The history of the startup and our pivot
Site of our startup 2Polyglot launched on Tuesday. I also write this article on Tuesday. Only from that Tuesday 595 days have already passed, and the development of the idea leads to new horizons!
A couple of years ago, in the fall of 2014, the company of our founder, Andrei Prudko, “ Bolshaya Bukva ” performed another task for one of the customers. By order, we developed a website, and it became necessary to launch its English version.
Started looking for a freelance translator. Faced with many different freelance exchanges. Some were too broad, others with only one role for the performer. In the work process, in addition to translation and localization, there was a constant and there is a need also in the writing of various kinds of texts. And someone from the team and knowledge of the language decided to pull up at that moment. It became obvious that the specialists who were needed were united, in fact, by one area of ​​activity - the language one.
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Here's an example: while you were looking for what you yourself needed, an idea came up for a startup - to create a platform for freelancers in the language sphere, and their customers to facilitate the search and interaction process.
The beta version of the site was launched on March 24, 2015. Initially, the platform made it possible to work by combining several such roles as: translator, copywriter, foreign language tutor and tourist guide, since the latter also works with foreign languages.
The freelancers took the novelty well and over the first week more than 1000 performers registered, and this is at no cost! The fact that this was done was written in the very first article about the project, which brought us here from the sandbox.
For several months a considerable community of executors and customers gathered on the site. But during all this period, we strongly felt a shortage of orders.
Our team was very enthusiastic about the project development process. Everyone was looking for ways and answers to the question: - to do this, to provide our performers with orders on the site?
Almost everyone has good friends who can suggest something in one or another field of activity - I have. Regarding our startup, I sometimes consult with one of these, he helps me in his own way, and I try to be useful for his projects.
A little less than a year ago, in our next Skype correspondence, he suggested:
This thought has evolved further! Looking through one of the site designers, I came across useful tips from them about SEO texts. In this place there could be a button “Order text” or “Order translation” (in case the designer offers to fill in several language versions) - I thought! After discussing this, we began to write our own API for integration.
Moral: talk about your startup with everyone, any reasoning and ideas sooner or later come across useful conclusions.
Initially, the idea of 2Polyglot was to create a marketplace for freelancers in the language sphere. Base performers all the time grew and continues to grow.
The analysis showed that the role of the tour guide does not “work” with us and the interpreters were taken separately in its place. In Russian, the concept of a translator of written and oral is the same, and in other languages ​​it sounds different, for example, in English, the translator and interpreter, respectively.
While the API was being developed, we began to study and “probe” potential potential partners for integration. Obviously, the quality of the execution of partner orders must differ from the quality on freelance, be high and proven. For this, it was decided to create a “ Closed group ”. We invited to enter it through a special check not only freelancers, but also the copywriting agencies and translation agencies from different countries. Identified partner customers and implementing partners.
Now we consider our project primarily as a convenient, easily integrated tool for the provision of language services, namely, translation and writing texts.
2Polyglot continues to work in the same freelancing format. Now customers on the platform have a choice: cheaper - on freelancing, or business level - in a closed group.
This development of the idea led us to the pivot for our startup.
Today, 2Polyglot is already fairly well known as freelance marketplace. By November 8, 2016 there are 14,300 registered users on the site. All this was a good springboard for the development of the project. True, not cheap springboard!
In the pivot process, we made certain conclusions for ourselves - a substantial part of the market can be obtained by coming to online resources, which already have tens or hundreds of thousands of paid subscribers. As a result, there are tens of millions of customers who need the services of our specialists.
Our own API is ready, and we are already connecting the first partners. Those with whom we are negotiating to connect in the near future, in the amount of more than 50 million users. And there are much more similar resources ( we would convince them all ).
For all the time since the start of the project, we have performed at a sufficient number of events for startups. And on the next, on November 3, at the 62 Startup.Network Battle, we presented 2Polyglot , taking into account all the innovations and changes in the project. The moment came when the experts recognized our project as the winner who passed to the final, which is scheduled for March 2017!
Now, thanks to a partnership with us, the owners of web resources can expand the range of services for their users without material costs by integrating the translation and / or writing services via the API. Partnership with 2Polyglot will not only help increase the loyalty of users and subscribers of a partner on the site, but also give it additional income. To connect please contact us !
