12 lessons of project management and launch startups Bashny.Net

I developed about a hundred projects, including - startups. Many of these peaks and die, some still working. Did as B2C, and B2B.

Recently there has been a stream of questions from friends and acquaintances who make the same mistakes. I would like to talk about their experiences in the post abstracts. And if it is successful - to continue the series.

If too lazy to read - clip expressing the basic spirit and the main sense, is at the bottom. The roller will delight - well, go do the next release. The roller will cause rejection - read the post to other reactions as many :)

1. Most importantly - the desire to h5> One of the first start-ups in my life did not take place because of the four friends who decided to do the desire to make the project really was not anybody. If you are not able for each day of the month to think about the project and to take real steps may not be necessary to do the project.

2. The completion of the measure results, not time h5> I do not know how the others with this case. Is that colleagues and artists read the same thing. But the idea is simple - to say about the solution of the problem, there is the phrase "this is the result." To say about & lt; 100% result, there is the rest. The problem is that the completion of the always takes more effort, time and labor (sometimes by orders of magnitude), and who knows where the border.

We are not just taken for certain periods to do a project without considering that the project - it is always uncertainty. And many of the projects I have not fired simply because after passing deadlines disappointment seek. Conclusion: get ready to plow to a victorious at first, until the obvious result will not be clear to all.

3. Without knowledge, you are doomed to failure h5> Back in the 14 years, looking at successful then the yellow pages, I learned first Perl, then there were then the first ASP, and ran the search directories. But they did not take off, despite the fact that I loved my code and how it works.
Knowing nothing about the traffic, conversion, market capacity, and so on, I suffered defeat after defeat.

And it will be with the majority of those who did not dare to explore experienced businessmen and their actions on the road to success. Very good, in my opinion, and the first full body of knowledge is contained in the "Startup without a budget" - take it and do. Unlike motivational books from 37signals, which are unlikely to help the beginner to the idea.

4. Understanding your wrongness - the first step to success h5> The majority of people suffering from the so-called cognitive distortions (naguglit and read - the first step, do it). That's just recently had an article about Lucy in Megaplan, very cool. The point is simple - Dunning-Kruger effect, as Dulles plan - does not exist, but it works.

As long as you perceive the sacred or their beliefs about the ability to make a start, the confidence in success, as well as unconditionally believe in any book - you are doomed to failure. As was doomed to failure, I believe that the motivation and unjustified confidence give a guarantee of results. Doing urban portal on samopisnymi engine with a partner, I was very confident of success, and never for a moment doubted nothing. The project is still alive and feeding partner Google and other means, but it's not a success story.

4. Without knowledge of skills developments are worth nothing h5> My favorite example - hygiene. How many people know about the dangers of smoking and smoking. What - what you need to wash your hands before and after using the toilet and do not wash. And so on. I think I read the book "Code Complete", "Refactoring" make my code brilliant - but it was not without hours of sorting out other people's code and work on their own. Just thought «Getting real», conditionally, will learn to make successful projects - no, does not work. Successfully launched a couple of startups in rare niches scored 500-3000 daily visits of the target audience and have become indispensable in several large firms, but also their rapidly buried my inability to develop the project further and experienced competitors.

Some shift occurred after 2 years of working 12 hours a day 6 days a week under the supervision of an experienced project manager, a qualitative shift. Only then will the projects that I have done and implemented, became my job, not finger-pointing at the sky. So long as you do not do yourself or with the guidance of a mentor dozen other projects, most likely you will not learn anything in practice. A genius type Zuckerberg learn themselves and quickly - Mozart, too, in 11 years has composed an opera. Not ravnyates on them if you are not already a millionaire - go the normal way of use of standard skills.

5. The idea is not worth anything h5> I had a moment when we came up with the idea of ​​biting, we thought. We tried to make niche sites to begin with - for beauty salons. I was pleased and strongly proschityval Price. Okay, smart enough to actually try poprodavat partners and make sure that the beauty parlors very different needs. A couple of months without a single theme flew sale.

