Down by the River

Howdy,

When I started my career, I wrote down on a post-it that I wanted to learn about 2 things:

1. Product Design

2. Product Management

Product design focuses on building with intention to ensure that the needs of the end-user are met.

Product management focuses on how resources are allocated in order to build efficiently and effectively.

I use these 2 skillsets to build AI products for a technology consulting firm.

How the heck does this relate to a van?

The digital world is cool. You wouldn't be reading this without it.

But a fully remote world has caused us to devalue what we do offline.

I needed to build something outside of a screen where I could apply my product design and product management skills.

I also wanted the stability of a place to read, write, and rest with the flexibility of traveling where I want.

De-risking the van

I looked at my rent, utility, and transportation expenses in my budget.

I've included a screenshot from my monthly budget tracker below - email me if you'd like the template.

I mapped out what it would look like if I combined all 3 expense categories for a minimum of 6 months.

If this project didn't go well, I could sell the vehicle and amortize the loss over 6 months as what I typically pay for rent, utilities, and transportation. 

That was my baseline expectation and exit strategy if things didn't go well.

Looking at the potential reward

I began to look at the upside if things did go well. 

Education - I could build my product design and product management skills in a tangible, fulfilling way.

Adventure - I could travel and see family/friends, meet new folks along the way, and create new experiences in the outdoors (typically falls into entertainment expense above).

Finding a Home - I don't know exactly where I want to settle post-van. I could park the van in towns for a few weeks at a time to assess the vibe. 

Making the decision

I identified and mitigated risk (as much as I could - never is 100%).

I identified and assessed the potential rewards.

But it wasn't risk/reward that sealed the deal. It was time and timing.

Time - I might not have the time to dedicate to a van build in the future. I have the time to work on the vehicle on the side right now.

Timing - Ripping a full-time van adventure when I'm a husband or a father is not sustainable. I have a remote job and can travel right now.

Mix in these 2 variables with a weird pandemic-induced limbo where I want to build my life offline but don't know where to settle, and what do you get? 

You get a dang van.

Updates on the van-build

I'm documenting the process.

My goal is to encourage other people to de-risk seemingly whacky things, assess their potential rewards, and rip it.

I also want to document this so my future grandchildren know I was decently cool.

I provide real-time updates on the twitter thread below.

Thanks for reading

Go out and build something cool this week,

Josh