This document summarizes the progress and lessons learned from an entrepreneurial team developing and pivoting a social collaboration platform for small and medium enterprises in China. It describes their initial location tracking idea, first pivot to a Yammer clone, second pivot to include additional collaboration features. It discusses lessons around flexibility, customer feedback, regulations, and analytics. Status updates include website launch process, user statistics and feedback, competitors in China, and next steps to address challenges around evangelism and marketing.

1. Rita
Oliver
Vania
Raj

2. Business Canvas #1: Original idea
Location Based Asset Tracking for China SMEs


3. Business Canvas #2


4. Lessons Learned – First Pivot

 The China SME market for RFID tagging was not as
large as we imagined
 Pivoted to a Yammer Clone for the China SME
market
 Advisor and VC feedback for the pivot was great so
we saw far more potential there
 Learned importance of being flexible and willing to
decisively pivot!

5. Business Canvas #3
Key Partners Key activities Value Propositions Customer Customer Segments
Relationships

• Web site • A more secure • SMEs in China (#
• Payment providers social network among • Automated Services employees 20-100)
development
• Established Social business • Customer care line
• Mobile App
Networking platforms communities
Development
like QQ, Sina.com • Simplify and
• Database
• Smartphone App organize the lives of
management
Store providers busy professionals
Key Resources Channels
• Streamline • Internet website
• Software Developers communication and • App stores
• Software management projects • Word-of-Mouth
• Memorialize • Social Networking
meeting outcomes Websites
• Baidu / Google
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
• Cost of technology development • Freemium (Initial trial and free service for tracking a small
• Customer Service number of items)
• Data Storage • Monthly subscription cost based on usage

6. Lessons Learned – Second Pivot

 Had become a Yammer clone for the Chinese market
… but then saw potential beyond that
 Now taking the best features of social collaboration
companies – including Yammer, Doodle and
Dropbox – to include in the MVP
 Communication: Constantly seeking feedback – from
customers, advisors, and business team.
 Needed to work on IP and licensing clearances –
especially since we are dealing with China – This
took longer than expected.

7. Business Canvas #4
Key Partners Key activities Value Propositions Customer Customer Segments
Relationships
• Web site development • A more secure social • SMEs in China (# employees
• Payment providers • Mobile App Development network among business • Automated Services 20-100)
• Established Social Networking • Database management communities • Customer care line
platforms like QQ, Sina.com • Office application development • Simplify and organize the lives
• Smartphone App Store or linkage of busy professionals
providers • Streamline communication
• Chinese Government (for and management projects
license applications) • Solidify meeting times
• China Mobile Operators e.g. Key Resources • An efficient communication and Channels
China Mobile, China Unicom collaboration platform for SMEs
• Software Developers who don’t have an OA software • Internet website
• Software as a service • Appstore
• Word-of-Mouth
• Social Networking Websites
• Baidu / Google
Cost Structure Revenue Streams
• Cost of technology development • Freemium
• Customer Service • Initial trial and free service for tracking a small number of items
• Data Storage • Monthly subscription cost based on usage
• Chinese Domain registration
• Chinese SMS partnerships
• License fees

8. Web Site Launch Application Process in China
万网审核 Submit Domain Name Applications
Domain Name5 weeks Check
Takes Application
 2-3 Work Days
Get a web space from a web hosting company
Mail Information to Web Hosting Company 25-Day
4 Work Days Process
Submit Web Site Application to Communications Administration 通
管局
Company ID and Web Site Ownership
Owner State ID
License Description Certificate
15 Work Days
Web Site Application Approved

10. Lessons Learned – Third Iteration

 Prepare for the unknown - Getting Internet site up and
running in China is a non-trivial effort
 Don’t assume anything - Learned that UI design in
China is way different than in US
 Needle in a haystack - Finding early adopters is really
hard, especially when people don’t trust you
 Where’s the microscope - Analytics is a great friend if
you want to know your customer’s needs

11. State of the Union


12. Visitors Statistics To-Date from Google Analytics


13. Top Ten Most Visited Sources
City Visits Pages/Visit Avg. Time % New Bounce
on Site Visits Rate
1.
2.
Fuzhou
Xiamen
378
13

13.99
11.38
00:08:49
00:07:10
32.01%
53.85%
17.72%
15.38%
3. Beijing 9 7.44 00:08:27 88.89% 33.33%
4. Hangzhou 5 4.40 00:00:48 100.00% 20.00%
5. Shenzhen 4 3.75 00:02:25 100.00% 50.00%
6. Guangzhou 3 2.00 00:00:50 100.00% 33.33%
7. Chongqing 2 2.50 00:00:16 100.00% 50.00%
8. Dalian 1 1.00 00:00:00 100.00% 100.00%
9. Shanghai 1 40.00 00:14:36 100.00% 0.00%
10. Nanjing 1 1.00 00:00:00 100.00% 100.00%

14. Popular Visited Pages
- from Google Analytics

 Micro-blogging Page
 First Page of Site before logging in
 Page to log in
 Listing of company groups
 Invitation to other colleagues
 Viewing Members of the company
 Private Message inside the 35hzs.com

15. Customer feedback

 Customer feedback from last block
 Front page was too simple
 Reply messages need to be showed
 Concern about security
 What we have improved from customer feedback
 Front page
 Full function SMS
 Sign-in Authentication
 Learned from trial users in Oliver’s company:
 The site should be designed based on users’ daily work flow
 How to increase stickiness - rankings, supervisor’s
responses, useful & interesting contents

16. Other Players in China

 Talked to Salesforce and one other competitor
(gongxf.com) in China
 Social Collaboration for Business is new concept in China
 Salesforce Chatter: targeting Global Customers in China
 gongxf.com 工學坊： Offer free HBR articles for their
customers
 Demand is there for Business Social Collaboration Software
 Nascent Market: Only have early adaptors now
 Chinese Government is not intervening this

17. Biggest Challenges and Next Step

 More evangelists!
 More marketing and advertising activities are
needed to raise customer awareness to attract real
users
 QQ.com and Sina.com is more for consumer market
 Need to have another channel for the B-to-B market
 Continue to refine key features of the MVP
 Coding Challenge
 Start charging for the product according to a
“Freemium” model

18. Other Lessons Learned

 Unlike other MBA courses or working in a well-
established company, emulating an early stage
startup requires no clear cut tasks. As a
result, passion, individual initiative, team spirit, and
the ability to function well as a team are critical to
success.
 Legal strictures and requirements cannot be ignored.
Proper licensure and clearance is critical, especially
when working within a country such as China. These
obstacles simply took longer to overcome than
initially anticipated.