September 2nd-7th, 2024

Hours: 25 hours

What were my goals last week?

• Study 10+ companies from Y Combinator and Crunchbase.

• Read more articles by Paul Graham.

• Meet with a potential partner for an e-commerce platform store and finalize the deal.

• Design the delivery rider model formula.

• Create a social media marketing plan to increase traction and reach on all distribution platforms.

• Finish the module for the UX course.

• Implement the drafted schedule for the upcoming week.

• Fix the homepage.

• Set up an email marketing campaign.

• Reach out to ex-employees of Ninjavan, Grab, etc.

• Talk to 50 Grab and Foodpanda drivers and 50 Grab and Foodpanda users.

What did I do last week?

• I started studying companies from Y Combinator and Crunchbase. I managed to study five and plan to study five or more this week.

• I read eight articles by Paul Graham, including one about Lisp, an older programming language.

• I met with a potential e-commerce platform partner. The process is going well and positively so far.

• I started designing the logistics formula model, which is proving to be quite complex.

• I created a social media marketing plan for Ron Villegas.

• I finished the UX course module.

• I implemented the drafted schedule, including using a timer to track how many hours I spent on my project.

• I fixed and created a new website for my online journal to document my process and journey for this public buildout.

• I didn’t create a marketing campaign plan as I realized it’s not urgent or essential at the moment.

• I haven’t reached out to former employees of Ninjavan, Grab, etc., as I spent time gathering their contact details.

• I managed to talk to only 15 drivers, a small portion of the 50 I’m targeting. I plan to meet with 45 more this week, with 25 targeted for this week and another 25 next week.

What did I learn?

• Grab and Foodpanda drivers have unique experiences, but they all have to work extremely hard to reach a daily income target.

• Of the 15 drivers I surveyed, most take orders from Jollibee or McDonald’s, supporting my initial thesis that large fast-food chains benefit more from these platforms than small businesses. However, this is not conclusive as I’m still gathering data.

• Lisp is like the Greek or Hebrew of today. It’s not commonly used but learning it broadens one's understanding. While I like Lisp, I believe Python or JS are still more relevant for my work.

• Paul Graham emphasizes the distinction between founders and managers. Founders, driven by creativity and openness, should not use managerial strategies, and vice versa. Consistency is key for managers, while intelligence is a better predictor of success for entrepreneurs.

• Paul Graham also points out that persistence and obstinacy differ fundamentally: persistent people are adaptable and goal-oriented, while obstinate individuals stick rigidly to initial ideas, even if they’re wrong. While persistence is crucial for success, obstinacy has its place in management to stick to plans and meet difficult targets.

• Rob Lui was right—the margins in the logistics industry are thin. I realized this after meeting with a partner store from Canada. I need to make adjustments to ensure fair margins, though I anticipate some friction in negotiations.

My biggest challenge:

My main challenge is meeting the difficult targets set, especially with adjusted margins. I also need to address the logistics issue, which I can't solve quickly without funding. I may consider delivering orders myself during the beta stages while conducting a cost-benefit analysis.

Goals for next week:

• Study 5 more companies from Y Combinator and Crunchbase.

• Reach out to former employees and ex-founders of Grab, Ninjavan, and others.

• Read more articles by Paul Graham.

• Meet again with the e-commerce platform partner.

• Create content for next week.

• Complete another UX course module.

• Survey 35 more Grab and Foodpanda drivers and 25 customers.