"Lunch Party"

                                     

I should have thrown my husband a "Launch Party" because, YOU GUYS, the app is live!!!

Ben is the real MVP (by that I mean "Most Valuable Player" not "Minimum Viable Product") because he just powered through our most recent problems like they were nothing. He was made for this life.

I, on the other hand, feel like a balloon tied to a rock right now. I'm elated and excited, but also anxious and overwhelmed. Haha, like, it's not even my company. I'm ridiculous. I did warn you that I'm too emotional and too overwhelm-able.

I need to pause to say that I feel really scatter-brained today. I can already tell that this will not be my strongest piece of writing. But, stick with me, because this part of the entrepreneurial process is important. 

Memento by ardsk went live in the App Store and on Google Play the day before Halloween. We didn't do anything about it because we, like everyone else, were busy with holiday stuff. We didn't expect any orders or to become an overnight viral sensation. That doesn't actually happen in real life when you've put zero dollars into marketing. 

We weren't really surprised that our only app downloads, accounts created, and orders placed were from family members or close friends. (Thanks, guys! 😘 ) Logically we weren't surprised, but I would be lying if I didn't admit to being just a little disappointed and paranoid. I won't speak for Ben. He has this optimistic superpower that I've always been mildly jealous of. 

The next two weeks both dragged and flew by. I made Facebook and Instagram business pages. Ben made little changes to the app. We paced holes into the kitchen floor. (If our landlord is reading this, just kidding! There are no holes in the kitchen floor.) I helped Ben fill out applications for VC money. I listened to Ben monologue about his vision for the company while preparing for meetings with VC's. Also we probably neglected our children a little bit. 

Maybe we've been floundering? It's like, the app building phase was college. There was a clear path. Ben just put his head down and worked until it was finished (of course, if you're familiar with app development, you know that there's no such thing as a "finished app").  The app release was like graduation. For a split second, you think "Hell yeah! I did it! I'm gonna take on the world!" Then reality hits and you realize you have to find a job and no one really cares about all of your perceived accomplishments. 

This is where we are right now, post-graduation. There is no roadmap ahead of us. There are advice and opinions both helpful and unhelpful, but there is no one sure way to go. That's up to us to figure out now.

We've started making new plans, knowing that for now, we are on our own. We're making plans as if no VC is ever going to give us money. We're making plans knowing that we have six more months of runway. 

I'm excited about our plans. Hopefully, soon, they'll  be fleshed out and solid enough to share. And who knows? Maybe we'll have some good news to share at that point too.