An Announcement

A new development of any kind – especially when it is extremely personal – seems like something that the rest of the world is also waiting for with bated breath. The developers feel that they are the only ones who are doing something so unique and so radical and so distinct, that the rest of the world also must share their excitement with equal enthusiasm.

It’s akin to a couple who is given the good news that they are going to be parents. Once the news is properly internalised, the couple’s unsaid feelings and expectations are that everyone else around them see and treat them differently. That life for others too must pause and undergo a drastic change just the way it has for the newly anointed would-be parents.

I went through a similar feeling last year.

Some of you may have been subjected to WhatsApp texts that me and my wife had bombarded our friends, family and peers announcing the launch of the website of a mobile app that me and a bunch of my partners had conceptualized.

Me and my three partners (and our immediate families) were like the newly informed would-be parents. And like expectant parents we knew that life was going to change irrevocably.

The more I have been thinking about it, the more I am convinced that Product Development is quite like Childbirth.

Especially when you are a first-time entrepreneur like I am.

The last year has been a roller coaster ride that never seems to be ending. (We don’t want it to, either.)

When my partners and me boarded the ride, we knew …

… that there would be ups and downs.

… that there would be phases one would have to go through.

… that there is a massive learning curve.

… that there are constant checks and monitoring around every small development.

… that there are rules to be followed – some said and documented, many unsaid.

… that every day is an incremental step forward. That there can be setbacks that can derail and demotivate.

… that there are some quirks about the process that need to be taken in your stride.

… that every report would be rife with anticipation because the results can vary from the norms.

… that there can be unexpected curveballs that need to be tackled.

… that the world of expectant parents and so also the world around them, after the initial euphoria of Breaking News, immediately settles down into its own patterns.

… that the world quickly forgets the news of the impending arrival till it actually arrives.

What we didn’t know was …

… that though one’s patience and tolerance are always being tested, the thought of aborting never crosses the mind – not even fleetingly.

… that the process and journey can be a long, arduous, and oftentimes a lonely one. But there is a world full of generous and competent people who are ever ready to dispense genuine advice and guidance. That one only needs to ask.

… that the experience would be as fraught with fragility and lack of balance as it is in a game of Jenga. That even one (seemingly) inconsequential piece in the game had the ability to bring the whole edifice come crashing down.

… that the in-situ baby also frequently comes down with bugs and ailments that sap it of its abilities to develop in a linear and healthy manner.

… that the support of family, friends, domain experts, informed individuals or just well-wishers make navigating the choppy waters a collective enterprise towards a common goal of giving birth to a healthy offspring.

… that we would welcome these upheavals since they tend to make for a better offspring and better parents.

… that unlike human childbirth that comes with a fairly accurate due date, birthing a product doesn’t.

… that the offspring that we had in mind (complete and definitively structured) would not be the one we would bring out in the world.

… that on birthing the baby, the overarching feeling is of RELIEF. Not of joy, celebration and party time.

Which is what I am feeling right now.

Relief.

Our baby has arrived.

We have christened it FantomPlay.

This is what it looks like.

It is now (A)LIVE (and kicking) on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Click on logos below to download on your device.

All the points I have written above in What we knew and What we didn’t know now seem inconsequential.

Because they have been replaced by a completely new set of emotions and actions that have taken their place.

There is anticipation around how the baby will be received.

There is forecasting around its performance to be done. (Yes, already … what to do … we live in a competitive world.)

There is trepidation around it getting bullied.

There is excitement around it potentially kicking some ass.

There is confidence about its ability to stand on its own in the big bad world.

There is preparation around giving it definitive shape and structure.

There is planning around nurturing it to be able to withstand external forces.

There is planning around augmenting it with enough organic supplements that it naturally becomes a force to reckon with.

For the baby to be able to do the things I have mentioned above, it needs your active support and participation in its growth story. Do click on the links above to make it a part of your life.

Be braver. Be kinder.

Please Note: FantomPlay is geo-restricted to India.

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In line with the topic of today’s post which is about the birthing of the product of my startup, for Keep Watching I am sharing the review of a docu-drama on the rise and fall of one of the most storied (pun intended) startups in recent times - WeWork. Content like this and the media coverage of the excesses of startups give us ample fodder to carve out our business story that is conservative and centred around real performance, and not just hype with scant regard for delivering results.

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An addictive limited series about the addictive influence that the messianic Adam Neumann exercised during the meteoric rise of WeWork. By injecting the right dose of the intoxicating love story of Adam and Rebekah (intoxicating for them, toxic for those worked with them), the series ensures it doesn’t become only a boardroom and power point slides saga. It gives a glimpse of how mega deals are done on a whim, how the powers-that-be are willing to bet billions on personal aura and charm instead of balance sheets, and how someone’s pure audacity can make blind and devout followers out of perfectly intelligent and balanced people. WeCrashed nails the perils of the fake-it-till-you-make-it approach and the inevitable fall that its practitioners face. But like all highs of intoxicants are followed by a low, so does the series where the last episode struggles a bit to wrap up the proceedings, bringing down the pace and energy that kept you hooked. Brilliant performances by Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway. Supported by a superb soundtrack.

WeCrashed | Apple TV+ | 8 episodes