When it rains it pours. And at the moment I’m standing outside arms stretched out wide, face pointing up at the sky in the middle of a monsoon. Think Shawshank Redemption without the satisfaction of a recent jailbreak.
We launch in two weeks.
Any teacher, anywhere, will be able to sign up and gain access to Banqer.
This is kind of a big deal for us.
At the same time I’m preparing for a competition we’ve entered and become finalists for which, if we were to win, would give us some great exposure and some cash to fund the launch and support our users.
They’re both massive events, and of real significance for Banqer.
Why now then does everything else try and pull my attention away from these two priorities? I understand that there is a lot to be said about having focus as a founder, but it’s currently feeling like everything that is capable of distracting me is attempting to do just that.
The hardest part is that I can’t dismiss all of them. Some need my attention as ignoring them would be detrimental for the future of Banqer, but others are simply disguised as such.
It’s about sifting the important from the imposters. And this can be pretty hard to do.
I get limited time during work hours to dedicate to Banqer, about an hour. That means I get typically one meeting slot per day. Or one opportunity to make a phone call, or run through my presentation in front of others. All other work has to be after hours.
So when opportunities present themselves I’ve had to start being somewhat ruthless in my acceptance criteria. Does this opportunity/meeting/phone call support the overall vision of Banqer? Only proceed if yes. Does it have to be done now? Only proceed if yes. Can you afford to do it now? Only proceed if yes.
I don’t intend to work to this criteria indefinitely, but it’s what will get me through the next month, through the rainy season.
