About what bumps I filled
Hello Habrahabr community!
I would like to share my experience with those who started, or are just thinking of starting their own business, in particular, related to web design.
A drop of history
I have been working in the field of web design for almost 5 years. I started naturally with a free-lancer, created projects, reputation, etc. Everything was good for the time being. While on the horizon, the dream of a lifetime has not loomed at that moment - own business. With a few months of deliberation, I decided on this, as I now understand the desperate step. By chance, I found investors, and they helped me with registering a legal entity, start-up capital, etc. etc. The team at that time, too, was quite worked out. Everything turned out great, the company appeared, a few months later our own office, though small, but still, the feeling of wild pathos did not leave our hearts :-).
My biggest and most stupid mistake was the selection of the team. When the team was assembled, and nothing predicted trouble, the fun began ...
More specifically, the permanent members of the team, with soul and mind, they still lived in free lance, and stubbornly did not want to understand that the level was already somewhat different. Initially, I was engaged in HTML layout, and knew a couple of engines (vBulletin, WordPress, IPB, Joomla, DLE, etc.), that is, it was, let's say, in the subject line, and it was harder for employees case jamb. Since the guys were already “theirs,” of course, I would like to have a decent salary. But, unfortunately, there were no orders (they were not looking there), and powerful delays were obtained, which, of course, spoiled the relationship. I had no idea about business management. Mistake, was in the wrong motivation of the team, and not the ability to set goals. This is where the second so-called "FAP-FAP" appeared.
Before creating a studio and moving to the “officially” level, we were famous for the terms and quality of work. What some specialists have been doing for a week could have been done in 24 hours. After registering the company, all this has gone somewhere. The problem was in me, I set the tasks for people, and, as was to be expected, they performed them incorrectly. The problem was that in the studio, almost, I was almost everything, I was a layout designer, I was an account manager, and a client relations manager, and a programmer (php know, very mediocre) and a seo-optimizer, and manager projects, in general, a person is an orchestra, and as a logical conclusion, everything was done poorly, because I simply did not have time.
')
Very, very painful topic. Absolutely ridiculous distribution of own working time to all garbage, as me, and the team as a whole. Since, on average, I gave 15 hours a month for a month, it’s quite logical that some of my breaks were 4-5 hours a day, reading my favorite Habrahabr, reading my own project, and my favorite forums, it's a damn so interesting. Hence the second problem of this point - the motivation itself, could not force itself to overcome congenital laziness in some issues. It was not possible to create motivation for oneself and the team. And I do not know why. The strongest motivation (one of) is money, but it did not work, and there was no money ... a paradox, however. Distributing your own time, and seeing the final goal, is vital. Think on 3, no, better on 4 or even 5 steps in front, calculate all situations, believe, it will be a plus.
I was absolutely wrong (and yes, I am ashamed) in working with some clients. I pressed on the "party line" without making the slightest concessions. So you can not do. There is a saying, “the client is always right,” and it is not without purpose. If the client demands to make an inscription in lime color on a bright red background with foaming at the mouth. Try to convince that it is bad, it will not work - do it. The client must be loved, or at least respected. Here we have another problem with the team, the process of work.
Wrong construction of the work process, relaxation of the “leash”.
It was a mistake to listen to baby talk about “this is not correct in design,” or “this does not correspond to usability.” In this topic, as you know, I was let down by the designer, one of the founders of the studio. Summed up, in the sense that, there is too much ambition and pathos and the complete absence of something sane. Man has his own, well-established taste. It's good. But not in the work of a designer. There should be a style, a “master's hand”, but not imposing one’s taste on others, foaming at the mouth, proving that it’s correct. I understand perfectly well that design is only 30% creative, 70% is the ability to sell / present goods, or more simply an effective way to solve problems. I understand this, the designer, unfortunately, no, but either out of habit, or else for some reason not known to me - I tolerated it. I tried my best to leave him in the studio ... probably because I went through a lot in the place. And here is the next golden rule, in which I was convinced.
Repeat it as a “mantra” until you understand the true meaning of this simple phrase. Neither when nor to anyone in business can you trust more than is reasonable. I trusted, and I regretted, and three times. The first time, I trusted the designer - the result you read above, the second time to the programmer - and I also got it in your gut, and the most unpleasant moment is trust in the investor-founder. It was impossible to do this.
What was after?
The stuffing consisted in the fact that since the registration of the company (December 3) almost a year has passed, the real work in the office lasts three months. The result - debt to investors. The company turned out to be unprofitable, largely due to my fault. Now, for the sake of trying to save a sinking ship, I refused the office (saving 24,000 per month). Let's see what will happen next.
I in no way hold evil against my employees - this is a business.
The investor, who demanded to buy out the company with debts, and pay off the debts in a short time, too, although it was very, very disappointing. I am grateful for the unpriced experience, and for the support that these people have given me. Not everyone succeeds in finding such an investor, which I found - patient and understanding. But like everything else in the world, his patience was not infinite, and it snapped.
I’m largely guilty, because of the wrong assessment of the situation, and about what contribution I should have been to draw people into my vision of this company. Overly gullible.
Many thanks for reading. If you have questions about the business - I will try to answer.
upd Thanks Atv , fixed a little post, moved to "My business"
I would like to share my experience with those who started, or are just thinking of starting their own business, in particular, related to web design.
A drop of history
I have been working in the field of web design for almost 5 years. I started naturally with a free-lancer, created projects, reputation, etc. Everything was good for the time being. While on the horizon, the dream of a lifetime has not loomed at that moment - own business. With a few months of deliberation, I decided on this, as I now understand the desperate step. By chance, I found investors, and they helped me with registering a legal entity, start-up capital, etc. etc. The team at that time, too, was quite worked out. Everything turned out great, the company appeared, a few months later our own office, though small, but still, the feeling of wild pathos did not leave our hearts :-).
