Laid Off = 5 Startups in 5 Months

At the end of January, my company let me know that I was being furloughed. And it didn’t look likely that I’d be brought back on.

After self-reflection and conversations with friends/family, I’ve decided to use April through September to build projects until I find one that will become my full-time job.

Why?

1. I’m a bad employee. Maybe it’s because I haven’t really been tied to the mission of the companies I’ve worked for so far. But after a few months of hard work, I typically want to move on to the next thing.

2. I realized that one of my biggest drivers is having my voice heard and being able to see my vision executed. Easier to do when I’m selecting the problem I work on.

3. I don’t think I was gaining skills that I can easily sell to others. Building my own startups will necessitate learning skills that lead to dollars.

4. I’ll soon be married and building a family so this period of my life has the most flexibility to take this challenge.

5. I’ve always admired people who don’t do the traditional route. It’s time I admire myself too.

In 2018, I left my first company with similar aspirations. But without any structure or idea of what I was going to do next, I quickly went back to the job search.

That’s why I’m going to hold myself to a structure that’s similar to 12 Startups in 12 Months or a Bootstrap MBA.

The premise is that you have to launch things quickly and hold yourself accountable for shipping.

I’ve read other accounts of people trying these experiments and the successful ones often suggest building products that are related to the same niche or problem so that you can slowly build an audience that makes each consecutive launch easier.

That’s why I’ve chosen to focus on the Malayalee Christian Wedding space that I’ve already started building an audience for @Manthrakodi_.

There are many ideas I have related to this space including:

• Sourcing invitations, clothing, or gold to America from India

• Getting affiliate commissions from planners/coordinators, outfit makers, or venues.

• Building a directory with ads or paid subscriptions

• Launching an Indian Wedding expo

But I realized that none of these “ideas” are going to work without proving that I can consistently get in contact with newly engaged couples (or couples early in their planning process).

So I’ve decided that April will be about building two capture points for newly engaged couples:

1. A comprehensive wedding planner that couples can download with their name and email.

2. An “Introduction to Malayalee Christian Wedding Planning” webinar.

If I can’t get people to submit their contact info or attend an event, then I have to seriously evaluate whether a profitable business can be built in this niche.

I’ll be sending weekly updates on Mondays with reflections from the previous week and my plan for the current week. (Truly Learning Through Action.)

This week I will:

1. Create the Notion document that has:

   1. A vendors section with specific criteria for choosing each vendor.

   2. An overall “timeline” on when action items should get done.

   3. A wedding guest list section.

I’m also bringing back the accountability program. If you don’t get an email from me by Monday at 11PM ET, venmo request @monitormonkey for $10.

I’m excited to get started. Cheers!

Aswin from Learn Through Action