Rashmi Sinha, CEO & Cofounder, SlideShare How to run a scrappy startup

Who am I?

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best place in the world to share presentations

Taking over the world (one PowerPoint at a time!) Start: May 06 > Beta > Launch Oct 06 > Grow > Grow more > Angel funding Dec 07 > Series A Apr 08

Start: May 06 > Beta > Launch Oct 06 > Grow > Grow more > Angel funding Dec 07 > Series A Apr 08

How to run a scrappy startup OR how to make the most of the money you have OR How to build the best product with little money

OR how to make the most of the money you have

OR How to build the best product with little money

1. Keep your day job till your idea has legs MindCanvas to SlideShare

MindCanvas to SlideShare

Start from top in being scrappy

The lower the CEO salary, the more likely it is to succeed …it goes to whether the mission of the company is to build something new or just collect paychecks. Peter Thiel, Founders Fund

Cash is important Know your burn rate & fume date (when you will run out of money) at any moment

Know your burn rate & fume date (when you will run out of money) at any moment

2. Have a remote team Offshore not outsource Everyone should feel ownership (& have stock options) Hire smart people, give them ownership

Offshore not outsource

Everyone should feel ownership (& have stock options)

Hire smart people, give them ownership

Challenges Getting to know each other (developing informal rapport) Body clock Benefits: 24 hour cycle

Getting to know each other (developing informal rapport)

Body clock

Benefits: 24 hour cycle

Synchronous is must Need to look at same screen Skype GoToMeeting

SCRUM End of day reports

3. Bring expertise into company without hiring Advisory roles – SEO, Sales, Metrics, Marketing

Advisory roles – SEO, Sales, Metrics, Marketing

How to structure advisory relationships How much stock? Setup monthly meetings Create action items at each meeting, complete them, report back

How much stock?

Setup monthly meetings

Create action items at each meeting, complete them, report back

Accountants & HR Rent a CFO

Rent a CFO

Recruiting is hard Recruiters or not?

Recruiters or not?

4. Get a good lawyer

5. Outsource what you can Amazon S3, EC2 Dedicated servers instead of colocation Google Ads, custom search Different widgets (Gigya, AddThis)

6. Don’t let biz-dev get ahead of product

Deals with big companies can be a mirage

7. Marketing: Do you really need that schwag?

User acquisition is a science Be metrics based

Be metrics based

SEO not SEM Have an organic SEO story How to incorporate seo from ground up

Have an organic SEO story

How to incorporate seo from ground up

8. Don’t skimp on team Hire the best designers & developers you can

Hire the best designers & developers you can

Create fun work culture celebrate every victory, have meals together

celebrate every victory, have meals together

Have food around office (even if not Google gourmet)

9. Speed is imperative

Small & agile

Set the tone for speed In hiring, development, design, releases, biz dev

In hiring, development, design, releases, biz dev

Be agile (worry about scaling later)

(worry about scaling later)

10. Build a great product

a. Solve one problem really well

b. Make app social SlideShare as non social app PowerPoint plugin? No virality

SlideShare as non social app

PowerPoint plugin?

No virality

c. Social networks or open web?

d. Understand markets you build for MindCanvas: Could sell into market SlideShare: Understood market

MindCanvas: Could sell into market

SlideShare: Understood market

e. To build a feature or not to Listen to loudest? Watch behavioral metrics? Read blog posts?

Listen to loudest?

Watch behavioral metrics?

Read blog posts?

Always think: How should we double traffic ?

f. Everyone on team should use product Let engineers directly get customer feedback

Let engineers directly get customer feedback

11. How to Launch

The Alpha Feedback to the embed No publicity Browser compatibility issues

How developed should a Beta be? SlideShare beta Enough to get point across Little of social layer Not buggy

SlideShare beta

Enough to get point across

Little of social layer

Not buggy

SlideShare launch Invite only: Before or after launch? Alpha Stealth mode Open to all Launch Invite only

Invite only: Before or after launch?

Initial Momentum

Finally find me at www.slideshare.net/rashmi http://twitter.com/rashmi

find me at

www.slideshare.net/rashmi

http://twitter.com/rashmi