Yesterday brought an unexpected twist to my journey – my software company received funding from an investor! Today marks day one of our venture into Seed Round funding as a SaaS company.
Let's set the record straight: this seed round isn't your traditional, cushy affair with millions in the bank. We're walking a tightrope, operating on a thin line of credit and a super lean salary covering bare minimum living costs. It's a risk I'm willingly taking on to build something extraordinary from the ground up, and I'm thrilled to have a supportive investor by my side.
I invite you to join me on this journey, sharing your insights and experiences as I navigate the intricacies of launching and scaling a software company.
Over the past four months, the learnings have been immense, evolving from idea conception to validation. Huge shoutouts to friends like Andrew McDaniel, Dustın Schultz, David DeMarco, Chris Rydman, and Nathan Farr, who not only lent their ears but also bought my lunch, shared invaluable ideas, and guided me in shaping my product.
Spencer Arntsen ðŸ’, among the first to reach out, offering solid advice and recommending resources like 1MC - Salt Lake and Silicon Slopes events. He emphasized the need for validation. The advisory board idea? Taken seriously.
"Don't rush into partnerships," Spencer Arntsen ðŸ’, wisely advised. Taking heed, I connected with Jason Rose and worked out an agreement to pay for Jason's time spent on the SaaS venture. While our partnership didn't materialize, his insights were priceless.
I met Jason Rose, via my LinkedIn post a few weeks ago, who considered a partnership. Despite circumstances, the insights gained were invaluable.
Ben McAlister's sales strategy suggestions and Zeenat Sidi provided crucial insights.
On Upwork, I found a gem in Robert Mollentze, a seasoned Flutter App Developer, laying our groundwork.
A meeting with Convoi Ventures for pre-seed capital feedback urged a return to market research. Jason Rose reinforced the importance of understanding customers' pain points, back to basics with surveys, Home Depot conversations, and feedback from friends and neighbors.
Another highlight was connecting with Rich Hagberg on LinkedIn, who generously offered his services, including a Personality and Leadership Profile, a tremendous help to my future success. Hagberg's have to stick together.
The world is full of kind, giving people eager to help others succeed. I'm grateful for their support as I embark on this journey to build AI-driven software that addresses real-world problems.
While a life of luxury isn't on the horizon, the excitement of contributing to the AI space keeps me motivated. If you're building a software company, I'd love to hear your story and learnings. Let's connect and share the journey! 🚀🌟 #StartupLife #SaaS #Entrepreneurship #SoftwareCompanyJourney