This document discusses various challenges and lessons related to starting and running a startup business. It addresses topics like getting the right partners, staying focused on execution and delivery, measuring progress, raising funds, and balancing work and personal life. The overall message is that starting a business takes longer and more effort than expected, but can be rewarding if the proper focus is placed on customers, revenue, and solving real problems.

1. Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
@ksrikrishna
krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com

2. Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
employees,
customers
@ksrikrishna
krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com

3. Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
employees, VCs, partners &
customers suppliers,
@ksrikrishna
krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com

4. Startup Sagas
angels, devils & other gargoyles
employees, VCs, partners &
you & me customers suppliers,
@ksrikrishna
krishna[at]zebugroup[dot]com

5. Start ups are hard!
Losing weight is harder!
raginiart.posterous.com

6. Eat less & Exercise More
You know this stuff

7. Devil is in
the details*
*from Bill Philips Body for LIFE!

8. 1. Build Product/Service
2. Get customers
3. Repeat

9. darn devilish details*
*from dave mcclure’s AARRR!

10. Note to self*
*have a life!
Call mom
Talk to {boy|girl}friend
Get married
Stay married
Get a job
Or was that the other way around?
Save some money

11. Entrepreneur, Writer,
Father
@ksrikrishna
http://ksrikrishna.com/

12. What have I done* *lately
Kicked some
butt & built 06 Sold
$50M 1st Business 09 Zebu
10-11 Angel
business at Started
Investments
Synopsys
10 Killed 11 Killed
06-08
Product Service
Stagnated
with buyer
96-99
Struggled
at two
startups as
#2 guy 00-06 Boot-strapped
tech business and
survived valley of death

13. Devilish details
Set out to build a Angel investments
SAAS business
dMobili - defunct
Marketing automation
http://dog-earz.com/ Althea Shufflr.tv
post Series A
Q&A Service
http://sirsir.in IndianStage -
pre-Series A
Mistake mania
Suspended in May 2010 MobStac* - post
Supended in Feb 2011 Series A

14. And you?
Have already started up
have revenue or profitable
Plan to start up this calendar year
Looking to join a start up
Not sure why I am here

15. Changing how we snack
Althea Systems shufflr.tv
Internet video
Taking Performing Arts to the
IndianStage.in indianstage.in
next level
Mobile sites in under 2
Mobile Motion mobstac.com
minutes
The fastest way to create
Zebu Communications dog-earz.com
newsletters
Power Electronics for the alt-
Amberroot Systems amberroot.com
energy systems
Muddy Boots Active vacations muddyboots.in

16. It boils down to
Know what you want
are you going to stick it out come what may
Get good partners
keep one another honest & take other folks help
Stay hungry & honest
build a business that makes real money
Raising men & money
It’ll take longer and you’ll need more - than you think
Focus on Delivery, Execution, Measurement

17. What do you want
We’re building a life-style business
we’ll change world
Building the next Google
we plan to flip
We’ll boot strap
we’ll raise a boatload of capital
Question & air all assumptions

18. Get good partners
Folks who’s
thinking aligns with yours
attitude trumps all; they challenge you whenever needed
skills complement yours
they do stuff you don’t & do it better
commitment challenges yours
prepared to work harder than you
values & vision match
in both every day action and exhibited beliefs

19. Stay Hungry & Honest
Complacency will kill you
measure yourself and be ruthless in reviewing performance
Stay externally focused at all times
don’t built did, till someone wants to pay for it
Know what to measure in which scale
daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually
Prune ruthlessly & if needed pivot
business models, employees, features, products

20. Raising men & money
You need fewer (wo)men than you reckon
Sure it’s hard to hire for startups - suck it up!
You need more money than you reckon
and you ain’t getting it - suck it up
It’ll take longer than you reckon
so start doing it pretty soon and keep at it
Money is rarely the right answer
for most problems you’ll encounter - so think past it

21. Focus & Execution
Paying customers (or advertisers)
don’t lose sight of this and keep everyone focused on it
There’s a reason you have a schedule
Triage if need be, but ship soon and ship often
Your people come first but be demanding
Fair always trumps nice - output trumps likeability
Question your assumptions at least Qtrly
you’d be surprised at what you were prepared to believe

22. Don’t do the following
Wonder how & why the other guy got funded
it’s neither useful nor healthy*
Avoid confrontations inside your organization
if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t
Build more than one product/service at a time
or address more than one market segment at a time
Take your eye of the ball
milestones slip hours/days at a time not weeks or months
if customers are not prepared to pay for it, the value is missing

23. Parting thoughts
You are building businesses
not just products or services
keep your eye on the money, customers & their problems
You are building the business
not your angels, partners or VCs
Focus on what you can control &
Don’t forget to have fun*
*quit reading TechCrunch or VC circle & start coding when you’re not selling

24. Raising kids is hardest