Its a long and narrow road to the perfect startup. Different conversations with different people leads to different ideas. Different website experiences lead to new ideas. And difficult brick walls lead to difficult ways around them. Its confusing, its hard and all at the same time it is one of the most rewarding work-related experiences I have been involved in.

The AllRoundNiceGuy, my brother Roger and I have been developing a new way to search for about eighteen months now. We have been building, head-banging and developing new ideas, trying to shape old ones, and traveling all that time. And only now do we have something to show for it.

Yesterday Roger walked into my office (ie, another brothers bedroom) and said “Rome wasn’t built in a day” – it was on a completely different subject – to which I replied, “But it sure burns down fast.” We both had a laugh, because it was right for the topic, but I think it applies rather nicely to this as well.

Eighteen months we have been building a brand new way to search on the internet. It is still incomplete, the tunnel doesn’t look any brighter, but the path to the end is more fun to walk now. Yes, Rome was not built in a day, just like changing searching won’t be shifted overnight, and our product won’t be an instant success.

But, Rome can burn down. The whole mighty city can be brought to cinders by a madman.

That’s often what I have felt after spending time talking to other people about what we are doing. For me, I think I find the idea of lying our entire idea over – conveying it, speaking about so nakedly – and it not being verified is slightly devistating. I feel like Rome could just spontaniously burst into flames, while I run away from the burning gates.

We were up in Melbourne at a Pitch Festival yesterday morning – basically a small room filled with people who have money. People who have money and would like more. People who have money, would like more, but would like guarantee they will get more money.

There were five companies seeking investment, we were one of them. All RoundNiceGuy did a good pitch, and there was not too much interest shown after the talks were over. It wasn’t exactly a heartening experience, but it has been a good learning curve. Business is something I do, but not something I have lived before, I guess it is a by-product of the job I do. Learning about investmen, IPO, and talking about money in the millions is brand new – as I said, a good learning curve.

In the end it has been good learning it, but I think I just want to get stuck in and do it. Yep, Rome can burn down in a day, but I would rather be more involved in building it up. It takes years to build, but in the end we would get to enjoy the huge structure we have built. Nuts to the madman who’ll burn it down – for now I am a builder. A construction worker. A dreamer.

Why search, when you can choose?