Startups
This text is based on the lecture materials that I read in the classes of the Innovation Studio at Moscow State University. I wanted to publish it immediately, but at first there was not enough karma, then my hands did not reach.
The foregoing is completely based on personal experience and passed on 4 projects implemented and in the process of implementation.
So let's go.
update: At the request of grateful readers, I will list two projects, the implementation process of which gave me material for writing this article.
I will list the projects whose development experience allowed me to write this article:
Primitive classification of Internet startups (my colleagues told me that the lecture is more similar to the lecture on social networks, but I believe that most of the writing will be true for other projects)
Why create startups:
- oddly for sale. The creators conduct a detailed analysis of the market, develop a development strategy, draw up a business plan. The final stage is the sale of the realized project to someone from the cereal.
- "for myself". The project initially helps the creators and their friends in something, realizes a certain interest (I'm not talking about money here), the project is probably self-actualization. For such a team, the result of the project implementation is more important than the financial consequences of the implementation. Probably, it should be concluded that those Russian scientists who are now moving forward Russian science are engaged exclusively in startups. As an example, the event of 2006 associated with the mathematician Perelman .
- to make money. The goal partially combines the bulits described above. The author of the project implements a certain idea, the purpose of which is to generate income from the activities of a startup.
The basis of the success of existing startups
The success of existing Internet startups is based on communication between users.
Look at alexa top-20 :
Almost every Internet user has an instant messenger.
')
Startup Diseases
Each startup has a set of diseases and their solutions:
* I like it - should like others.
Do not trust solely your opinion, listen to the opinions of neighbors. Sometimes they accidentally give a solution to a problem or some interesting addition. Learn to see projects from all sides.
* Let's do Google. Everyone who wants to do something, wants to do something global (a search engine, a huge portal, etc.).
Do not swing the ball right away, start small. Krupnyak never concentrates on niches, use niche positioning including to extract the highest income.
* The joy of exponential growth
Site growth from one visitor to tens of thousands can behave like an exhibitor. With one amendment - it will be only the first time. Further, in the best scenario, linear growth with a small coefficient, on average stabilization, at worst - a fall
* Sales = F (Visitor), Sales = F (Page View)
The size of sales depends only on the actual purchases on the site, and not on the number of visitors (potential customers)
* If you take the revenue for this day, yes multiplied by the number of days in a year .
The results of one day (usually choose the day on which was the highest income) can not be approximated for the whole year.
* Our product is brilliant. His genius will provide interest in him and his sales.
Do not forget that it is not enough to create a good product, it is also necessary to sell it, it is sales that generate income, and unfortunately many developers, the seller ultimately gets more money than the creator.
* Lack of diversification in projects. Projects most often depend on one thing (information on a specific site, advertiser, supplier, etc.)
Startup dilemma
In the process of working on a new project, there always arises a dilemma to do everything qualitatively or implement it in haste (the main thing is working correctly, we will earn money, we will hire programmers, they will overwrite everything anyway) and move on.
Most often choose the second approach.
Team and hired staff
Every project creator asks questions: How many should be the founders? How and when to allocate shares? How to choose employees?
How many should be the founders
- 1 - normal
- 2 - normal
- 3 - normal
- 4 - possible
- 5 - maybe enough?
- ...
- 120 cheers! My share in this wonderful project is 0.2%
It is considered (I do not know by whom) that the optimal number of the creator team should be no more than 3.
In each team, you must choose someone who will have a decisive vote in resolving conflicts related to the implementation of the project.
Founders should be assembled on the basis of "utility", and not on the basis of dating.
For example, “Let's take Vasya into the project, he is our friend and it may come in handy. He does not know how to do anything, but in the future we will need it. ”
When and how to distribute shares?
Shares should be distributed immediately after the definition of the idea and the distribution of responsibilities in proportion to these responsibilities, money contributed to the project and other intangible assets.
Whether to fix shares in any document. Everyone must decide for himself. The topic of trust will be revealed further.
How to choose employees?
Each startup begins to grow with time and there is not enough time for the founding fathers, and then the problem of recruitment arises. The main criteria for recruitment are experience and professionalism.
Care should be taken to recruit students (students forgive me, please). They have great enthusiasm at work, they are ready to work even at night, when they are far from the session, but unfortunately they have very little experience.
I also started working as a student in a well-known C ++ company programmer on the Internet. At work, I often added other people's applications. Already after graduation from the institute and for 2-3 years of work, I began to realize through what place everything was written there.
Common staff problems (not just for startups)
Family and business are incompatible - soon we will have to choose and we don’t know what others will say.
Example: And let my girl draw us a design, in our company she is a cool designer. The designer breaks deadlines all the time, everything is done very slowly, deadlines are postponed. And ... then someone is not holding back, and relations with both the designer and the member of the team who led her deteriorate
Friends in business are not forever
Example: business section between Prokhorov and Potanin
Example: My friend rented a store to me, and then on forged documents ...
results
Thank you, criticize
The foregoing is completely based on personal experience and passed on 4 projects implemented and in the process of implementation.
So let's go.
update: At the request of grateful readers, I will list two projects, the implementation process of which gave me material for writing this article.
I will list the projects whose development experience allowed me to write this article:
- LJSeek.com My friend's wife loved chatting on LJ, but unfortunately her search there was very disgusting. For a long time LJSeek was the official LJ search engine.