There was also a great idea aggregator of outdoor advertising, and a lot I did for her strength, prototypes and promotion. But in reality, it was found that OOH advertising agencies all need individual solutions, the problem is actually in the current database with the prices. And the operators themselves (owners of planes) do not go to meet them, and so they cost car from the people willing to buy for many months to come. Plus there was one very steep competitor that in the bud suppressed me and some of the same guys in the appropriate forums and the audience. Competitor, he owns the planes. I eventually sold several sites with engines on outdoor advertising and scored on it. Although a couple of years emerged former client with a proposal to become partners - I IT, and it works with clients such as, I did not develop this cooperation, because he made a strategic choice in another niche and project. Especially against the background of the fact that the potential of the outdoor advertising in Russia falls and falls - in six months everything went in OOH worse, and I felt a loyalty choice.

Therefore, the conclusion is simple - any idea should be checked taking into account the reality of the market and niche customers and competitors.

6. Niche - all h5> a lot of friends come to me with ideas B2C. They think they do, and as soon cool, but we consider it further. I'll give you a simple layout, why I gave some ideas after the implementation of the money (same outdoor advertising, special directories, engines and highly specialized admin), and people are still treading water with TK or prototypes. Money from friends not to receive, but when they come to audit startups, sometimes take for consultation. But little helps - cm. Above about the skills and unawareness of being wrong.

The point is simple. Let's look at this idea - a person chooses interests, and he is given quests. After that he goes quests to your interests by performing actions and quests are the source of the company paying the money. This - the plane occupies 8 decks with (and who built it glitters and shines, and here on the first flight the pilot said, "And now, with all that we try to take off Mui Ne).

And take the limit niche. Suppose, let us have the selection of contractors for organizing events. Immediately it becomes clear - on the one hand we have those who organize holidays (Event-agency, people with a good income at home, corporate secretaries on their own), on the other - a very finite set of contractors. Already you can go to find competitors. Talk to both, to find out their problems and solvency. Calculate the market capacity, multiplied by the average check and get the expected return. Also calculate the required rate of growth of income and expenses to serve the customer. And the costs of launching the first real version to test the theory practice.

And so it is necessary to any "superobschimi" ideas. A specific example - Eruditor group. Made and obkatali diagram of the tutor on launched by doctors, stars and so on. Do not be afraid to make a niche idea - if you succeed in it, and scalability in neighboring lyardovye history will be a matter of mechanics.

Actually, when I launched a comprehensive engines-admin, it did not sell. And when the admin for specific types began to sell (inventory in the company with customizable fields à la Zoho, a form with the generation of a contract for the automation of the network of shops selling business mobile phones, etc.), the money went.

7. Remember customers and competitors h5> Communication with customers and observing competitors - this is where it all must begin and end. Everything else usually privyaano be those processes. Clients - poll, sales, feedback, ideas, and so on.

How to write a smart guy, get 10 people before the start of the project, who now will give you money for it. And another 100 people after starting

At slightly later level of professionalism will steer another phrase of one author - to manage the project, enough to manage its risks. But it is - is another story.

8. RERO around h5> This is probably the biggest and the cornerstone in the launch and development. My project on superadminke for all "turnkey" failed so far (the framework for the programmer + SaaS business, customizable MS Access online, actually). At first I was doing superkrutoy decision. Then he threw, for there was no end in sight. Then found Zoho. And then the guys who I have found a couple of years of failed ideas, who wrote me Habré and asked how the case.

On this stone attacking, attacking and will attack everything. The idea is that you need to constantly strive to do a simple step and as fast as possible. Get feedback and move on.
This is contrary to something very deep in us - the programmer is trying to write a perfect designer - draw and project manager - do immediately vosmipalubny plane. The problem is that it works and it is necessary in the construction of buildings. And in Internet projects is prohibited.

The essence is simple - if you have a burning idea to make "just and good" - to postpone the project. While you will not seek release every day, at least one button (ideally with a minimum of resources - "Startup without a budget & quot; actually called" Tualetnobumazhny businessman ", look for some reason), and collect feedback for evolutionary sense to do the project no. < br />
It kills 90% of the start-ups of my friends. While my projects are already up and running, they still write Villabadzho TK.

