Planning session by the Leith River
So we, along with the other startups in The Distiller began the first of our 6 Sprints yesterday. There’s tons to do, but having a pack to run with along with a set of milestones has filled us with a sense of renewed purpose and energy. And it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a beautiful sunny Dunedin day to work in.
Francois is currently in Wellington making contact with some important people, while James, Arthur and I get to sit by the river and work through our development backlog, watching the ducks (and a massive eel) swim in the river below.
I’ll write what I put on The Distiller website yesterday to explain what we’re doing over the next 12 weeks.
What are The Sprints?
The Sprints are a part of an evolving framework that has been modelled on successful startup and software development methodologies along with some conventional wisdom acquired by the founders of The Distiller. Sprints occur within a 12-week time-boxed period in which the founders of a startup concentrate on developing the business – think Scrum development on a business level. The framework wraps in The Distiller’s philosophies of community development, support and interaction.
Each startup has a set outcome for the end of its Sprints. This will be related to the stage of development the startup is in, so the outcome could be the refinement of a business plan through research; the development of a working prototype; seed stage investment by angels; or commercialising an existing product.
Milestones are set for each two weeks within the 12-week period, at which point the startups at the Lab get together for Business Therapy, in which they discuss the outcomes of the previous fortnight and together, brainstorm solutions to challenges faced.
Why are The Sprints important?
We believe that the likelihood of a startup’s success is defined in part by the company it keeps. It’s not just about dollars and cents: a startup in its earliest stages is like a child, and a good foundation of sound business principles and social responsibility within a supportive family environment is an enriching experience regardless of the outcome.
Furthermore, it is equally important to build an online community through active participation in social networking, knowledge sharing, and outreach. A community however cannot be announced, bought, or declared open. Its very existence requires that we listen to the needs of a demographic, build a framework to serve it, and then actively maintain it.
Historically, we’ve had success in PocketSmith’s early days when we had key milestones to adhere to. The first was the development of the Alpha for our Techcrunch50 interview. Later came self-imposed deadlines for the Beta, and the slight pressure of a growing community and audience kept us on our toes.
We know it’s easy to lose momentum as a startup for whatever reason – lack of planning, the feeling of running around in circles, thinking within the same boundaries. Which is why we hope that working within The Distiller will change this, and give us as well as the other startups at the Lab a live, dynamic environment in which to grow.
Tags: business, development, entrepreneurs, outdoors, startup, The Distiller
