How this thing actually started AND STOPPED?

Pame-Luis  | 

How this thing started AND STOPPED?

So, in February 2022 (oh man, one year already) I quit my day job because of… reasons. Fortunately for me, before I left I started reading this amazing book named “How to be Everything” by Emilie Wapnick, the first book ever that talked to me cover to cover. It became clear to me that finding my dream job wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted and if had a hint of an idea, I lacked the specific experience to apply for that job. The win with acknowledging what is your point A is that you can start thinking about point B. 

I put together all my notes from the last 5 years and all the previous ideas I could remember. Keywords about interests, feelings, experiences, aspirations, amusements, identity, projects… What inspires me, what I enjoy, what I want to fix… I went back in time as far as I could.

This reminded me of things like I always wanted to have my own business. That I’ve always been idealistic and creative. That design and marketing are simply part of me, not just a CV tick box. I figured out that my aspiration as a 90’s girl was to become a Content Creator, it just wasn’t on my radar. I understood that for business models to become thoroughly fair they need to be rethought. I learned I’d like to try to redesign them.

However, this idea overwhelmed me to the point of paralysing. And paralysing. And paralysing.

…

But wait, there must be more people who want to start thoroughly fair businesses, people with different amazing talents we could match together. The conclusion? It’s time to build a community. A compilation of little but numerous contributions from passionate idealistic individuals like me.

The first thing I wanted to discuss, was the conclusion I got from my Master’s dissertation. A new marketing product where the consumer had full control regarding the advertisement he wants (yes) to be exposed to. This reflection was also going to be like a “gift” to the people who helped me as volunteers for my focus groups.

But first I needed to describe Flying Dragons, isn’t it? The first entry was kind of natural, the overlook. For the second one, I tried to describe the FD core values but I was paralysed, I couldn’t choose just a few. All of them are important, that’s kind of the point. I froze terribly.

I couldn’t understand! I finally had all the time and peace I always wanted (at least for a few months) I had the compilation of all my ideas in one project, I had a plan, I had the knowledge, the software, the experience… And I couldn’t focus. I have worked for years in my self-sabotage and this simply didn’t feel that way. There was something else, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

While I was driving crazy finding an answer and trying not to judge myself, I found different ADHD patients, psychologists, psychiatrists and teachers that absolutely described ME. It was shocking how accurate all this info was. It finally made sense how I can go from completely distracted to hyper-focusing without any regulation; why I have muscle spams all year long; and how having countless thoughts at the same time 24/7 is not common.

I started looking for help where locally, but just the diagnosis was incredibly expensive… And I just quit my job, remember? By this time I already invested in domains and courses, I did full medical checks, so an extra expense was not possible. Several tests help you determine if your suspicion is strong enough to invest in a proper diagnosis. For every test I scored 80% or more. But who cares? I’m running out of money so I have to come back to the job market.

I took the easy way and came back to the same company, just a different branch. The plan was to take only 30 hours per week in a supervisory position but, as expected, I got too invested in my job. I easily enjoy to the fullest any job that I do. I got promoted in a few months and completely forgot about my dream project.

Then something changed at work. Without more detail, it was definitely a turning point. At the end of the day, these things push you to question yourself again and look for your essence. In my case, the answer is Flying Dragons. And why did I stop with Flying Dragons if I was so happy? Oh yeah, the focus thing.

With all his test scores and info, finally, a name came up to my mind. Remember I told you in the intro that the first topical business model I designed was with my primary school chivi-classmates? Well, one of them became a psychiatrist and of course, I contacted him immediately. We kind of checked it out but it wasn’t until a few months later that I travelled home and we could finally have a proper meeting.

So, now I’m here, completely aware of how I tick and untick, ready to start from the top and make this happen. Thank you so much for your reading and I welcome you all back again.

Pame-Luis M.

Cloud photo by Wolf Zimmermann on Unsplash

Presentation

Pame-Luis  | 

Cloud original photo by Wolf Zimmermann on Unsplash

 

Have you ever seen a Chinese dragon?

It’s… like… It’s like a bunch of random parts of different animals put together. Well yes, but, let me explain: this mix of nature is so wisely designed that, somehow, it creates the most MAJESTIC powerful mystical creature in this planet exuding good luck and blessing everything around them. Dragons are so big that no horizon is enough to have a good gaze.

