas I gave her space.  Much like my stubborn Sharpei, as soon as I backed off on the threatening deadlines, she moved along and dropped her 10ft walls she had stood up.   ​
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​​​This letter was written to my CheeHoo Beta Test Tribe in January, in readiness for testing. Thank you Beta Testers for your help! From 21 months, idea to launch we have truly challenged all the self-imposed deadlines that I put un us. I cannot believe we have launched. 

I remember when CheeHoo was just a brain fart whilst I was getting irritated one morning when there was no almond milk and I had been to the service station the night before on my way home.  Thinking what the hell! Why didn’t I get it last night? Aggghh…

CheeHoo nagged me for a couple of months before I really did anything, then the addiction started. To create something to help me hustle better at my day job and not be irritated because my memory couldn’t hold the capacity to remember the small things. Now we are launched.

As I was walking during a break at work to get coffee, I got my first smart notification from my shopping list to stop by Australia Post to buy a stamp (yes, they still sell those) and Australia Post was across the road. I couldn’t believe it, but then I could, as I remember testing that thing gazillion times walking and driving around waiting for notices to pop up intuitively. 

So since launching I have been asked how did you practically start, what was in those 21 months.

So here is my secret:

1. There is no secret, I took one step at a time and most were a guess of which step was the right one. I knew the idea was one that I needed and after asking over 30 people, they all seem to need it.
2. Researched steps when I got to them, to make sure I understood what potential risks and options would be.
3. Decisive and action focused.  I wasn’t given anything on a silver platter, I rolled with where the last action took me to get to the next and didn’t procrastinate.
4. Gut instinct was used 70% of the time, which I know was inspired by the reading, or listening I did.  I am fortunate however to work in the Business and IT Delivery space, so that helped, the rest was self-education and encouragement from loved ones.
5. Did not give up, even though at times I was full of doubt and had low moments. I shared with those I trust and love and allowed my ego to drive me in getting things done as I am a delivery person in my day job.
6. Tunnel focused most of the time, I was selective with feedback and opinion I took on.  I filtered the feedback I received and at times they were negative, if they were not fact based, I threw them out quickly. 

This will not be the last time I use the above to work out my next project and or experience in life.  We have so much opportunity and we should not waste time, sitting on ideas, accepting status quo especially when they involve creating something from yourself with purpose you love. 

Do not feel that the daily grind of the rat race is all of you. It may be a hobby or a start-up or buying something you always wanted but felt selfish, you need to reflect on the time we have and weigh up all the risks, if they are worth living with and not life threatening, do it.

CheeHoo has over 170 Customers so far in its young 14 days live and lots more to do to create a practical personal assistant that can help juggle the day to day mundane schedule and try bringing the important things into perspective, like our time and loved ones.

I look forward to the next chapter and what I can sink my teeth into, right now its fine tuning the app and connecting with all I love who I’ve neglected for a few months whilst in my start up cave, but who knows what is next, riots before diets 😊

This is CheeHoo Life, where nothing is impossible. You Love, you are Loved, and the universe aligns to serve you!