- NNSeek When I started my career, I really enjoyed reading the usenet conferences. I wanted to make a news repository with search.
- Sphinx Separately, I wanted to mention the project, on the basis of which we made our projects, for which we were a huge test case. The author of this project also participated in the development of our projects and gave me some ideas for writing this article.
Primitive classification of Internet startups (my colleagues told me that the lecture is more similar to the lecture on social networks, but I believe that most of the writing will be true for other projects)
Why create startups:
- oddly for sale. The creators conduct a detailed analysis of the market, develop a development strategy, draw up a business plan. The final stage is the sale of the realized project to someone from the cereal.
- "for myself". The project initially helps the creators and their friends in something, realizes a certain interest (I'm not talking about money here), the project is probably self-actualization. For such a team, the result of the project implementation is more important than the financial consequences of the implementation. Probably, it should be concluded that those Russian scientists who are now moving forward Russian science are engaged exclusively in startups. As an example, the event of 2006 associated with the mathematician Perelman .
- to make money. The goal partially combines the bulits described above. The author of the project implements a certain idea, the purpose of which is to generate income from the activities of a startup.
The basis of the success of existing startups
The success of existing Internet startups is based on communication between users.
Look at alexa top-20 :
- 3 place Youtube
- 6 place Myspace
- 7th place Facebook
- 8th place Hi5
- 10 place orkut
- 12th place blogger
- 14th place Fotolog
- 15 place friendster
- 20 place Skyrock
Almost every Internet user has an instant messenger.
')
Startup Diseases
Each startup has a set of diseases and their solutions:
* I like it - should like others.
Do not trust solely your opinion, listen to the opinions of neighbors. Sometimes they accidentally give a solution to a problem or some interesting addition. Learn to see projects from all sides.
* Let's do Google. Everyone who wants to do something, wants to do something global (a search engine, a huge portal, etc.).
Do not swing the ball right away, start small. Krupnyak never concentrates on niches, use niche positioning including to extract the highest income.
* The joy of exponential growth
Site growth from one visitor to tens of thousands can behave like an exhibitor. With one amendment - it will be only the first time. Further, in the best scenario, linear growth with a small coefficient, on average stabilization, at worst - a fall
* Sales = F (Visitor), Sales = F (Page View)
The size of sales depends only on the actual purchases on the site, and not on the number of visitors (potential customers)
* If you take the revenue for this day, yes multiplied by the number of days in a year .
The results of one day (usually choose the day on which was the highest income) can not be approximated for the whole year.
* Our product is brilliant. His genius will provide interest in him and his sales.
Do not forget that it is not enough to create a good product, it is also necessary to sell it, it is sales that generate income, and unfortunately many developers, the seller ultimately gets more money than the creator.
* Lack of diversification in projects. Projects most often depend on one thing (information on a specific site, advertiser, supplier, etc.)
Startup dilemma
In the process of working on a new project, there always arises a dilemma to do everything qualitatively or implement it in haste (the main thing is working correctly, we will earn money, we will hire programmers, they will overwrite everything anyway) and move on.
Most often choose the second approach.
Team and hired staff
Every project creator asks questions: How many should be the founders? How and when to allocate shares? How to choose employees?
How many should be the founders
- 1 - normal
- 2 - normal
- 3 - normal
- 4 - possible
- 5 - maybe enough?
- ...
- 120 cheers! My share in this wonderful project is 0.2%
It is considered (I do not know by whom) that the optimal number of the creator team should be no more than 3.
In each team, you must choose someone who will have a decisive vote in resolving conflicts related to the implementation of the project.
Founders should be assembled on the basis of "utility", and not on the basis of dating.
For example, “Let's take Vasya into the project, he is our friend and it may come in handy. He does not know how to do anything, but in the future we will need it. ”
When and how to distribute shares?
Shares should be distributed immediately after the definition of the idea and the distribution of responsibilities in proportion to these responsibilities, money contributed to the project and other intangible assets.
Whether to fix shares in any document. Everyone must decide for himself. The topic of trust will be revealed further.
How to choose employees?
Each startup begins to grow with time and there is not enough time for the founding fathers, and then the problem of recruitment arises. The main criteria for recruitment are experience and professionalism.
Care should be taken to recruit students (students forgive me, please). They have great enthusiasm at work, they are ready to work even at night, when they are far from the session, but unfortunately they have very little experience.
I also started working as a student in a well-known C ++ company programmer on the Internet. At work, I often added other people's applications. Already after graduation from the institute and for 2-3 years of work, I began to realize through what place everything was written there.
Common staff problems (not just for startups)
Family and business are incompatible - soon we will have to choose and we don’t know what others will say.
Example: And let my girl draw us a design, in our company she is a cool designer. The designer breaks deadlines all the time, everything is done very slowly, deadlines are postponed. And ... then someone is not holding back, and relations with both the designer and the member of the team who led her deteriorate
Friends in business are not forever
Example: business section between Prokhorov and Potanin
Example: My friend rented a store to me, and then on forged documents ...
results
- Even a bad result is a result (+2000 exp. + Levelup)
- Do not be afraid of difficulties and the word "no" (not lucky with one luck with the other - the law of large numbers). Do not give up
- Every idea has its consumers, the main thing is to find them
- The one who does nothing is not mistaken.
Thank you, criticize
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/19511/
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