You Can't Do Everything Yourself

Looking back at my time building ParkingPoint, a parking marketplace in London, one lesson stands out above all others: you can't do everything yourself. It's a simple truth, but one that many solo founders, including myself, learn the hard way.

The Beginning

Back in 2015, I launched ParkingPoint with a clear vision - connecting London's parking space owners with drivers who needed them. Armed with determination and technical skills, I set out to build everything from scratch. The logo, the platform, the servers, customer support - I was going to do it all.

Wearing All the Hats

Every day was a juggling act:

• Fixing bugs in the morning
• Handling customer support by afternoon
• Server maintenance in the evening
• Marketing whenever I could squeeze it in
• Dealing with payments and admin late at night

Microsoft BizSpark helped with tools and infrastructure, and I even set up an affiliation with Parklet.co.uk to boost revenue. But at the end of the day, it was still just me, trying to keep all the plates spinning.

The Reality Check

For a couple of years, I pushed on, thinking I could handle everything. The platform was working, we had users, spaces were being listed. But something had to give. Without investment, and with the sheer workload of doing everything solo, the truth became clear - this wasn't sustainable.

The Hard Lessons

The biggest lesson? You can't do everything yourself. It sounds obvious now, but when you're in the midst of building something you're passionate about, it's easy to think you can handle it all. But:

• Technical skills aren't enough
• Marketing needs dedicated focus
• Customer support is a full-time job
• Business development requires networking
• You need time to sleep!

What I'd Do Differently

Looking back now in 2024, I can see that:

• I should have sought co-founders
• Building a team is as important as building a product
• Investment should have been a priority from day one
• Some things are worth outsourcing
• Focus is better than trying to do everything

The Truth About Solo Founding

There's a romance to the idea of the solo founder, building everything from scratch. But the reality is different. Every successful company needs a team, needs support, needs people who can focus on different aspects of the business.

Looking Forward

While ParkingPoint didn't become the next big parking marketplace, the lessons learned were invaluable. Sometimes the most important outcome isn't the product you build, but the wisdom you gain from trying to build it.

For anyone starting out today, remember: yes, you can start alone. Yes, you can build something amazing. But no, you can't do everything yourself. And that's okay - it's not a weakness to need help, it's just reality.

The Takeaway

If there's one thing I want other founders to learn from my experience, it's this: start with a team, or at least a plan to build one. The solo founder myth is just that - a myth. Success comes from knowing when to do things yourself, and when to bring in help.

P.S. - To everyone who supported ParkingPoint during those couple of years - thank you. Every startup journey teaches valuable lessons, and mine taught me the most important one of all: you can't do everything yourself.