We built our first prototype in a bar — the only edge is a lower threshold for starting
We built our first prototype sitting in a bar in Gurgaon.
Not a coworking space. Not an accelerator. A bar.
Priyansh Goel and I started Stepnex from our hostel room in college. No office, no funding, no "right time". Just an idea and the uncomfortable realization that nobody was going to hand us our first client.
So we went out and found one. Cold messages, awkward introductions, showing up where people with problems actually were. The client didn't care that we were college students. They cared that we showed up.
Looking back, this was one of the most important lessons we learned as founders. It forced us out of our shells and taught us a skill no classroom ever could: how to walk up to a stranger, start a conversation, and build a relationship.
The people living your dream don't have dramatically better skills. They just have lower thresholds for starting.
Accept (at times chase) the discomfort. A lot of worthwhile things in life feel awkward at first. Reaching out. Selling. Networking. Posting online. Even writing posts like these still makes me cringe sometimes.
But none of that matters.
Literally, just start