How to mature gradually, complete from product manager to entrepreneur Transmutation

August 2014, the United States Regiment net monthly turnover exceeded 4.5 billion yuan. As one of the best product managers in China, Silicon Valley geek entrepreneur, 10 years of sharpening, Wang is how to mature gradually, complete from the product manager to the evolution of the entrepreneur? The following is a summary of the 10-year absolute dry goods for the Wang venture.

First, the spirit of entrepreneurship is not enough

When the campus of the net because Wang did not complete financing and capital chain break, forced to sell.

Network financing, Sequoia Investors asked Wang them, how to make money? They did not think clearly, answer vague: the site and geographical location, can advertise. At that time, who can want SNS website depends on the game to make money? Wang They did not think, so their answer, not to mention investors, even their own dissatisfied.

On this issue, the joint founder of the net, the United States Deputy President Wang Huiwen Heart first reaction is disdain, rapid growth has a large number of users, the future of the way to make money will certainly have, there is no need to discuss this issue. Investors ask how do you plan to promote? Their answer is that students are on vacation, ready to do some activities. Investors answer, OK, then you go back to do it. When it comes to the price, they offer a price of millions of dollars. Investors said, you are not low price. They answered, "Wait a while, we'll be taller."

Wang later reflected on his own mistakes: "The most exquisite description of entrepreneurship is that entrepreneurial nature is the pursuit of opportunity, temporarily ignoring the amount of resources they now control." But the entrepreneurial spirit is not enough, you have to communicate, tolerance is very important. ”

Second, only playing with feelings is misguided

The Internet age is the product of the king of the Times, is the perfectionist has a systemic advantage of the era, only a very strong perfectionist people, to the product polished so good, excellent products, the entire company won.

Wang is one of the top product managers in China. However, the product manager to achieve this level is not the problem of doing a good job of the user experience, not the question of whether or not to do something extreme. For the product manager, Wang's view is:

"Feel that the product is to meet the needs of users, you have to understand what kind of people to meet what kind of needs, this is the core of things." As in the development of micro-letters, this team is very literary, right? More literary feelings, of course, is icing on the cake, but I think it is not the key. If a product does not play a solid basic skills, do not know what is the core needs, do not understand what to meet the needs of users, learning those literary feelings, is completely misguided. ”

Iii. the "secret weapon" of the United States Regiment

In Wang's eyes, the United States network is to continue through IT system improvement, training staff, to achieve more efficient, lower costs, to consumers lower prices. Popularly speaking, is to give consumers more, better, cheaper to eat and drink. It's not easy to do. Every day low price, say all understand, do difficult. This tests the company's IT capabilities, supply chain management capabilities. Supply chain management, is to rely on excellent it technology to do support.

Wang said: "IT systems as far as possible in all aspects of the company, departments, posts, links." The value of technology is often short-lived in this industry, but in the long run, most people underestimate the value of technology in the industry. American network in the industry leader, run faster a little more directly related to information, the simplest example, in June 2011, we know how many people in the United States, we did 1.5 after the time to know how many people, these people are not really in the work. When the city expands to 100, there are people who get in every day and people leave every day, as well as the rates. Many of our opponents are not as good as the number of people in the company later than us. ”

Four, to push "axes" such as He Yi on

July 2011, the United States to complete the second round of financing, including Alibaba. At that time Wang was trapped in the BD (Business Development) department How to manage, the competitor's digging the corner to let him tired. The investor advised him to consult Canga Wei. He is 10 years older than Wang Xingda and is Alibaba's 67th employee and vice president for business-to-business sales.

Talk for 5 months, Wang persuaded Canga Wei as the United States Regiment COO, responsible for the United States Regiment network supply chain management, sales department, Quality control department, editorial department, sales support, customer service department, the Department of the purchase of goods are owned by his management. He talked to people from various departments, and felt that it was not easy for the United States to survive today, not even to make mistakes, but to know nothing was wrong at all. ”

Canga Wei's axes has laid a 2012-year performance growth: On the hardware, change the organization structure, the introduction of the regional system, in the software, the establishment of sales management system, the implementation of the "Crazy Call, Crazy single" business strategy.

