In 2017 I applied to join Ignite, an accelerator. Amongst all of the great advice I received from the programme, I kept hearing the same feedback about With Jack; “You aren’t solving a big enough problem”.
Two things stand out to me about 2018: the progress I’ve made on With Jack and the trips I’ve taken. Although the first 6 months were fairly uneventful, it ended up being a great year for business and travel.
Insurance is one of the least start-up friendly industries in the world. It’s a regulated industry, so you can’t just have an idea, buy a domain and start making money. You’ll need to be licensed to sell insurance, and that takes between 6-12 months and costs thousands of pounds.
Two years ago I wrote about the problems I was facing post-launch. I thought it’d be interesting to revisit this article and see how I’ve solved those problems or if they still exist.
In 2016 I launched the first version of With Jack from a hotel room in Germany. I remember that moment well. My sister was with me and I quietly pushed it live before heading out to explore Berlin. I had no idea what lay ahead, but I was ready for the journey. This was a long time coming.
One of the most challenging aspects of building With Jack is staying motivated as a solo founder. When I recognise I’m having one of those days I give myself permission to write it off.