Do you want to live - know how to spin. CDNvideo history
Principles should be the basis of any work. From the very beginning, we use the principles of success of the founder of Panasonic Konosuke Matsushita from the book of the same name. His view is different from everything taught by Western business gurus, and it seems to me that the advice of the famous Japanese work in Russia.
The main thing that Matsushita teaches is that all business opportunities can be found right under your nose. Need to find investors and customers for a new business? Ask your friends at Odnoklassniki. Need to make a choice - government grant or private investment? No problem, take both. Do not have time to raise money for starting a business? Do not worry, work on more successful competitors - wait a crisis.
All this is a real situation that I got into. And the right decision was always the most obvious. If you do not want to get wet in the rain, you need to grab an umbrella. If you act reasonably and naturally, then the business will always flourish. Follow the laws of common sense, and you will be little mistaken. This is our story.
')
The idea of ​​doing CDN technology (a network of servers that speeds up the loading of “heavy” content) came to me a long time ago. There was a CDN market in the West; it was not in Russia. I put together a team and decided to try to become the first on the market. I found investors under a CDN company, but the crisis of 2008 broke out and they refused to participate in the project.
When this happened, I corresponded with Gmail partners, and in the contextual ad unit I saw an ad similar to the following: “The first CDN in Russia”. This was an announcement by Ngenix, which launched CDN before us. It was a shame, but I did not get upset and got a job at Ngenix. So I could at least apply the knowledge about CDN, which I managed to get for almost a year of preparing my own project.
The idea of ​​making my company I, of course, did not leave. In some religions, it is generally considered that you only need to work for yourself, otherwise your existence is not quite full. So, after waiting out the crisis for my future competitors, I found new investors and quit. So for me began 2010, the first year of the new decade.
During the search for investors, I realized that the biggest problem is not in finding money, but to come up with a useful product and a realistic plan for selling it. Some of our failed investors did not give us money, but suggested what the product should be. In criticism, you can always find a healthy grain, which I did.
At first, I wanted to sell the CDN service as a boxed solution. It seemed to me that the client needed to supply software and hardware systems for CDN, for example, for $ 100 thousand. I considered it out of habit - once I worked at an integrator company. But having talked with those most unfulfilled investors, I realized that no one in a healthy mind would buy a product from a start-up company for that kind of money. But if you sell your customers an inexpensive mass service with a monthly payment, the prospects will be much better.
When we understood this, investors were found. They were my former classmates. They knew me and understood that I would not run away with a bag of money, but I would try to the last to make the project work. I didn’t even make a presentation for them, although I did a lot for other investors. Personal confidence and my conviction that the service was necessary, and I would not have to sell the snow at the north pole, played. If you run a business with reasonable ideas, you will achieve your goal.
Excess spending in the first stage is contraindicated. We just had to comply with this rule, because the money was on five servers and a half-year salary for myself and for the second CDNvideo employee — our technical director. Of course, it’s strange to sell CDN services with five servers (our competitors already had servers in 10 cities). So the first time we were cunning - we neatly dodged questions about the number of servers.
One of the five servers we installed in Kiev, which allowed us to declare that we work in Ukraine. Subsequently, it turned out that it was the right move. One of the clients turned to us solely for this reason. The company was engaged in a specific video advertising: the video “jumped out” and started to play when you hover the mouse over a keyword in the text on the page. They tried to sell this service in Ukraine, but there the videos did not load quickly, and the service did not work properly.
During this period of austerity, we learned how to negotiate so as to get good prices from partners. We called the telecom operator, were interested in prices and postponed the decision. Then the operator called back himself and offered a discount. We said: “We will think about it!” After a series of such calls, the operator’s managers were so involved that they wanted to finally sell their service, and it’s not so important at what price.
