Big Night - We Launched!
Tonight at about 8:30pm, we launched the public version of Ballhype. The pace of the last few weeks has been frenetic. There was so much we wanted to get done, and although my jaws hurt from the teeth grinding that is now occurring at all hours, the real weight of this release has been borne almost completely by Jason.
The two biggies that have kept us up at night (in addition to the ever-growing launch task list):
- Will they come? We believe in Ballhype - in fact, our toddler has taken to yelling “Here we go Ballhype, here we go Ballhype!” at random moments. But we’re on the edge of our seat with nervous anticipation about this launch and how it will be received by fans, as well as by sports and tech bloggers and journalists.
- Will the site hold up if they do? We moved to new servers and did extensive load testing, but there’s always that nagging worry…
Working around the clock takes its toll physically and emotionally, of course, and Jason has been fighting a cold for a while now, but we’re so stinkin’ excited that nothing seems to bother us these days.
One big reason why despite being a two-person company sharing office space the size of a walk-in closet (literally - this office was originally a walk-in closet), we don’t feel like we’re working in a vacuum, is that we have an amazing group of people on our advisory board. They are incredibly generous with their time and expertise, and in the past few weeks they have come through in an impressive way: suggesting great ideas for Ballhype features, submitting some of the best (and funniest) stories on Ballhype, and getting the word out to influencers in their networks. If nothing else comes from this whole Ballhype thing, we will feel privileged to know and work with this group of sports guys and gal.
Posted by Erin 
01.Apr.07
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Erin and team, congratulations on the launch. Well deserved coverage in TechCrunch and elsewhere. I’m sure more is to come. Thanks for letting me be a part of the early access.
Hype it Up!
Thanks Louis! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but worth it if the additional traffic translates into more fans on the site.
Jason and Erin - you two have gotten this site up to snuff so fricking fast. Give yourself a pat on the back - you’re the reason this thing is launching so quickly.
Congratulations. I just discovered BallHype (along with the rest of the world) at TechCrunch, but what fascinates me is the husband and wife aspect of the story, and with two kids too! Amazing. Reminds me of the Minti team as well. I know how hard it is to juggle, but it looks like you guys are pulling it off. I’m looking forward to using some of the BallHype feeds for my next project.
@ Tom - thanks! It’s been great having you on board for this.
@ Ryan - thanks! One reason we started this blog was that we knew time would go by in a flash and we’d be hard pressed to remember what the experience would be like. So far, a lot of fun! And little sleep, but that will change soon we hope.
Best of luck with the site, and congrats on the launch! Like Ryan, I think the husband-wife aspect of it is an incredibly interesting story. Definitely look forward to more reading more about that aspect of your startup experience.
@ Chris - thanks! One thing we’ve promised each other is the occasional night off for personal time as well as date nights. We need to make sure the husband-wife thing doesn’t fall apart now that we’ve positioned this blog that way
Congratulations to both of you. Very inspiring. I am sort of in the same boat except I still hold my 9 - 5.
I have also been blogging about my startup experiences so far. I will be a frequent visitor to your blog, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed.
Regards,
Jimmy Huen
http://FoundersCafe.com
Thanks Jimmy, and best of luck to you! It’ll be nice to know someone else in the same boat to check in with along the way. I am impressed you’re able to manage a full-time job though - it’s tough to be really focused on both at the same time.
It’s been tough, but I think it’s easier to have the full time gig than having two young kids at home. I know because I have a 9 yr old stepson and he’s a load to handle. I think the hardest part for me is actually not being able to get help from my wife as she is anemic. So doing it on my own caused the progress to be slower than ideal.
You guys should do well, The site’s UI is very clean, simple, and easy on the eye. When I get home tonight, I will sign up and browse around more. Keep up the good work.
Jimmy