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Startup 101 - what Ilearned the hard way Pieter Eerlings (@pietereer)
For who?● Thinking about starting your own business?● Just started?● Running a business but working hard for little money...
Goal of this presentation● Make you earn more● Make you work less→ If I knew all of this before I started, I wouldearn mor...
About me● Pieter Eerlings● Founded web application and mobile agency Zorros 3 years ago (service business)● 7 people toda...
The mandatory emo slide to make a connection with the audience
BEFORESTARTING
If what you are doing now is not making you happy,you have nothing to lose.
YOURCOMFORT ZONE WHERE MAGIC HAPPENS
What is your goal in your life?
Your business has to serve you.
Have a cofounder? Prepare your divorce before getting married.
HAVING A THEBRILLIANT IDEA FIRST $ ...
The best way to learn to swim is to dive.
"Dont start a company unless its an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, its not an ...
Product or service?
Dont try to be the next... Dont try to be the next Facebook.
Lazer focus on a niche.
YAY! YOUSTARTED
People who tell you to write a bigbusiness plan did probably not start a company themselve.
A mountain? A bear? A river? Lions? A big forest?Planning is guessing
Focus on the next small thing
Find your customers PAIN
Solve their PAIN
Build the minimum your customerwants to pay for. Then (try to) sell it.
Fail early, fail often (and cheap)
1. present your solution2. ask if clients would pay for it3. NO? tweak your idea & backto step (1)4. YEP? congrats, you ha...
"Serve average foodto a hungry market." – me, just now.
Your job is to find a product/market fit before you run out of cash.
The first $ is the hardest.
Cash is like air. You need it, period.
Its about solutions, not about features
Keep itSIMPLE
How you build it is completelyirrelevant. Its about the SOLUTION
"Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close theywere to success when they gave up" – Thomas E...
ONCE YOUHAVE YOUR PRODUCT/MARKET FIT
Ignore competition.
It is a rollercoaster.
Work ON your business, not IN your business
Dont burn your time. Outsource.
Investsetting up a money generating system. Dontup your timeInvest your time in your time in setting bu...
It takes as much time to run a crappy hamburger restaurant as to run McDonalds.
It takes as much time to be a full time carpenter as to run IKEA.
Being cheap is a great way to attract toxic and greedy clients.
Dont pray for unicorns. Force your luck.
VALUE TIME Done is better than perfect.
Build up recurring revenue (in), cut recurring costs (out)
Its a marathon, not a sprint.
Get 8 hours of sleep, sport and dont drink liters of coffee.
Wanna know more? Complaints? Gossip? Suggestions? http://blog.eerlings.com http://twitter.com/pietereer ...
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Startup 101, what I learned the hard way

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In this presentation I share what I learned the first 3 years starting my business. About entrepreneurship, saas, startup, products, software, bootstrapping and so on.

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Startup 101, what I learned the hard way

  1. 1. Startup 101 - what Ilearned the hard way Pieter Eerlings (@pietereer)
  2. 2. For who?● Thinking about starting your own business?● Just started?● Running a business but working hard for little money?→ This presentation is for you!
  3. 3. Goal of this presentation● Make you earn more● Make you work less→ If I knew all of this before I started, I wouldearn more today, and work less.→ I learned most of it by making mistakes.→ Im fine with that. Bouncing your headagainst the wall is the best way to learn & neverever ever ever make the same mistake again.
  4. 4. About me● Pieter Eerlings● Founded web application and mobile agency Zorros 3 years ago (service business)● 7 people today● Working on some SaaS applications (product business)● Bootstrapper● Saxophone player● Father
  5. 5. The mandatory emo slide to make a connection with the audience
  6. 6. BEFORESTARTING
  7. 7. If what you are doing now is not making you happy,you have nothing to lose.
  8. 8. YOURCOMFORT ZONE WHERE MAGIC HAPPENS
  9. 9. What is your goal in your life?
  10. 10. Your business has to serve you.
  11. 11. Have a cofounder? Prepare your divorce before getting married.
  12. 12. HAVING A THEBRILLIANT IDEA FIRST $ SUPER HARD WORK An idea is worth NOTHING without execution.
  13. 13. The best way to learn to swim is to dive.
  14. 14. "Dont start a company unless its an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, its not an obsession" – Marc Cuban
  15. 15. Product or service?
  16. 16. Dont try to be the next... Dont try to be the next Facebook.
  17. 17. Lazer focus on a niche.
  18. 18. YAY! YOUSTARTED
  19. 19. People who tell you to write a bigbusiness plan did probably not start a company themselve.
  20. 20. A mountain? A bear? A river? Lions? A big forest?Planning is guessing
  21. 21. Focus on the next small thing
  22. 22. Find your customers PAIN
  23. 23. Solve their PAIN
  24. 24. Build the minimum your customerwants to pay for. Then (try to) sell it.
  25. 25. Fail early, fail often (and cheap)
  26. 26. 1. present your solution2. ask if clients would pay for it3. NO? tweak your idea & backto step (1)4. YEP? congrats, you have abusiness
  27. 27. "Serve average foodto a hungry market." – me, just now.
  28. 28. Your job is to find a product/market fit before you run out of cash.
  29. 29. The first $ is the hardest.
  30. 30. Cash is like air. You need it, period.
  31. 31. Its about solutions, not about features
  32. 32. Keep itSIMPLE
  33. 33. How you build it is completelyirrelevant. Its about the SOLUTION
  34. 34. "Many of lifes failures are people who did not realize how close theywere to success when they gave up" – Thomas Edison
  35. 35. ONCE YOUHAVE YOUR PRODUCT/MARKET FIT
  36. 36. Ignore competition.
  37. 37. It is a rollercoaster.
  38. 38. Work ON your business, not IN your business
  39. 39. Dont burn your time. Outsource.
  40. 40. Investsetting up a money generating system. Dontup your timeInvest your time in your time in setting burn a money generating system. selling hours for money.
  41. 41. It takes as much time to run a crappy hamburger restaurant as to run McDonalds.
  42. 42. It takes as much time to be a full time carpenter as to run IKEA.
  43. 43. Being cheap is a great way to attract toxic and greedy clients.
  44. 44. Dont pray for unicorns. Force your luck.
  45. 45. VALUE TIME Done is better than perfect.
  46. 46. Build up recurring revenue (in), cut recurring costs (out)
  47. 47. Its a marathon, not a sprint.
  48. 48. Get 8 hours of sleep, sport and dont drink liters of coffee.
  49. 49. Wanna know more? Complaints? Gossip? Suggestions? http://blog.eerlings.com http://twitter.com/pietereer pieter@zorros.be

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