There was no budget for marketing, but we still actively promoted our services - acquaintance and fantasy were used. The group mate made us a website for 5 thousand rubles. Over 3 thousand. Drew the logo:
Only then we were redrawn the logo for 100 thousand rubles:
The first serious marketing campaign took place at the exhibition during the RIF conference. One of the investors agreed with the girl - a dancer from a strip club. I hung a big badge on the stripper with the words “CDNvideo” and hung the same badge on myself. The two of us went to the exhibition and handed out my business cards. So we found the first client - a company well-known in the software market. I still keep the first invoice for 2100 rubles, which they paid for:
To save money, we appealed to state aid several times, although in the “IT-friendly” environment this is biased. There is an opinion that getting state support is a difficult task with a bunch of bureaucratic barriers. It is also considered strange to take public money if you have already received it from investors. And the one and the other is complete nonsense.
Our first office was in the state "Technopark" Strogino. When I was still working for my uncle, I drove past work to the technopark and thought how good it would be to work in this beautiful building. Oddly enough, it was easy to get there. Requirements "Technopark" Strogino " is on the site . If you comply with them, then it remains to download documents from the site and to issue them very carefully.
Technopark also helped us save. The first year of work we had to pay 40% of the rental price for the office, in the second year - 60%, in the third - 80%. The rent included everything you need in the office - telephones, computers, use of meeting rooms. In Strogino there was even a small printing house.
Based in Strogino, we received a grant from the Government of Moscow. To do this, you had to go to the site, look at other people's business plans and collect a lot of documents in a heap. To do this, we hired a student, paying her 6 thousand rubles. She did an excellent job, and we received money from the state to purchase 30 servers. We bought them there, at Strogino, from another tenant, Trinity, and forced the entire office. Later we installed them in many cities of Russia and significantly increased network bandwidth and the quality of our services.
After Strogino and a grant from the Moscow Government, we took on Skolkovo. The resident status of Skolkovo also saves money. VAT is equal to zero, and deductions to the pension fund - 14%. In addition, for some of the government agencies that we wanted to see among clients, it was important to work with Skolkovo residents.
The task was to issue a questionnaire in Russian and good English. We consulted with the current residents of Skolkovo and filled out this form. But the residents of Skolkovo managed to become only from the third attempt. One of the requirements - to engage in scientific development. Therefore, the first time we were refused, because we did not have a single patent for a scientific invention, we soon received the necessary patent. And the second time they refused, because the company’s charter did not say anything about scientific activity, although we actually did it. There were no other problems.
By the way, against the background of the other residents of Skolkovo, we looked very good. It is hard to believe, but when we went to Skolkovo, CDNvideo immediately found itself in the top ten among 400 residents by income.
The early composition of our team at corporate party. I am up left:
Of course, maintaining investor interest in business and hunting for state support are important tasks, but as soon as possible, starting life with customers' money is the most important task. We came to self-sufficiency fairly quickly - 9 months after the start. We in this matter tried to grab at all that is possible. At some point, we realized that Dmitry Medvedev, who was president at the time, could help us, although he didn’t actually know about it.
In June 2010, Medvedev met with Apple founder Steve Jobs, who presented Medvedev with an iPhone4. A little later, Medvedev got an iPad. It so happened that this passion of the president for apple products helped us get the first major customer and all subsequent ones. We were lucky that Apple devices do not support Flash, and in order to stream streaming video to iPad, we had to use the HLS protocol. Then in Russia they did not know how to do it. This meant that Medvedev and other officials who, after that meeting, also acquired Apple products, could not watch news and video in Russian on their tablet. We contacted the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and promised to solve the problem.
So we got a contract with the largest client with whom we are still working . Other potential customers found out that we are working with RTR, also becoming more compliant. As a result, since the meeting of Medvedev with Jobs, half a year has not passed, and we have already reached a payback period.
Try to communicate with customers as with friends. We, for example, like this: one of our managers is now renting an apartment, and the client is helping to rent it. It should be understood that during working hours, the meaning of the life of employees is to do something good for specific people. It means that employees of other companies that call customers “stupid” behind their eyes, deprive their life of meaning.