Previously, sales of the main line of management is not clear, in the end is the marketing-oriented, or management and efficiency-oriented. After Canga Wei clearly increase effective supply can lead to performance, is cost-leading, efficiency ahead. 2012 U.S. network sales direction clear, "Crazy visit, Crazy on a single" to increase effective supply.

In the United States network online SKU explosive growth, the volume of transactions also erupted in growth, March 2012 began to Hurricane Mengjin. Quality control, technical base better than others, the direction of clear, increase supply, sales team management to carry out, efficiency caught up, this opened the gap. By August 2014, the market share of the United States network accounted for more than 58%.

V. Entrepreneurship what mistakes cannot be made

In the first half of 2011 did not blindly play offline advertising, is the United States network did the most correct one. Startups sometimes compete with people who make fewer mistakes and live longer with less money. In the school, Wang learned the lesson, must leave sufficient funds, the cash flow has enough attention. Rely on capital strength fatten urge Big group purchase website, in capital suddenly encounter cold moment, expose Puffiness Foundation. In 2011, the number of group-buying companies climbed to more than 5,000, a huge expense. July 2011, the capital market cooling, not to melt the money, the hands of the funds can not support the scale of expansion, they hastened to brake, layoffs, from more than 5,000 people to more than 2000 people. The company that is busy downsizing, people are in a panic, everybody is careless work. And the U.S. regiment, because of prudent control of operating costs, rapid attack, by the end of 2011, to become the market share of the first group buying site.

Vi. shelving disputes, team innovation

2012, Wang Consider the movie ticket this piece independently, let Xu Xian is responsible for making cat's eye movie. Cat's Eye movie ready to do online selection, which involves a very dirty very tired very heavy work: offline need to place a ticket machine. The cost of a machine is more than 10,000 yuan, if laid in the country, this cost is at least millions of yuan.

In the interior, why should decorate the ticket machine, the argument is too loud, who did not convince who, deadlocked in there. According to the decision logic of the American Mission Network, we must think clearly before we can do it on a large scale. Xu Xian said: "OK, wait until the first quarter is over and then continue to discuss how to do, first put aside the controversy." He took the team and continued to negotiate with the ticketing system.

In the October, Xu Xian combined the experience and lessons learned from this six months of climbing and rolling, to focus on internal communication: Online selection is the future trend, do not see now is the mainstream of group buying, Shanghai has proved that the future of this industry is to choose the seat online, we must do. Ticket machine, ticketing system these things are painful to do, but this is necessary to complete the user experience, although very dirty very tired, but you have to do.

Now, the United States group Cat's eye film has become the largest movie ticket distribution platform, accounting for the National film One-fifth, every five movie tickets, there is a United States team cat's eye sales.

Seven, "Wang said there is, I believe him"

From the school, Rice to the United States Group network, Wang early entrepreneurial partners are in the United States are now the backbone of the network. The United States Network is a happy story. The original entrepreneurs because of entrepreneurial passion together, ignorant, stumbled to explore the entrepreneurial road, and because of different interests and differences, and finally reunited in the United States Group Network. I asked Wang: what was the reason for your reunion in the American network? Wang said four words: "Contract spirit!"

After the sale of the net, Yang (now the United States team responsible for sales of the vice President) continue to follow Wang Entrepreneurship, is not a network of rice shareholders, he left Rice because of family reasons. When Wang again invited him to join the United States Network, the United States network has been operating for some time, but his shares from the rice net transfer to the United States network, retained.

Wang Huiwen joined the American network at the end of 2010 and Wang pledged his share. 2011, the United States network to do the financing, Alibaba investors do due diligence, and Wang Huiwen the following dialogue:

Investor: Do you know your shares in the American network?

Wang Huiwen: I probably know that.

Investor: Did you sign an agreement?

Wang Huiwen: No.

Investor: Aren't you worried?

Wang Huiwen said: "Don't worry, this (my shares) is Wang told me personally." He said there was, I believe him.

