Fear

I believe the biggest threat to the project is the usual problem. Fear. What causes fear? People. This isn't to say that you aren't up to the job. On the contrary, you may be the best person for the job. Unfortunately, you can't afford the opportunity cost because of [your job | your family | your other idea].

There is inherent risk in a startup but there is increased risk for you because you can continue doing what you're doing right now. This is the safest option rather than "risking up". There is a solution but first the hard bit...

Momentum makes or breaks startups. The lean approach of iteration, measurement and repetition encourages practitioners to ruthlessly ship the next version. This is *so hard* for first timers because you have to constantly ship products that you're not proud of. This is anathema to standard business practice.

So, what should you do? You need someone hungry, diligent and interested. You need someone who isn't shy of pushing the big scary 'launch' button. You need someone who isn't scared of making mistakes.

What then? Build, launch, learn, iterate. Rinse and repeat. Here's a brief plan of what I would do in your shoes:

• Set up a landing page (don't worry about the design)
• Allow people to enter an email address on the landing page
• Set up social media, linkedin and facebook profiles
• EDUCATE*
• Measure and iterate

The rest can come later. There are so many opportunities for 'growth hacking'. Once you've completed the above, you need to move on to the next steps. These should include:

• publishing a free ebook in exchange for an email address (educating again in exchange for a relationship)
• publishing blog posts on the industry that don't talk about news but actually help people in the industry
• asking your audience what they need help with and what frustrates them

* I strongly believe the best form of marketing is still personal relationships. These can be garnered online through education - teaching people encourages trust and belonging (as well as reciprocation). Help people with their publishing needs and they will want more. They will sign up to the landing page and will become brand ambassadors for you. They will pay for your product and will wax lyrical to others (giving you free marketing) because they have become part of your journey.

If you can follow this approach you have a much better chance of succeeding. It's hard, most people I know, can't do it. They talk about it and they read all the Eric Reis books but putting it in to practice is so much harder than it looks.