Are you still telling me you haven’t seen one?

Of course, they are just a glorious myth. However, would you judge anyone for believing in dragons? As in, for real? No, don’t ask me, I asked first.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had the idea of starting my own business. <<Pick a real problem to solve the very best you can, make it thoroughly fair for everyone involved, create the dream team, cause no harm to the planet, contribute to humanity, have fun embracing my talents and learning new skills>>. This feels more or less the same as those different parts of animals that, apparently, are not meant to join in reality. A cool idea to combine them, but not realistic.

I wish I could tell you I simply moved on with my life. But if you’ve been in this situation, you know it’s stuck in your core. There is no human power that make this idea of building a business go. The dragon has to become real, it’s real for you, you feel it already!

So you follow every entrepreneurial advice and write a fabulous business plan. After all, paper resists anything. Endless brainstorms, checking options, what you have, what you need… A little bit of research gives you new ways and new perspectives you didn’t consider before. This is going great, creativity is in the air.

Now look for providers, distributors, machinery, quotations… Wait, this thing doesn’t match. No problem, just circle back on that. The deeper the research, you find more bumps in your beautiful neat blueprint. <<Is this cotton organic and really fair with producers? That’s ok, I’ll pay what it worths. How is the cost shared? How many employees am I able to hire? But with good wages and benefits? How am I going to be responsible of my products wastage? Is it affordable?>> You cover this, uncover that; cover that, uncover the other side. Suddenly you are in a dynamic worthy of Mr. Bean.

Doing what you think is right is tremendously complicated when there are so many issues involved. If there are fans of The Good Place (NBC), you might remember the afterlife points system that determine if anyone would go to the Good or the Bad Place, alluding to the idea of Heaven and Hell. It was impossible to make good choices because of all the unseen indirect harm. Check the example of the tomato purchase action: healthy purchase, making salad for family and to do something nice for the cousin VERSUS the use of pesticides, labor force and contributing with global warming.


The Good Place (NBC)

A business plan 100% aligned to your values and passions looks like a titanic task when you think as an individual. It is so big that no horizon is enough to have a good gaze. But as Barbara Sher says in her Ted Talk: isolation is the dream-killer. Let me tell you something, you are not the only one well intended entrepreneur with utopian business ideas who wants to leave this world better that you find it. There are so many people like you and me, and we are going to find each other.

Ideally, building a business should be an explosion of your self expression and commitment with contribution. And here, we strive for ideal. Ideal is only possible changing the business models:

  • Building a community where we all share the same values and passions to build businesses
  • Design them through effective dialogue <<you see what I can’t see>>
  • Find the right people to collaborate and
  • Make an optimal implementation

In community, we’ll become Couture Business Designers. Nop, not fashion designers. Designers of top quality businesses that have no room for cheap solutions, fitted with the finest strategies and impecable executions. Almost business artisans.

So, a Flying Dragon is an utopian community-built business-model mixing three different points of view:

  1. The business-marketing perspective
  2. The consumer perspective and
  3. A full sustainability perspective (economical, environmental, social).

It is flying around free and ready for someone to take them and develop. It doesn’t become a couture business until an impecable implementation.

This is about playing with the infinite possibilities each of us can bring to the table, increasing the odds without perishing in the effort. It is a game, but a very serious one. We have to try it for real at least once, we own it to ourselves and this world.

Most importantly, this is not a space to judge. If you started a business which still has room for improvements, this is the place to find out how to fix it. There are already millions of (necessary) blogs talking about our problems as humanity, so here we focus on the solutions.

The only two requirements to be part of this community are to share the same values and the same level of passion, definitely. Is this an innocent idea? So be it. Not just utopian but delusional? So be it. There is no coincidence values have been ridiculed all this time. Here I am talking to the talented idealists, the paralysed perfectionists, those who think they have THE IDEA but there is still something missing to make it happen. The Flying Dragons are as majestic as overwhelming, but here we are as a collective to embrace them one by one.

If this is your kind of place, you’re very welcome to join and share your thoughts.

In the next entries I’ll go deeper on what are the musts for a Flying Dragon, the little tweaks on Maslow’s Pyramid for this purpose and so and so.