It is 4.30pm on Thursday, 22nd November, Thanksgiving Day. I'm sitting at the desk in my bedroom of my LIC apartment overlooking the Queensborough bridge.
On Sunday, i was wondering how i should spend my week, since today/tomorrow are holidays and its a long weekend. I don't have much to do, i didn't want to plan anything because i'm trying to save, and i don't have any company.
I got to thinking about maybe taking a last minute weekend trip, and realized there are no firms/companies who do weekend trips bringing strangers together through the year. Dave does the social network thing but it is not scale-able. I came up with the idea of creating a 'curated social travel experience company' which would, purely through an app (no human interaction from company side), create an experience for travelers going from one specific city into another for a weekend.
They would meet fellow travelers from their own city in advance (say on Thursday eve before Friday departure), and for brunch/dinner in destination city. Everyone gets to know each other, and maybe spends the weekend together. They are all from same city, so they can be friends and keep in touch when they come back.
We, as the company, would facilitate the experience through bookings accepted on our app (linked into another booking system or hand-picked choices - this is fuzzy) so we can control the experience. The app would also be linked into local events websites, to-do lists, and generate recommended itinerary for the weekend including must-dos and fun-dos specifically for that weekend ie. what's hot.
When they meet for brunch, app would throw ice-breakers at them - to help mingle - and then show an itinerary for discussion. Idea seems obviously more execution focused than true novelty, but the market is ripe and there are no real competitors.
If Remote Year can raise $12m, this feels like a better pick - i thought this to myself as i was debating the touch-points each year. And how many people would truly use this service again, or more than once a year.
Spoke to Omar about the idea and he was pretty excited too. I then called two app dev companies in India who quoted a range from $10k to $75k depending on what we want to do, with timeline of 3-5 months. Omar said he could do for free, but will need to involve friends, and will take 6-8 months.
I trust Indian app dev company more than Omar's resolve but i will bang this out with him when i meet him next.
Separately, i spent yesterday with Ruchi hanging out. We were talking about different ideas we have and how we can implement them to create something of our own. I dont think either of us are meant for a job in the longer term - dont have the temperament - and will eventually want to run our own business.
As we were talking, i thought of the AMNH Sensory Experience exhibit i went to with Kristina. I realized that can be a pretty cool idea for a bar in NY - fun theme, and people are always looking to pay for experiences. And what better than distilling an experience into a night of the 5 senses with some booze. Booze being 'taste', among others. Bar can be modeled on the exhibit and maybe designed by some visual illusion artist, sound artist, etc.
I have been researching the idea of opening a bar heavily today, and i like it and see this as being real. If not now, perhaps in the future. Maybe i'll talk to Jai who deals with retail much.
I was at Amazon Books in Flatiron yesterday when i came across this quote which resonated with me, and has been playing in my mind. And if this is not true, and is not the essence of existence, what is?
'Life expands or contracts in proportion to one's courage' - Anais Nin
Obviously, i also had boyish thoughts and dreams about how if i do open a bar, i can name drinks after my lovers and friends. Amity, for example, who showed me the soul of an artist. Or Amma, who bared her inner beauty and depth. Then i googled bartending schools and i'm now trying to sign up to be a bartender so i can learn the trade.
I have not been this alive, internally, in a while. I feel like i have found what i am meant to do and be. Frendo might have been on point.
No comments:
Post a Comment