I do not know the arguments that would have overcome this harmful belief. Only own cones.

9. Only digits h5> In the early stages I was pleased about the projects reviewed nonprofessionals. But to manage positive or negative numbers can not be without.
Measure everything you can and what can not - busting zabluzhenie and figure out how to measure.

A typical example of what is at stake, in addition to the obvious attendance statistics. You can hear any number of "bad design", "need a handsome", "let's pererisuem." This is - garbage on vegetable oil. Firstly, the project must earn the right to itself to good design. Secondly, it is only important as specific elements (or lack thereof) influences the decision your client tasks. If you just, let's define the client's problem, made a decision, then list the user story. And optimize it by minimizing the number of clicks and mouse movements (A / B testing, etc.) and maximizing the indicator that you want (application, sales, registration).

All. Numbers only input-output, tuning and functional project under the figures and no emotion.

10. Remember the lost opportunity h5> When my former client offered to become a partner and make a joint project on the outdoor stands, I figured, and realized two things. First - I'll take and physically do not pull the two projects. And the second - making a project with an uncertain future and not liking (see. Below), I miss opportunities for the project to which you aspire and which is close to me.

Doing one thing you do not do more. It is a fundamental principle, a couple of examples of its application. Making beautiful design, you are wasting time and money, including time as they could buy a domain template for 10 bucks from wrapbootstrap and pay money to someone who really livens up the project - the programmer. Doing a large and complex prototype, you are wasting money and time and do not get feedback from customers (which could communicate), including time as a virtual competitor has already launched on Livestreet and plugins, traveled 10 offices, all emissions and already does something he received money from the companies. Sapienti sat.

11. Achieve sustainable trend h5> Most of the things I did not gradually completed. Driving to the end - a difficult thing, look for a lecture on the process-and successful people from the class person and a businessman, whom I respect oche, Sergei Kotyreva.

When you take up some task - to increase the number of registrations, or there views on man - that set a goal and go for it until you succeed. Of course, you need to reconsider - sometimes the goal can not be attained. But overall it looks like a state of flux during programming - you have to focus as much as possible and think about it all the time, do, think, do, until it's the result. For throwing even 99% of the way, then you will lose the time, all the rollbacks and have to start again.

Once we wrote aggregator specials (the generator of leads from the website of the shares and discounts on services group of companies), I've already written this case. The first few weeks we will focus on, tune application forms, content, delivery channels of traffic, working on the conversion. And after a steady trend of traffic and applications project for nearly a year to feed, reducing to regular updating of content and marketing activities.

12. Do only what you have is the soul h5> I would like to finish the message that really need to do something that is nature. In the long run, if you are not rushing the project for real, you will lose those who will compete and who will shove.

I did not do outdoor advertising, and partly for this. I had no experience in the outdoor advertising, not like dealing with it, and after the acquisition, despite clear money - do not lay the soul to it. But do projects that automate processes and improve the lives of people I like. As well as to communicate with customers and make them satisfied and happy, to solve problems. I think this decision was for me one of the most important in recent years.

Find the talents or characteristics, and project them. Take the project if in a year feel that light is not lit at him in the eyes and no paths are not restored - change it to another, or after the project - look for another vocation. Remember uspuskaemyh opportunities and that the life we ​​have only one.

Conclusion h5> I could write many more items and I will do it if the article will receive a successful response. Not everyone wants to read pomace and practice, but that I really missed it and had to catch the grains of gold, dozens of tons of sand washing books and lectures, advice and criticism.

For example, I left unsolved examples of successful and unsuccessful struggle with competitors, choice of scalable niche issue of partnership, attract users, customers, and more.

I wish all those who are doing projects, start-ups or the project manager, success in the knowledge of themselves and the world, and the achievements of failures, for achievement - encouraging and failures - are taught.

And bring the promised video, which could not be better illustrates what I call the philosophy of a successful startup.


Source: habrahabr.ru/post/222281/