Friendship does not contradict the desire to earn more. Our minimum fare is 3 thousand rubles per month. Many customers pay each month, although services are used only occasionally. For the organization of 3 thousand rubles - a little money. Therefore, it is easier for the client to pay each time than to think about when to pay and when not. Let them pay - we do not remind them that you can disconnect. I once paid for the services of two Internet providers in the same way, although I used only one.
The client always wants to play it safe and take more. So why discourage him? However, when it comes to big money, we always warn against unnecessary spending. One of our clients broadcast yard football and wanted to take a tariff from us for 200 thousand rubles. He tried to convince us that at least 100 thousand people would watch him. But our manager told him: “My friend, take the tariff for 3 thousand rubles, well, just in case, pay another 2 thousand for broadcasting to mobile.”
In the end, this was more than enough. Football was watched by several dozen people, and the client saved 195 thousand rubles. Then he came back to us with other projects. In the future, good relationships will bring more money.
There was another similar case. One client has a website with several online TV channels. He paid on the postpaid system and always kept within 3 thousand rubles a month. And then an unexpected account of 1 million rubles. Customer calls with claims. We are trying to figure it out, and we understand that there are no mistakes. "These bastards began to look at me," said the client, seeing the statistics. Site attendance has increased dramatically, and he was not ready for this. We entered the position and gave him a 50 percent discount.
The first year, two or three, you need to listen to customers, partners, investors, and grab every opportunity. Our strategy at this time can be called like this: “If you want to live, know how to spin.” The company as a growing tree - stretches to the light and changes shape. But after three years, this tree has a trunk, and it's too late to experiment.
In the fourth year of CDNvideo, we decided to create a subsidiary project - a solution for corporate networks. Banks, retail chains and other large international companies - they all need a CDN for internal tasks. For example, for trainings that employees watch from different parts of the world. But this project did not go with us. It was necessary to create a separate company for it with its leader, and not to be scattered. Therefore, from now on, we decided to do only what exactly happens well.
* Here and further quotes from Konosuke Matsushita’s book “Principles of Success”
The main thing that Matsushita teaches is that all business opportunities can be found right under your nose. Need to find investors and customers for a new business? Ask your friends at Odnoklassniki. Need to make a choice - government grant or private investment? No problem, take both. Do not have time to raise money for starting a business? Do not worry, work on more successful competitors - wait a crisis.
All this is a real situation that I got into. And the right decision was always the most obvious. If you do not want to get wet in the rain, you need to grab an umbrella. If you act reasonably and naturally, then the business will always flourish. Follow the laws of common sense, and you will be little mistaken. This is our story.
')
“Life is a series of ups and downs. Meet joy and grief with humility "*
The idea of ​​doing CDN technology (a network of servers that speeds up the loading of “heavy” content) came to me a long time ago. There was a CDN market in the West; it was not in Russia. I put together a team and decided to try to become the first on the market. I found investors under a CDN company, but the crisis of 2008 broke out and they refused to participate in the project.
When this happened, I corresponded with Gmail partners, and in the contextual ad unit I saw an ad similar to the following: “The first CDN in Russia”. This was an announcement by Ngenix, which launched CDN before us. It was a shame, but I did not get upset and got a job at Ngenix. So I could at least apply the knowledge about CDN, which I managed to get for almost a year of preparing my own project.
The idea of ​​making my company I, of course, did not leave. In some religions, it is generally considered that you only need to work for yourself, otherwise your existence is not quite full. So, after waiting out the crisis for my future competitors, I found new investors and quit. So for me began 2010, the first year of the new decade.
“You are criticized - it means that they are expecting something from you. Condemnation can be beneficial. ”
During the search for investors, I realized that the biggest problem is not in finding money, but to come up with a useful product and a realistic plan for selling it. Some of our failed investors did not give us money, but suggested what the product should be. In criticism, you can always find a healthy grain, which I did.
At first, I wanted to sell the CDN service as a boxed solution. It seemed to me that the client needed to supply software and hardware systems for CDN, for example, for $ 100 thousand. I considered it out of habit - once I worked at an integrator company. But having talked with those most unfulfilled investors, I realized that no one in a healthy mind would buy a product from a start-up company for that kind of money. But if you sell your customers an inexpensive mass service with a monthly payment, the prospects will be much better.
