If you’re new to site or didn’t know already, I’m a standing desk guy – a recent convert actually. And I’m so convinced of the benefits and inspired by the idea that I’m building my entire business around it.- literally. Shido Stand, the first convertible laptop case/stand desk hybrid is my own design and dream and I’m working to bring it to Kickstarter and hopefully some of you as well.
Passion vs Pitch
But this post’s not going to be just some pitch fest for my upcoming Kickstarter. I don’t believe in that or honestly think it holds actionable value for you. Instead I’d like to share a story, my story for once, on how I’ve been working to turn personal problem into a passion and ultimately I hope an awesome business!
My goal in sharing my story is two-fold: first of all we’ve got to get you to try a standing desk setup – it’ll change your perspective, improve your health and boost your business success and productivity. More importantly though, I hope my journey will help open your eyes to your own struggles and opportunities, the passion driven building blocks of business success.
Computer Induced Crappy Posture and Uncool Backpain
Welcome to the world’s most explicit and inherently obvious headline. And of course this was done intentionally.
See, there’s a reason we don’t have more entrepreneurs and success stories in the world – it’s action. Taking action is the only thing that matters.
And too many of us, myself certainly included have opportunities all around us but accept the unacceptable, the ways things are..
I was and in most ways still am no different. As an entrepreneur I spent hours upon hours on my laptop working(or at least I thought it was productive at the time). I busted my butt to build a business, to build something successful – all in and always on. That was me and probably accurately summarizes a lot of you.
And that was my mindset until recently. And surprise surprise I was not near as successful as I could have been – a horse racing ahead without a vision, but that’s a story for another day.
But throughout this whole time my back bothered me…and I mean constantly. No matter what I did, what I tried, it did not matter. I focused on posture, tried exercises…nothing seemed to work.
The Entrepreneur’s Ah-Ha
Well whatever right…I just accepted it. It sucks but that’s the way it is – I’ll survive. I tried fixes but never took time to consider the cause. And that’s the big problem with problem solving…cause vs effect.
Well one day at a coworking space in Chiang Mai, Thailand I was complaining about backpains when another girl chimed in. She’d had similar issues and now worked exclusively from a standing desk – it had really helped her.
So guess what, I tried it out and it was honestly pretty darn cool. Such a strange new sensation but I actually liked it.
And after the initial pain and discomfort of the first few days it got easy, it felt better.
And more importantly I felt better. I had more energy, seemed to finish tasks faster and had noticeable decreases in backpain and bothers…basically I was hooked.
Problems or Opportunities?
There was one issue however and it was pretty big, immovable in fact. See standing desks aren’t exactly portable and well… I wanted to see the world while working – it didn’t jive with a single workplace, no options.
On top of that our coworking space’s standing desk was almost always occupied – other entrepreneurs saw the benefits and were likewise hooked.
So like any average Joe I kind of coasted along. My back was good enough I guess. Thing is –
“Good is the enemy of great.” -Voltaire
And then I moved to Vietnam and my situation shifted. Finding a standing desk became much more difficult and my work, happiness and health suffered as a result.
So I guess you could say that the issue was actually a challenge, an opportunity for success.
And after asking myself some tough questions I realized I was beating around the bush, afraid of success, afraid of failure and standing stupidly on the sidelines.
I decided then and there to commit to solving my own problem, to scratch the itch that had plagued me for so long – a truly portable, travel-friendly standing desk. I started research, analyzed the market and found more or less a gaping hole, a chance to truly do something and help tons of people in the process.
Scratching a Startup Itch
So yeah, that’s more or less the inception story of Shido Stand.
After realizing my backpain which I’d so long pessimistically labeled as a problem could in fact be a motivating mission and business opportunity to help myself and others, I’ve been working tirelessly to make this happen.
From Vietnam to China, drawings and designs to factories and follow-ups, it’s been an interesting adventure into the world of physical products and something I hope you as an aspiring Kickstarter can certainly benefit from as well.
And while I’m only at the very beginning of this journey building real business success, it is incredibly exciting and rewarding for me personally. I’ve seen better health, happiness and focus from standing, gained experience in personal product manufacturing(For more check out our posts on using Alibaba and product manufacturing in China)and been more motivated than ever because Shido Stand’s really a personal product, a passion– not just a business asset.
I don’t know, maybe there is something to this follow your passion push so many entrepreneurs are advocating 🙂