The idea is a matter of chance
A couple of years ago, in the fall of 2014, the company of our founder, Andrei Prudko, “ Bolshaya Bukva ” performed another task for one of the customers. By order, we developed a website, and it became necessary to launch its English version.
Started looking for a freelance translator. Faced with many different freelance exchanges. Some were too broad, others with only one role for the performer. In the work process, in addition to translation and localization, there was a constant and there is a need also in the writing of various kinds of texts. And someone from the team and knowledge of the language decided to pull up at that moment. It became obvious that the specialists who were needed were united, in fact, by one area of ​​activity - the language one.
')
Here's an example: while you were looking for what you yourself needed, an idea came up for a startup - to create a platform for freelancers in the language sphere, and their customers to facilitate the search and interaction process.
Start, the process has started!
The beta version of the site was launched on March 24, 2015. Initially, the platform made it possible to work by combining several such roles as: translator, copywriter, foreign language tutor and tourist guide, since the latter also works with foreign languages.
The freelancers took the novelty well and over the first week more than 1000 performers registered, and this is at no cost! The fact that this was done was written in the very first article about the project, which brought us here from the sandbox.
For several months a considerable community of executors and customers gathered on the site. But during all this period, we strongly felt a shortage of orders.
Win win
Our team was very enthusiastic about the project development process. Everyone was looking for ways and answers to the question: - to do this, to provide our performers with orders on the site?
Almost everyone has good friends who can suggest something in one or another field of activity - I have. Regarding our startup, I sometimes consult with one of these, he helps me in his own way, and I try to be useful for his projects.
A little less than a year ago, in our next Skype correspondence, he suggested:
“... you need to think about the Win-Win option ... there is such a plugin for WordPress, called WPML. So he makes the site multilingual and offers to translate texts either by himself or through a translator. So do this and automatically make a bunch of customers. So that the translation can be ordered in one click ... ”
This thought has evolved further! Looking through one of the site designers, I came across useful tips from them about SEO texts. In this place there could be a button “Order text” or “Order translation” (in case the designer offers to fill in several language versions) - I thought! After discussing this, we began to write our own API for integration.
Moral: talk about your startup with everyone, any reasoning and ideas sooner or later come across useful conclusions.
Idea Development - Integration and Partnership
Initially, the idea of 2Polyglot was to create a marketplace for freelancers in the language sphere. Base performers all the time grew and continues to grow.
The analysis showed that the role of the tour guide does not “work” with us and the interpreters were taken separately in its place. In Russian, the concept of a translator of written and oral is the same, and in other languages ​​it sounds different, for example, in English, the translator and interpreter, respectively.
While the API was being developed, we began to study and “probe” potential potential partners for integration. Obviously, the quality of the execution of partner orders must differ from the quality on freelance, be high and proven. For this, it was decided to create a “ Closed group ”. We invited to enter it through a special check not only freelancers, but also the copywriting agencies and translation agencies from different countries. Identified partner customers and implementing partners.
Now we consider our project primarily as a convenient, easily integrated tool for the provision of language services, namely, translation and writing texts.
2Polyglot continues to work in the same freelancing format. Now customers on the platform have a choice: cheaper - on freelancing, or business level - in a closed group.
This development of the idea led us to the pivot for our startup.
Current situation
Today, 2Polyglot is already fairly well known as freelance marketplace. By November 8, 2016 there are 14,300 registered users on the site. All this was a good springboard for the development of the project. True, not cheap springboard!
In the pivot process, we made certain conclusions for ourselves - a substantial part of the market can be obtained by coming to online resources, which already have tens or hundreds of thousands of paid subscribers. As a result, there are tens of millions of customers who need the services of our specialists.
Our own API is ready, and we are already connecting the first partners. Those with whom we are negotiating to connect in the near future, in the amount of more than 50 million users. And there are much more similar resources ( we would convince them all ).
For all the time since the start of the project, we have performed at a sufficient number of events for startups. And on the next, on November 3, at the 62 Startup.Network Battle, we presented 2Polyglot , taking into account all the innovations and changes in the project. The moment came when the experts recognized our project as the winner who passed to the final, which is scheduled for March 2017!
Now, thanks to a partnership with us, the owners of web resources can expand the range of services for their users without material costs by integrating the translation and / or writing services via the API. Partnership with 2Polyglot will not only help increase the loyalty of users and subscribers of a partner on the site, but also give it additional income. To connect please contact us !
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/314806/
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