Alright, so today I’m gonna walk you through my experience with something I called “jck ventures.” It’s not a company, or a product, but rather a personal project where I was trying to explore different business ideas. Basically, I wanted to see if I could turn any of my random thoughts into something tangible, even if it was just a learning experience.
It all started when I got super bored during a vacation. I was sitting around, and my brain just started spitting out ideas like a broken vending machine. Instead of letting them fade away like usual, I decided to actually write them down. I ended up with a list of about 10 different concepts, ranging from a niche subscription box to a hyperlocal delivery service.
The first thing I did was try to validate these ideas. I didn’t want to waste my time on something nobody actually wanted. So, I did some very basic market research. I started by searching online to see if similar things already existed, and if so, what people were saying about them. Then, I talked to my friends and family – basically, anyone who would listen – and asked them what they thought of my ideas. I tried to focus on getting honest feedback, not just polite nods of approval.
One of the ideas seemed to have some potential, which was creating a digital template marketplace for specific freelance niche.I figured a lot of freelancers would pay for a well designed template. So, I decided to focus on that one first.
My next step was to build a very, very basic prototype. I’m talking MVP all the way. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time and money on something that might not work, so I just threw together a simple website using a drag-and-drop builder. I designed a few sample templates myself, just enough to give people an idea of what the platform could offer.
Then came the hard part: trying to get people to actually use it. I started by posting about it on social media. I also reached out to some freelancers I knew and asked them to check it out and give me their feedback. Getting those first few users was a real struggle, but it was also incredibly valuable.
The feedback I got was mixed. Some people liked the idea, but thought the templates were too basic. Others thought the website was clunky and hard to navigate. But overall, the feedback was constructive, and it gave me a good sense of what I needed to improve.
I spent the next few weeks iterating on the platform, based on the feedback I was getting. I added new templates, improved the website’s design, and made it easier for users to find what they were looking for. It was a lot of work, but I was starting to see some traction.
Eventually, I decided to try running some paid ads to see if I could reach a wider audience. I ran some simple ads on social media, targeting freelancers who might be interested in using the platform. The results were… okay. I got some new users, but the cost per acquisition was pretty high.
After a few months of working on this project, I realized that it wasn’t going to be the next big thing. The market was more competitive than I thought, and I just didn’t have the resources to compete effectively. I decided to put the project on hold, but I didn’t consider it a failure.
I learned a ton from the experience. I learned how to validate an idea, how to build a basic prototype, how to get user feedback, and how to run paid ads. More importantly, I learned that it’s okay to fail. Not every idea is going to be a winner, and that’s perfectly fine. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes and keep trying.
So, that’s my “jck ventures” story. It wasn’t a huge success, but it was a valuable learning experience. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll dust off those old ideas and give them another shot.
