This document discusses lessons learned from various business ventures and startups. It describes 5 stories of companies or products the author was involved in from the late 1980s to present. Each story is followed by 1-3 lessons learned from that experience related to seeing opportunities, avoiding bad partners, failure leading to new opportunities, timing, sustainable business models, fully committing, scratching personal itches, success being non-transferable, managing early excitement, and doing market research. The overall lessons are applied to the author's current company, AdDuplex.

1. Succeeding?
Failing?
Learning!
Alan Mendelevič
@ailon

2. “80 percent of success is showing up”
Woody Allen

3. Story #1
Wheel of fortune
(late 80s - early 90s)

4. Sinclair ZX Spectrum+

6. Lesson #1
See an opportunity where others
only see a problem

9. Lesson #2
Avoid crappy people

10. Story #2
ArticleCentral.com
(1999 – sold in 2002)

11. Lesson #3
Failure leads to next opportunity

13. My first and only exit
to date (2002)

15. 2004

16. Lesson #4
Timing is everything

17. Story #3
SPAW Editor
(2003 – 2008 – still on life support)

18. v.1.0 (2003)

19. Lesson #5
Sustainable business model is
important
(unless you have investor money to burn)

20. v.1.1 (2006)

21. Lesson #6
Go all-in
a.k.a.
consulting is your startup’s enemy
a.k.a.
don’t quit your 9-to-5 job to start a startup

22. v.2 (2007)

23. Lesson #4
Timing is everything
(too late this time)

25. Story #4
amCharts for WPF, Silverlight
and Windows Phone
(2008 - present)

27. Lesson #7
Scratch your own itch
a.k.a.
money can’t be your only motivation

28. Lesson #8
Success is not [necessarily]
transferable

29. Story #5
MVPonT & Twuel
(2010)

32. Lesson #9
Don’t get too excited with early
success

34. Lesson #10
Do your homework a.k.a. market
research

35. Lessons learned
applied to AdDuplex

36.  See an opportunity where others only see a problem
 Avoid crappy people
 Failure leads to next opportunity
 Timing is everything
 Sustainable business model is important
 Go all-in
 Scratch your own itch
 Success is not [necessarily] transferable
 Don’t get too excited with early success
 Do your homework a.k.a. market research

37. Lessons learned

38. Lessons learned
in Silicon Valley

39. “… life is a lesson, you learn it
when you're through”
Limp Bizkit (?)

40. Alan Mendelevič
@ailon

41. Image credits
• Sinclair ZX Spectrum+ -
http://www.old-computers.com
• ZX Spectrum+ Manual – Retronaut
http://www.retronaut.co/2011/08/zx-
spectrum-plus-user-guide/
• Integral/Acer -
http://englishrussia.com/2009/12/24/in-
belarus-weve-got-integral/
• Silicon Valley - Christian Rondeau
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianrondea
u/3471929554/