When we understood this, investors were found. They were my former classmates. They knew me and understood that I would not run away with a bag of money, but I would try to the last to make the project work. I didn’t even make a presentation for them, although I did a lot for other investors. Personal confidence and my conviction that the service was necessary, and I would not have to sell the snow at the north pole, played. If you run a business with reasonable ideas, you will achieve your goal.
“Everything in this world - life, money, things - is loaned to you. Don't waste them recklessly. ”
Excess spending in the first stage is contraindicated. We just had to comply with this rule, because the money was on five servers and a half-year salary for myself and for the second CDNvideo employee — our technical director. Of course, it’s strange to sell CDN services with five servers (our competitors already had servers in 10 cities). So the first time we were cunning - we neatly dodged questions about the number of servers.
One of the five servers we installed in Kiev, which allowed us to declare that we work in Ukraine. Subsequently, it turned out that it was the right move. One of the clients turned to us solely for this reason. The company was engaged in a specific video advertising: the video “jumped out” and started to play when you hover the mouse over a keyword in the text on the page. They tried to sell this service in Ukraine, but there the videos did not load quickly, and the service did not work properly.
During this period of austerity, we learned how to negotiate so as to get good prices from partners. We called the telecom operator, were interested in prices and postponed the decision. Then the operator called back himself and offered a discount. We said: “We will think about it!” After a series of such calls, the operator’s managers were so involved that they wanted to finally sell their service, and it’s not so important at what price.
There was no budget for marketing, but we still actively promoted our services - acquaintance and fantasy were used. The group mate made us a website for 5 thousand rubles. Over 3 thousand. Drew the logo:
Only then we were redrawn the logo for 100 thousand rubles:
The first serious marketing campaign took place at the exhibition during the RIF conference. One of the investors agreed with the girl - a dancer from a strip club. I hung a big badge on the stripper with the words “CDNvideo” and hung the same badge on myself. The two of us went to the exhibition and handed out my business cards. So we found the first client - a company well-known in the software market. I still keep the first invoice for 2100 rubles, which they paid for:
“Take advantage of the opportunities offered by fate”
To save money, we appealed to state aid several times, although in the “IT-friendly” environment this is biased. There is an opinion that getting state support is a difficult task with a bunch of bureaucratic barriers. It is also considered strange to take public money if you have already received it from investors. And the one and the other is complete nonsense.
Our first office was in the state "Technopark" Strogino. When I was still working for my uncle, I drove past work to the technopark and thought how good it would be to work in this beautiful building. Oddly enough, it was easy to get there. Requirements "Technopark" Strogino " is on the site . If you comply with them, then it remains to download documents from the site and to issue them very carefully.
Technopark also helped us save. The first year of work we had to pay 40% of the rental price for the office, in the second year - 60%, in the third - 80%. The rent included everything you need in the office - telephones, computers, use of meeting rooms. In Strogino there was even a small printing house.
Based in Strogino, we received a grant from the Government of Moscow. To do this, you had to go to the site, look at other people's business plans and collect a lot of documents in a heap. To do this, we hired a student, paying her 6 thousand rubles. She did an excellent job, and we received money from the state to purchase 30 servers. We bought them there, at Strogino, from another tenant, Trinity, and forced the entire office. Later we installed them in many cities of Russia and significantly increased network bandwidth and the quality of our services.
“In life, like in a fairy tale about a tortoise and a hare: if you act consistently you will not suffer failure”
After Strogino and a grant from the Moscow Government, we took on Skolkovo. The resident status of Skolkovo also saves money. VAT is equal to zero, and deductions to the pension fund - 14%. In addition, for some of the government agencies that we wanted to see among clients, it was important to work with Skolkovo residents.
The task was to issue a questionnaire in Russian and good English. We consulted with the current residents of Skolkovo and filled out this form. But the residents of Skolkovo managed to become only from the third attempt. One of the requirements - to engage in scientific development. Therefore, the first time we were refused, because we did not have a single patent for a scientific invention, we soon received the necessary patent. And the second time they refused, because the company’s charter did not say anything about scientific activity, although we actually did it. There were no other problems.
