10. Move from programmers to entrepreneurs

Many people who participate in barcamp are switching from programmers to entrepreneurs. Although I have never been a crazy codoon (keep myself in the basement for a week and toss out 100,000 lines of code), I have also made such a transformation. During the years when I founded helpspot, I have also summed up some experiences and what will happen to people who will fail the transformation.

1. Code accounts for only 5% of the business

The most serious problem I have seen is that developers are kidnapped by code, spending countless times making a function perfect, or showing off the latest technology. Yes, your code must be of high quality without serious bugs or security issues. But remember, even the best code that nobody uses is spam. When the tax bureau closes the door to check the tax, you will find that the code is useless. When you receive a subpoena from the Court about the intellectual property lawsuit, you will find that the code is useless.

I have seen many entrepreneurs discuss code issues in forums and blogs, rather than business issues. Of course, discussing business issues is even more troublesome. So who makes you want to start a business?

2. The interface is very important, especially compared with competitors

Your product interface must be ready! The standard gray background and box controls are not enough. But you should also pay attention that your interface only needs to be more beautiful than your competitors. Therefore, if you are developing an IT system background management system, you do not need to follow the standards of end-user products. All you have to do is make your customers realize that your interface is better than your competitors. Remember, people often buy books on the cover.

3. Long Term

Programmers like to debug the program, locate the problem, and then eliminate it! You can immediately see the effect. It feels great, isn't it? But in the non-programming field, a lot of things rely on time, and there are not so many what you see is what you get. So you need to consider the long term. It may take months or even years to promote your product and gain market share. Think about your product and market six months later.

4. Acknowledge your incomprehension of user requirements and correct them.

You may be developing software for a domain you are not familiar. This is an opportunity, but you need to realize that you need to do more than just market research. You need to understand the real users and talk to them. I know you don't like it, but you have. Otherwise, you will not know which functions are useless and which functions are needed, but you do not.

At this point, many people make mistakes by copying competitors' functions. It's just a bit like copying your friend's homework, and then the two people make the same mistake. By talking with users, you can avoid mistakes made by competitors.

5. Users who love you

Many developers have stayed in the Technical Support Department. Their customers are internal staff, and they tend to despise customers. This is normal because their jobs are not proportional to their income.

But you must leave them aside. I have seen some software developers bring this attitude to the commercial software field, which cannot survive. The only way to succeed is to fall in love with your customers. You need to satisfy their needs as much as possible. If not, you need to explain why. If they select a competitor's product, you must respect their decisions and tell them that you are willing to help them if there are other requirements. I have snatched the lost list several times, because I think I am very good on the way out to customers.

6. The design should be concise, and advanced users also like simplicity.

The user interface is not used to show off the technology. You need to make the interface simple. Advanced Users and beginner users like simplicity. The most important reason for ensuring the simplicity and ease of use of the interface is to attract users. Experience users will only give you a few minutes. If you cannot get them started quickly, they will go to other products.

7. Tell your thoughts to people in other fields

You should often present your latest products to people in different fields. You will be surprised that they can find many interface and functional problems, even if they do not understand your domain. This is called the viewer!

8. Be brave in deleting useless Functions

Nothing is more painful than letting programmers delete a piece of code that runs perfectly. But you must do this. During the development process, you will realize that some functions are completely unnecessary. You 'd better find them before releasing the product. Once you find them, you must delete them to avoid any trouble.

For example, when half of HelpSpot was developed, I found that it was not easy to do a function. This function allows users to import customer information. This is not a good idea. It makes HelpSpot look like a half-finished CRM product. It also means a more complex UI. So I cut down this function for a few weeks.

Facts have proved that my decision is wise. We cut off the synchronization function, but added the real-time customer query function. Users can query customer information in their existing CRM systems through HelpSpot. This feature is unique and widely used by our customers.

9. Patience is a virtue

Time is always insufficient. It often seems that it takes only a day of work for several weeks. You need patience. I found that I must always remind myself of this point, otherwise I will become violent because I do not have enough progress. If possible, do not set a time limit with your customer, or commit your three-month work to one month. I am still thinking about this.

10. always start a business like learning Programming

Remember when you first started learning programming? You will read every book. When you are learning the first language, you will buy eight different books. Although they are about the same content, you have read them all, because you have never learned enough. From a programmer to an entrepreneur, you need to take this attitude out. Otherwise, you will always be a hero and will never become rich and handsome. You need to read as many materials as possible to let you know about the target market, business operations, daily management, and time management.

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