This post is to share with you the journey that I have taken, the challenges and what we've done to overcome those challenges. This isn't for marketing, or getting press coverage, but rather this is our journey. The journey that Aersure embarked on..
Hello, I'm Aaron, and I'm the CEO of Aersure. The new logistics startup that is set to change the way people look at cross-border logistics for e-commerce. But of course, if you're here, you must already know all about Aersure!
I've gotten the idea of Aersure in early 2017. Back then, I was consulting in logistics and had the grandest of grand ideas for the business, one thing I knew for sure, was that I wanted to change the logistics industry to cater to e-commerce better. It's a very bold agenda and at the time, I was drawing up a plan that was near impossible; a plan that requires $150 million was not the kind of plan that any startup should even consider.
With the help of Ingrid, our Advisory CPO, we kicked started the business with an offline soft-launch in mid 2018. This was a toe dipping for me. I needed to make sure that the way we acquire partners was right and that the results that comes out of it is favorable. I was monitoring the progress of each shipment as how Aersure's product should, and I started crafting what, in my head, would be the ideal step for a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
In August 2018, Aersure Private Limited is officially a company in the small island of Singapore, and in that same month, we got onboard Reza, our sole developer who was brave enough to jump onboard and help us build and pave the way for the next logistics shift.
The journey wasn't without struggle50. It was going to be a venture that would take a lot of time, effort, brain juices, tears and balls to do right. Being from a logistics consulting background, I did not have a good grasps on what is agile, UX or product development. Everything about startups is new to me and I had to read and be schooled by Ingrid on what I have, how to behalf and how to think differently. Part of this education was also an education on how to manage tech resources, ie. Reza.
I'd do all sorts wrong. Giving the developer links to a design system that isn't 1:1 to what Ingrid is using (cause she took the trouble to make us a custom design system!). Needless to say, there was many arguments that sparked from the fact that I didn't know how to manage the tech dude I have.
Another frustration was that I'd have to juggle both business and development and when you have the business side weighing on you, the bugs and delays from development would weight on you very heavily and, quite frankly, will definitely without a shred of doubt, piss you off.
So what do you do?
You learn.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” – Bruce Lee
That is what being in a startup and running one is like. You need to adapt and work with whatever limited or abundance of resources that you have. You need to conform to the market's needs, the circumstances that your startup is in. You need to learn to manage resources and understand that nothing will go right the first time round.
In short, we're not perfect, and I think my developer has a lot to say about me as a CEO, a leader, a boss. We are working on the friends bit, so unfortunately, that is reserved for a separate time.
We've gone through a lot of ups and downs. As a CEO and someone who's new to startups, entrepreneurship, I say to all those trying, don't be discouraged if you are stuck, or if you are failing. As long as you are learning every step of the way, that is most important.
The exciting news is that our very first version, our prized MVP, it's coming!