
Ask HN: Being afraid and not knowing how to start building a startup concept - sethx
I&#x27;ve been sitting on an idea for a while, and would like to build this out to a business.<p>It involves a digital product, and luckily I am a developer. Before I go into any coding I want to have the concept nailed down and solid, and then commit to building it.<p>To start, i asked some advice in my office. I work with service designers, and they told me &quot;refine your problem statement&quot;.<p>I&#x27;m currently panicking in front of a blank piece of paper at the moment. Fear of writing bullshit, fear of not knowing what to actually do, fear of it not being good enough, just paralysis.
Total writer&#x27;s block.<p>Unfortunately I procrastinate easily, due to fear of failing and due to me not being able to resolve questions such as &quot;is this better than that?&quot; in my mind.
I would love for some kind of &quot;process&quot; or &quot;structure&quot; to guide me through the whole thing. 
How to get into a roll and keep building this thing, so to say.<p>I&#x27;ve read &quot;the first 100&quot; but i find that super vague and the thousand references the author gives keep distracting me. I think i need something a bit more rigid, like a set of tasks and examples for that on how to do it.<p>Is there any tool, process, formal way, that can help me through this?
I don&#x27;t mind paying for some product or course if it really adds some value. :)<p>Anything? :) Thanks &lt;3
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opz2019
I've been there many times. First thing you need to do is managing the anxiety
of "doing it wrong" that can be paralyzing.

Errors are the most enriching part of the process and can provide valuable
lessons and make you closer to your goal. So don't be afraid to start. Just do
it.

Prototyping can be handy to test a few concepts before investing your time
coding. invisionapp.com is my fav tool. You can even share the prototype with
a group of your target audience/users to get feedback.

If you want to go deeper and learn more about how to focus on your project
priorities and productivity, I strongly recommend these books:

[https://www.amazon.com/Scrum-Doing-Twice-Work-
Half/dp/038534...](https://www.amazon.com/Scrum-Doing-Twice-Work-
Half/dp/038534645X)

[https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-Solve-Problems-Test-
Ideas/dp/1...](https://www.amazon.com/Sprint-Solve-Problems-Test-
Ideas/dp/1442397683)

I wish you success on your journey!

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saluki
As far as getting started, validating an idea, creating a startup while you
have a day job, check out StartUpsForTheRestOfUs.com it's a great podcast. You
can follow Rob on his journey. There are episodes that cover all of the topics
above. Start in the archives.

I would be cautious, talking about your startup at work. Definitely don't work
on it at work or with company equipment. Check any employment contracts and
see if there are any clauses regarding IP or your company owning anything you
do while employed.

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aregsarkissian
Try finding one person that you think has the problem you are trying to solve.
Contact and talk with that person and see if you can build something small or
even manually solve that persons problem. Expand out your market and product
from there.