By the way, against the background of the other residents of Skolkovo, we looked very good. It is hard to believe, but when we went to Skolkovo, CDNvideo immediately found itself in the top ten among 400 residents by income.
The early composition of our team at corporate party. I am up left:
"If you are sensitive and observant, you can catch where time flows"
Of course, maintaining investor interest in business and hunting for state support are important tasks, but as soon as possible, starting life with customers' money is the most important task. We came to self-sufficiency fairly quickly - 9 months after the start. We in this matter tried to grab at all that is possible. At some point, we realized that Dmitry Medvedev, who was president at the time, could help us, although he didn’t actually know about it.
In June 2010, Medvedev met with Apple founder Steve Jobs, who presented Medvedev with an iPhone4. A little later, Medvedev got an iPad. It so happened that this passion of the president for apple products helped us get the first major customer and all subsequent ones. We were lucky that Apple devices do not support Flash, and in order to stream streaming video to iPad, we had to use the HLS protocol. Then in Russia they did not know how to do it. This meant that Medvedev and other officials who, after that meeting, also acquired Apple products, could not watch news and video in Russian on their tablet. We contacted the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company and promised to solve the problem.
So we got a contract with the largest client with whom we are still working . Other potential customers found out that we are working with RTR, also becoming more compliant. As a result, since the meeting of Medvedev with Jobs, half a year has not passed, and we have already reached a payback period.
"If you like someone, most likely, and to you, he will have friendly feelings"
Try to communicate with customers as with friends. We, for example, like this: one of our managers is now renting an apartment, and the client is helping to rent it. It should be understood that during working hours, the meaning of the life of employees is to do something good for specific people. It means that employees of other companies that call customers “stupid” behind their eyes, deprive their life of meaning.
Friendship does not contradict the desire to earn more. Our minimum fare is 3 thousand rubles per month. Many customers pay each month, although services are used only occasionally. For the organization of 3 thousand rubles - a little money. Therefore, it is easier for the client to pay each time than to think about when to pay and when not. Let them pay - we do not remind them that you can disconnect. I once paid for the services of two Internet providers in the same way, although I used only one.
The client always wants to play it safe and take more. So why discourage him? However, when it comes to big money, we always warn against unnecessary spending. One of our clients broadcast yard football and wanted to take a tariff from us for 200 thousand rubles. He tried to convince us that at least 100 thousand people would watch him. But our manager told him: “My friend, take the tariff for 3 thousand rubles, well, just in case, pay another 2 thousand for broadcasting to mobile.”
In the end, this was more than enough. Football was watched by several dozen people, and the client saved 195 thousand rubles. Then he came back to us with other projects. In the future, good relationships will bring more money.
There was another similar case. One client has a website with several online TV channels. He paid on the postpaid system and always kept within 3 thousand rubles a month. And then an unexpected account of 1 million rubles. Customer calls with claims. We are trying to figure it out, and we understand that there are no mistakes. "These bastards began to look at me," said the client, seeing the statistics. Site attendance has increased dramatically, and he was not ready for this. We entered the position and gave him a 50 percent discount.
"Being late today by one day, you can lose a year, or even the rest of your life"
The first year, two or three, you need to listen to customers, partners, investors, and grab every opportunity. Our strategy at this time can be called like this: “If you want to live, know how to spin.” The company as a growing tree - stretches to the light and changes shape. But after three years, this tree has a trunk, and it's too late to experiment.
In the fourth year of CDNvideo, we decided to create a subsidiary project - a solution for corporate networks. Banks, retail chains and other large international companies - they all need a CDN for internal tasks. For example, for trainings that employees watch from different parts of the world. But this project did not go with us. It was necessary to create a separate company for it with its leader, and not to be scattered. Therefore, from now on, we decided to do only what exactly happens well.
* Here and further quotes from Konosuke Matsushita’s book “Principles of Success”
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/95081/
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