I had forgotten the feeling.
It’s a sensation that quite literally feels like it’s emanating from the pit of my stomach. It is, at once, foreign and familiar.
Butterflies.
That’s a nice word for it. Adorable little things, flitting from flower to flower. Nothing about this feels adorable though. I don’t like it at all, but am comforted that it’s there.
It’s been a bit over a decade since I launched my first startup. Then, I had a strong opinion regarding online video. It was going to be big, I thought. Big enough that I should stop whatever it was that I was doing so that I could direct all of my intellectual energy to that one concept. Big enough that I should recruit, evangelize and proselytize. Big enough that every VC rejection had me shaking my head that they were wrong and I was right. And so I poured myself into this startup, which we called Twistage. We showed it to people and I was excited that we were building the future that we had envisioned. And then we launched…officially.
Butterflies.
While they would visit my abdomen from time to time, there were never so many beating wings as when we launched. So here I am again. Older, presumably wiser (though many of those close to me would beg to differ) and definitely more even keeled. And those damned butterfly wings are pounding in my gut. My heart rate is elevated, my body ready for fight or flight as I sit in a chair, the clackety clack of my keyboard competing with the whirring of the building’s HVAC.
“Are we ready?” Hell no. But, the thinking goes, if you wait until you’re ready, then you’re too late. Besides I’ve done this before and I know (intellectually) that you’re never ready because you’re never truly done. There is a feature you could add here, a rough edge to smooth there, and a whole new set of opportunities for you over the hill yonder. Unfortunately, your product won’t work for those people because it’s missing some other features that you dismissed as unimportant six months ago. “Are we ready?” I guess we’re as ready as we’re going to be.
Now, having run afoul of every content marketer, journalist, and editor on the planet, I present you with the lede (yes, that’s the way journalists spell it in this context) that I have so gloriously buried. Today, we are pleased to announce the official launch of Vendorful’s Smart Strategic Sourcing and Vendor Management. Does your organization completely lack or rely on an ad hoc purchasing process? Great, you’re right in our wheelhouse. Does your organization have a formal buying process that sits atop a foundation of RFPs and RFIs? (Don’t you hate RFPs and RFIs?) Awesome – you’re going to love Vendorful. Our solution takes away the pain of vendor discovery and selection.
Those of you who are stuck replying to RFPs and RFIs – don’t worry! We haven’t forgotten you. You can use our tools to manage your answer database, assign answers to colleagues who are subject-matter experts and collaborate across the organization with stakeholders who maximize your chances of nailing your RFP responses. Did I really just use the term “stakeholders” in a sentence? Man, I’m more bought into this enterprise world than I had thought!
There it is. I’ve told you. The proverbial cat is out of the bag. All that remains is for me to click a couple of buttons and it’s official. I’ll stop worrying about the Vendorful launch and refocus all of my anxiety around Vendorful adoption. How many people are clicking through to the site? Are you reading this? If so, that means you didn’t click the link above! Should I give you another link? Nah, that would be too pushy. How about in a subtle parenthetical? (Something like this: https://vendorful.com.) Ah geez, here comes the next round of butterflies….