The Bold Step Forward and the “Fuck, Just Do It” Moment

Credit: miaminewtimes.com

So… we just launched our event. Hitting the publish button on our announcement felt like we were announcing our new startup. It felt great.

But that also comes with additional stress, for sure. But no pain, no gain, I guess. We have been studying the event business for a long time, but haven’t really taken any action until just two weeks ago.

We want to be in this space because we know we can contribute something positive to the community. And additionally, it brings our digital relationship with our readers to a warmer, more humanized, handshake-like level.

Thankfully, most of the speakers we approached last week were very enthusiastic about our event. In fact, every speaker who we invited was confirmed with within 24 hours. So a very big thank you goes out to all those key folks.

After we announced Startup Asia SG, I received several emails from friends and readers alike congratulating us on the launch. Most said that it is a bold step forward, considering our team has little resources and experience in event management.

Well, we have to start somewhere. As I said, there’s pressure but sometimes we all need that “Fuck, just do it” moment. Otherwise, fear will always hold you back. So I believe the question on many people’s mind is:

What makes you think Penn Olson can do this well?

I can’t answer that; and besides birthday parties, I haven’t really organized any large scale event before. But the feeling is a familiar one. Just like I was never ever trained to be a journalist/blogger, or an entrepreneur — I just did it. And Startup Asia Singapore is another similar leap.

But despite that uncertainty, there are a few rock-solid variables that put my mind at ease. The first is our team, who recently covered the Techcrunch Disrupt conference as well as anyone, barring Techcrunch itself maybe. But most importantly, I know that the high calibre of speakers and startups will be the key, and from covering the region over these past few years, I have no doubt that it’s going to be awesome.