A thrash broom start
My biggest and most stupid mistake was the selection of the team. When the team was assembled, and nothing predicted trouble, the fun began ...
More specifically, the permanent members of the team, with soul and mind, they still lived in free lance, and stubbornly did not want to understand that the level was already somewhat different. Initially, I was engaged in HTML layout, and knew a couple of engines (vBulletin, WordPress, IPB, Joomla, DLE, etc.), that is, it was, let's say, in the subject line, and it was harder for employees case jamb. Since the guys were already “theirs,” of course, I would like to have a decent salary. But, unfortunately, there were no orders (they were not looking there), and powerful delays were obtained, which, of course, spoiled the relationship. I had no idea about business management. Mistake, was in the wrong motivation of the team, and not the ability to set goals. This is where the second so-called "FAP-FAP" appeared.
Error two - Timing.
Before creating a studio and moving to the “officially” level, we were famous for the terms and quality of work. What some specialists have been doing for a week could have been done in 24 hours. After registering the company, all this has gone somewhere. The problem was in me, I set the tasks for people, and, as was to be expected, they performed them incorrectly. The problem was that in the studio, almost, I was almost everything, I was a layout designer, I was an account manager, and a client relations manager, and a programmer (php know, very mediocre) and a seo-optimizer, and manager projects, in general, a person is an orchestra, and as a logical conclusion, everything was done poorly, because I simply did not have time.
')
Mistake the third is self motivation and time management.
Very, very painful topic. Absolutely ridiculous distribution of own working time to all garbage, as me, and the team as a whole. Since, on average, I gave 15 hours a month for a month, it’s quite logical that some of my breaks were 4-5 hours a day, reading my favorite Habrahabr, reading my own project, and my favorite forums, it's a damn so interesting. Hence the second problem of this point - the motivation itself, could not force itself to overcome congenital laziness in some issues. It was not possible to create motivation for oneself and the team. And I do not know why. The strongest motivation (one of) is money, but it did not work, and there was no money ... a paradox, however. Distributing your own time, and seeing the final goal, is vital. Think on 3, no, better on 4 or even 5 steps in front, calculate all situations, believe, it will be a plus.
Error Fourth - Work with Clients
I was absolutely wrong (and yes, I am ashamed) in working with some clients. I pressed on the "party line" without making the slightest concessions. So you can not do. There is a saying, “the client is always right,” and it is not without purpose. If the client demands to make an inscription in lime color on a bright red background with foaming at the mouth. Try to convince that it is bad, it will not work - do it. The client must be loved, or at least respected. Here we have another problem with the team, the process of work.
Fifth error is fatal.
Wrong construction of the work process, relaxation of the “leash”.
It was a mistake to listen to baby talk about “this is not correct in design,” or “this does not correspond to usability.” In this topic, as you know, I was let down by the designer, one of the founders of the studio. Summed up, in the sense that, there is too much ambition and pathos and the complete absence of something sane. Man has his own, well-established taste. It's good. But not in the work of a designer. There should be a style, a “master's hand”, but not imposing one’s taste on others, foaming at the mouth, proving that it’s correct. I understand perfectly well that design is only 30% creative, 70% is the ability to sell / present goods, or more simply an effective way to solve problems. I understand this, the designer, unfortunately, no, but either out of habit, or else for some reason not known to me - I tolerated it. I tried my best to leave him in the studio ... probably because I went through a lot in the place. And here is the next golden rule, in which I was convinced.
There are no friends in the business.
Repeat it as a “mantra” until you understand the true meaning of this simple phrase. Neither when nor to anyone in business can you trust more than is reasonable. I trusted, and I regretted, and three times. The first time, I trusted the designer - the result you read above, the second time to the programmer - and I also got it in your gut, and the most unpleasant moment is trust in the investor-founder. It was impossible to do this.
What was after?
And after that there was already a full "stuffing."
The stuffing consisted in the fact that since the registration of the company (December 3) almost a year has passed, the real work in the office lasts three months. The result - debt to investors. The company turned out to be unprofitable, largely due to my fault. Now, for the sake of trying to save a sinking ship, I refused the office (saving 24,000 per month). Let's see what will happen next.
I in no way hold evil against my employees - this is a business.
The investor, who demanded to buy out the company with debts, and pay off the debts in a short time, too, although it was very, very disappointing. I am grateful for the unpriced experience, and for the support that these people have given me. Not everyone succeeds in finding such an investor, which I found - patient and understanding. But like everything else in the world, his patience was not infinite, and it snapped.
Total
I’m largely guilty, because of the wrong assessment of the situation, and about what contribution I should have been to draw people into my vision of this company. Overly gullible.
These are the tips that I would like to give to everyone who read it.
- Always plan REALLY for the front, not the way you want or dream.
- Assess adequately the state of affairs.
- Correctly formulate tasks for your employees, try to avoid constant remote work.
- At first, the best way to calculate is piecework wage. There is work - there is money. All in fact.
- In no case, nor when, nor who do not trust in business.
- The rule is that there are no friends in the business.
- Try to accurately estimate your own time, and plan your work day thoroughly.
- Do not rush to the office to a stable development and the already identified need for it.
- At work, friends are employees, and then friends again. As the saying goes, “friendship is friendship, money is different”
- Motivate yourself, and constantly motivate the team. They need to know - for what they work.
Many thanks for reading. If you have questions about the business - I will try to answer.
upd Thanks Atv , fixed a little post, moved to "My business"
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/72029/
All Articles