Written by: Anna Marešová
In August, I was approached by Forbes to write an article for the column "How I earned my first million". It was based on our successful campaign on Hittite. And so I wrote it. Actually quite honestly and openly about the fact that I'm a bit of a moron, because I'm a perfectionist, and also about the fact that from the outside it can sometimes look like a perfect flow, but inside it can be hellish.
I also wrote about the fact that I sometimes walk with my head against the wall. Even with the fact that I don't have an investor. So often I expose myself to financial stress, but then it's all redeemed by the freedom to have the last word (which is also not always a win) and to be able to finish things longer than someone else would endure or sometimes do something just for the heck of it, without any economic benefit. On the contrary, it costs me something, but it is worth it. Well, I also described how I did vibrator crowdfunding on Indiegogo five years ago. That it was crazy because I had zero experience and knew nothing about online marketing, plus I was doing it more or less in one and a half people. And failures were added to that.
I already had half of the "chosen" money sunk into the development of a vibrator that didn't go well at all. But I still managed to reach that million and finally bring the product into the world. Well, then I also wrote there how it is completely different this time and that everything is working, because I already have a team of wonderful people around me (which is very true and I appreciate it very much) and that I have space to do things like, for example Podcast about intimate topics, and that I can also say with peace of mind that this time I will have all the products on time.
Then these happy lines of mine I send to the Forbes editors and oops! The girls tell me that samples of cups from the serial mold have just arrived for me to approve. Well, I'm going to my knees. Yes, they are here on time, but they don't look like they should. The prototypes are beautifully velvety and these have some shimmer on them. And so begins a carousel of debates with production, technology, director - why, what, who and how to proceed. They see it themselves, but they don't want to back down because it would have to be done all over again. It is no longer possible to modify the form, we are pressed for time and it is risky.
I'm also learning that I'm petty. I'll admit that I was pretty down, and so was my mood. Suddenly, all my energy is focused on this one thing, because without a great product, I can wrap it all up. I realize that even though I'm doing a thousand and one things, having a top product is essential. And so I don't give up. I consult the problem and its possible solutions where possible. I am reading several diplomas and other texts on steel and duralumin machining. I'm doing a microscope at my dad's at work to compare photos of the surfaces of all our products. I am consulting with a lawyer about a possible "bad" course of action. And the result is that a provisional series mold is being made so that we can deliver the first pieces on time, and then we will deal with this large series mold, which is otherwise very nice.
Only I, a petty person, want to have a velvet surface like on the protypes. So I wonder why something is finally not going smoothly. And why is "it" happening to me again. And then my friend Věra explains to me that it is my "pettyness" that makes Whoop·de·doo Whoop·de·doo. It is possible that someone else would have already started production and would turn a blind eye to this nuance, because the next solution is unpleasant, expensive, uncertain and long-lasting. But it's (still) worth it to me.
But all of a sudden the other things that were held together until recently started to drift apart and I have to do something to catch them. I moved the launch cup to the spring just to be sure, even before they elected a new minister of health. On top of that, we're also blatantly stuck on things like the cup landing page. Well, I could go on and on like this. The fact that the keyboard on my Macbook curled for an unknown reason (they say they never saw it in the service center and it's not the battery) and I thought I had eye problems for about a week, I'd rather not discuss it.
Well, when I was asked last week in an interview for Slowfemme, what my working day looks like, I cursed that I don't have time for the executive (I meant that I'm just still dealing with some unpleasant "vosers" and no joy) for work. And so in the end, even though it was negative, I ended up in quarantine for ten days. Whatever...
I'm healthy and fortunately my nearest and dearest are slowly too, and that's the most important thing.
Hold on, be considerate of yourself and those around you and allow yourself to be petty sometimes.
Photo: Herbert Slavík