60-year-old to convert $35 website into $1.5 billion business

BI Chinese station July 18 report

When Linda Dar Wienman (Lynda Weinman) created the Heavin site with her husband Brousse Hevi (Bruce lynda.com) in 1995, the site was only a small project, just as Linda himself, A personal communication tool between her students and their best-selling readers. But today, the site has become an online learning database that helps people quickly master business, technology, software and other related skills through video. In addition, the site currently has more than 4 million users, and has recently been acquired by LinkedIn for a $1.5 billion price.

All the stories of this site are starting with Linda's wish to share her charm with the web design. As early as 1993, Linda was a special effects animator and a teacher at the design School of the Art Center in Pasadena, California.   Linda wants to provide her students with an effective resource so that students can publish their work on the website – a new idea at the time – but every step she encounters is technical and boring. It capable network www.itnrw.com

As a result, Linda wrote her own book, called "Design Network Atlas (designing Web Graphics)." The book was very popular at the time and aroused a momentary sensation. At the same time, Linda also began to receive e-mails and questions from readers all over the world.

In 1995, Linda bought the Lynda.com website for $35, initially using the site only to communicate with students and readers who had doubts about their writings. Eventually, Linda's husband came up with an idea to hold a face-to-head web design lesson, so he booked a high school computer lab for a week during the spring holidays, and posted similar admissions ads through the website.

The first courses were full of participants, even from all over the world. "After posting an ad on the site, students from all over the world rushed to us," Linda told Fast Company. "The success of the first training course has greatly encouraged the couple, who have also opened more training courses, which are often reported a few months ahead of the course," he added. The couple began to create a formal school in 1997. According to Forbes, their schools are mainly known for their work and word of mouth.

But Linda's business began to decline in 2001, as was the impact of the dotcom bubble in the late 90. Linda and Hervey were forced to cut about 75% of their employees--according to reports from the company, the Linda couple reduced the original 35 employees to 9 people. To save money, the couple also stopped renting all of their classrooms and switched to online teaching. It capable network www.itnrw.com

Crucially, it is remembered that the new model of the Lynda.com site has not appeared in the current YouTube era, and that in the YouTube era, video tutorials are standard. In the early 21st century, online video was still a relatively new thing, requiring consumers to adapt to the idea. "Online video does affect our revenue in this business," Linda said to the Fast Company. ”

However, the couple has maintained their business, and by 2007, Lynda.com had hired more than 500 employees, and the size of its users had risen sharply. Today, the site has more than 3,500 courses, and also has thousands of videos, content is all-encompassing, including 3D animation and photography. Consumers can use Lynda courses through schools and businesses, or buy lynda.com courses.

Today, Linda and Hervey have been listed among the most inspirational figures in Silicon Valley. In April this year, LinkedIn offered $1.5 billion to buy its lynda.com. This merger will enable LinkedIn users to use a large number of video content to create and enhance their skills on the Lynda website, as well as to bring new possibilities to LinkedIn.

This article from: it capable network www.itnrw.com

60-year-old to convert $35 website into $1.5 billion business