• Blog
  • Archives
  • Bio
  • Awards
  • Speaking
  • Book
  • Contact

The stars won't align

Published: Thursday, 28 March 2013

I was thinking and plotting and planning my startup.

When to begin.  Was it too early?  Was the market ready?  Would I waste my time?  Would I waste my money?  I thought about MakerBot.  It all seemed to work out so perfectly for them.  They primed it so perfectly it seemed.  Even Chris Anderson from Wired Magazine was getting on the 3D printing revolution bandwagon.  Not to mention Barack Obama.  Why was it so easy for them?

But then I realised that it probably wasn't that easy for them.  That they probably had to put in lots of work and energy such that MakerBot was the market leader in consumer 3D printing.  They had to set up relationships, establish communities and create their own opportunities.

When I realised that, I realised that the time for me to launch is now.

The stars aren't aligned and they never will be.  But if I launch my company now and build up my vision, even if it's not a success now, this year, or next year, if I just build it up slowly, bit by bit, I will get there.

Bill Gates had to spend three years in a house in Albuquerque before he hit the big time.

I don't need to be successful now, but I will get there.

About Me

Marita ChengForbes named me a world's top 50 woman in tech & 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals and Aipoly and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company Aubot. I'm the youngest Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and I give speeches around the world.

I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Random Articles

  • Burnout

    I think that burnout happens when you set a goal, you work really, really hard to achieve the goal, and then the deadline comes and you haven’t...

  • Last impressions count

    When you leave someone after an interaction, do you leave them present to their own greatness? Do you leave them feeling completely validated,...

  • ABC "Can You Hear Me?"

    ABC made this short video, as part of a three-part series, about my Chinese culture and Brett Leary’s (founder of Virtual Songlines) Aboriginal...

  • 10 Years Young Australian of the Year

    On this day, 10 years ago, I was named the "Young Australian of the Year", by the Prime Minister of Australia, in front of Parliament House, on...

  • Duke and Duchess of Sussex

    The Aubot team was invited to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex - that’s right, HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle! We showed them our robots. I...

  • Tech Schools Ambassador

    I've been named the ambassador for a Victorian Government education initiative called Tech Schools! Tech Schools are shared learning centres...

  • Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce Trade Mission

    I led a trip to Israel with Wyatt Roy, Assistant Minister for Innovation, for a group of 45 entrepreneurs, politicians and business people, in order to...

  • How I manage

    For one of the projects I’ve been leading for over the past 2.5 years, I manage a team of 20 people remotely. I meet with all of my direct reports...

  • Asian Society Game Changer Award

    I was named an Asian Society Game Changer Award winner alongside architect IM Pei (Lifetime Achievement Award), movie director Zhang Yimou, and the...

  • Hundreds of decisions everyday

    Answer the phone. Reply to the email. Follow up with the guy you met last week. Go to the meeting. Don't go to the meeting. Don't become a board...

Enter your email address to receive my latest blog posts: 

 

Scroll to Top