Interview with Blazej Marciniak, founder of Sher.Ly
The team has worked together since 2009 and we’ve been through a lot, but all of us are very committed to this project – it’s our mission.
What has been your biggest challenge so far as a startup owner?
As CEO, you are responsible for everything and your needs come last – you need to make peace with that. In many cases you need to put aside your ego and be the one that brings people together even at your own expense. You cannot give up, because the whole team will crumble.
In the coming year, what would you like to achieve with your business?
This year is crucial for us. We will soon launch our Sher.ly software to the public, followed by our shareable storage device, Sherlybox, that we successfully crowd-funded on Kickstarter. It’s beyond excitement to observe your visions and ideas taking physical form and being accepted by customers. We have several other business goals planned, but I cannot discuss them yet.
What has been your most valuable lesson so far since starting your business?
Side projects will give you side results; focus and commitment are the groundwork for the possibility of success. Of course you can try to hack your way up, but the chances you make it are like winning the lottery and placing a bet is far less work. An idea’s worth is $1 plus tax – the rest is the execution.
Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to someone thinking about starting a business, what would it be?
Sell it before you build it. I know first hand how tough it is. The days of investors throwing money at ideas are over and the only decisive argument is, “I have paying users.” The more tangible results you can show an investor, the more real you look.
