I keep using the term “start up” to describe my current employment state. Here in California, a stones throw away from Silicon Valley, a start up is a right of passage. It sounds cool. But it’s not the best descriptor of what I’m trying to do. If you use the term ‘start-up’ from anyone in tech, they’re going to assume you’re trying to grow your business as large as it can possibly be, to create a Unicorn

As lovely as a Unicorn would be, (and who wouldn’t want a billion dollar company?) it’s not my goal. It’s incredibly rare, and incredibly difficult to achieve even for the most dedicated of entrepreneurs backed by investor dollars. Part of my desire to do my own company is to be my own boss, set my own schedule, control my own destiny. That’s my primary goal for this stage of life: self sufficiency. I learned recently that the right term for my type of business is Nonemployer.

I think I can do it. I hope I can.

My strategy is to keep launching webapps while working on my primary idea. I’m using my data analytic background to guide development. I’m analyzing my web traffic logs to get a better sense of what visitors want. Worse case scenario it gives me more resume fodder if I ever decide to give up this path. I’d love to be able to say my webapps get 10,000 pairs of eyeballs per month. That feels very attainable. I’m just shy of 4,500 a month now, which is up from 3,800 a year ago.

By my estimation I need to increase my monthly visitors by about a factor of a 1000. Good thing my webapps aren’t my only strategy!

I’ve been talking about creating my own company for so long, that Domingo and I have a nickname for it: Sarahsoft. I don’t have a name yet for my new company. I’m writing my apps under my full name. Someday I’ll come up with a clever, catchy name for my new company. In the mean time, I think I’ll refer to it as Sarahsoft on my blog (new blogging tag created!).

Posted in Work Life | Tags: Sarahsoft