When Your Competitive Edge Becomes Dull

I want to completely shed the notion that one should only post 'completed', 'successful', or 'useful' products because everything you build is worth sharing. These pieces may not work well, be pretty, or be useful, but I will write out my entire thought process around it and put a bow on whatever janky scraps I post so people can decide if it's worth using. I hope that these product memorial pieces create the jankiest of scrapyards possible--one that even I look back on bemused at the sheer volume of chaos

Competitive Edge

I'm building an application to help figure skating choreographers, coaches, and skaters learn their choreographies easier and faster. I wanted it to be a single source-of-truth for choreo.

I've had it in my mind since about 2 years ago when I was involved in my first group choreography.

Life It Lived

I've been playing around with different formats for what I'm building for a few months in my free time. This included:

1. A google sheets app the 'karaoke' the choreography as you skate
2. A dynamic music sheet for the choreography that is mapped to the lyrics and beats of the music
3. A dynamic edge diagram that is created and timed to the music.

Cause of Death (As We Know It)

Despite all of that time, I didn't take it to any coaches, choreographers, or skaters for feedback or to validate a demand hypothesis. What went wrong was that I felt my customer segments wouldn't 'get' what I was making until I made a demo for them. I thought I might as well make a demo from my own choreographer. Additionally, I was one of the customer segments and I knew this would be helpful. Months go by and I develop an incomplete demo and I've only now passed it around for feedback.

This is not subscribing to the methodology I'm trying to follow. I skipped directly to the 'case-study' portion except I tried to make the case study based on my own experience. This doesn't validate if anyone would pay for it, how they would pay for it, or how much they would pay for it.

I completely lost the picture for incredibly silly reasons and found myself back in my comfort zone of building 3 products at the same time.

1. A Google Sheets app script for karaoke-style playback of your choreo
2. A Google Sheets app script for mapping and visualizing choreo on the ice
3. A D3.js module to produce figure skating edge diagrams

These were all (especially #3) massive time sinks. I got lost in the building sauce ☹️.

What Remains Valuable

I learned more about the Google app scripts development framework which I definitely think can be used for alternative ideas to scale a business.

I did build a very cool a helpful app, but I still have not confirmed demand/pull. I did confirm my demand hypothesis; albeit, for a different segment (group programs rather than solo programs).

Critically, I didn't really understand my potential users behaviors and spending habits which could greatly inform the product I should build first. For solo programs, coaches would be hesitant to pay for anything. Students on the other hand, could like this; however, it would require the coaches buy in. Student coach dynamics are very sensitive to the 'too many cooks in the kitchen' problem.

How I’ll Honor It

I'm going to take a pause from this application as I don't think there is money to be made in the segment I built for.

Instead, I'll take another swing while sticking STRONGLY to my startup methodology.

1. Build a demand hypothesis
2. Sell off of that
3. Build to meet demand
4. Create a case study
5. Repeat/Expand

Notably in this scenario, I already have a good connection to my customers and some established trust. I shouldn't be so shy to think I need to build something first.