Eight, the entrepreneur has no foresight, the sky Underground

Visionary and visionary entrepreneurs, the gap between the sky and the ground. The former can see what the picture is for a long time in the future, stick to the right direction, advance, can go to the destination. Far-sighted, strategic insight, adhere to the right choice, the company less detours, to the same speed, not detours on the faster than others.

Foresight stems from the insight into the nature of products, from the insistence on independent thinking. Many people do group buying site, because group buying site is enough fire. But Wang is not, he is really studying the nature of group buying, he even deviated from the United States network of teachers, buy the originator of Groupon Road.

Groupon believes that businesses first, consumers second, in the business to obtain value, gross profit margin as high as 40%; The United States Group network that consumers first, the second, in the consumer to obtain value, low margin, must rely on a large number of consumers to maintain this model. 2012 Wang proposed group buy "three Low" theory: Low-cost, high-quality, high efficiency, low cost, High-tech, low margin.

Wang's understanding of group buying is the root cause of the group's difference from other group buying sites. Wang's understanding of group buying is a yardstick used to measure the problems and processes encountered in the company's operations and to rectify the problem. Each time the slight difference of rectification, finally let the American network and other competitors accumulated moat Gap.

Nine, Wang selected senior executives, the standard on this article

On the Wang desk, there is a magazine with Lenovo Group as its cover. He said the three elements of Mr Liu's management were strong, putting the team ahead of the strategy.

An executive at a group buying site thinks Wang is a product manager, "There should be strong people behind him to support him." I do not think his strategy is very strong, fortunately, the United States Regiment in each line of business are very good people. Wang Huiwen said: "This is related to the characteristics of Wang, he led us to introduce people very cautious." Some of our competitors have not been able to introduce the competent professional managers, and some are disorderly introduction. The introduction of a good executive absolutely make the company a step, the introduction of the wrong on the next step, one into a retreat, the gap opened. ”

Wang Huiwen took over the marketing department, advertising is a trouble, he felt that he can not be immersed in this matter every day, need to find a person who can control the business, so found the Chen Min. He had dealings with Chen Min when he was in the Amoy room net. From April 2011 onwards, Wang Huiwen has been lobbying Chen, until August, the other party joined the United States network.

Chen Min can calculate a clear account, what is to buy, what is not to buy channels. A lot of competitors just can't figure out this account.

2011, the United States Group Network has also introduced the Financial Director Qiang, responsible for mobile Chen Liang, customer service director Yang, COO Canga Wei. Originally in the United States network of people, strongly feel, every one, the United States network on a step.

In the "Nine defeats a win: the founder of the United States Wang ten years" This book, I spent a lot of ink to describe how people around Wang, in the entrepreneurial process played a role. Wang 10 years of entrepreneurship, closely related to the efforts of these people. It is also because of their efforts to achieve today's Wang.

Wang said: "Thanks to the team and I fought together, in a precarious time, a lot of people adhere to it."

Ten, entrepreneurial beginner, can not be trapped in success or failure

Wang always "believe that technology changes the world." "Wang hometown in Longyan, Fujian, from a young age like science. He skipped class to climb the train, the teacher criticized him naughty, he said: "I am studying the steam engine." "In grade five or six, he and his partner contacted the radio, made a tape recorder and a power amplifier; Middle school, they read Iacocca, Gates, Dale's books, and tried to sell modems and discuss the informatization of the future road."

"Digital Survival" is Wang's internet enlightenment, which says the internet is essentially moving bits faster and cheaper than moving atoms. Wang's father made the cement business, the first batch to buy computers in Longyan. 1995, Wang by dialing the BBS in Guangzhou, browsing other people's messages, the wonderful world of the internet opened in his eyes. 1997, Wang to Beijing to read, Tsinghua BBS let him feel "the whole world at their fingertips."

"Jobs spoke at Stanford and said that a lot of things look back to get the dots together." From my first interest in computers, learning to program to go abroad, these experiences have jointly affected my entrepreneurial. "Wang said.

"I think most people who start a business will fail and have to do the worst." However, you do not start a business, does not depend on whether it will fail, but because you are interested in the process, whether enough to believe in your goals, even if you fail, you think the journey is worthwhile, your efforts are worthwhile, then you do it. ”