10,000 yuan Cost: a grassroots Internet entrepreneurship confession

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A "Three without" internet grassroots entrepreneurs, to vertical site for the fulcrum to pry open O2O practice Road, and entrepreneurship at the beginning of only 10,000 yuan cost close the site.

Many friends suggested that I write my internet undertaking, I also tried to write a few times, but often after the completion of the entrepreneurial experience, told a bunch of correct nonsense. But it's not. I do not want to write a good point, but looking back on my entrepreneurial experience, is really no bright spots, no slots, no G-point, such a "three-no" entrepreneurial experience of their own to want to be a cup of cold boiled water. And this time to write a pen, racked his brains after finally think of a seemingly tall topic.

When it comes to vertical communities, people assume that vertical communities are a platform, especially for operators. And we see from the actual experience that this knowledge is somewhat biased. I think the vertical community often plays the role of a fulcrum, the relationship between the site and the industry is a lever, and the site operator is the person holding the lever. The industry has its own development rules, and the fulcrum placed in the position, the lever is not long enough and strong enough, these three determines how a vertical community can eventually achieve much success. The philosophy behind our fulcrum theory is that people often only believe in the people who do it. Objectively speaking, our team combat capacity is not strong, especially in the negotiation ability is very weak, so need to do a lot of things to make customers and suppliers trust.

The crawling of a snail

Now think of it, I do a friend network is a bit accidental, in 2005 decided to do a healthy community about hair, more reason is I want to get a career in the Internet industry, in the talent of the Royal Park in Beijing, because of the low education plus no relevant experience, at that time thinking of doing a case may work easier to find some. So, for me, the starting point of this career is not high, unlike those who have a big dream of the entrepreneur in the beginning has a magnificent plan, I never wanted to change the world, and did not want to change the pattern of the industry to create a new business civilization.

Before the friend net, there are some websites about hair health, and do well. But they are mostly content optimization and product sales model, did not do forum mode. These are my analysis came out, the original forum is because of simple, do not need too many beautiful things, content can also send a casual some, the biggest advantage is that if there are some netizens to send content, I will be more convenient, nothing more. Unexpectedly this product form coincides with the spirit of the Internet: openness, synergy, sharing and sharing. Of course, it is still not enough, in the early days of the development of friends, I know something about the hair, and there are some good writing materials, this is a very important unique content. Now if you go to search for hair, may be a professional introduction too much, the 2005 when the online very little knowledge of the Chinese content. It is precisely because of these content that I do not know what is going on in the situation, traffic is coming. #p # subtitle #e#

Website screenshot

People who have done the site know that the site traffic is slightly larger after one o'clock on the server requirements, and we rented a virtual space, due to traffic restrictions, the site is often not open. So either turn it off or get a server. I chose the latter, but I have no money in my hand, so I can't afford to worry about my relatives and friends. So I thought to see if someone can give a little sponsorship money or something, I found a sales brother to help me sell ads. The first choice is the industry's leading enterprises. As a result, the other side of the marketing team is also very good, directly tell us: try to do three months of advertising, if the effect we give money. We sum up a bit, this is a little pull, the site will not open the old, the other side found that must still not give money.

The experience of looking for a sponsor is really bad, just as we were about to give up the shutdown, there were two of them, but in our opinion, the life-saving sponsors didn't give us much money, and two added up to over 10,000 dollars a year. But this is the timely rain, solve the problem of the survival of the network of friends. In fact, it is proved that these two institutions are far-sighted, not that they choose us to have a vision, but they eat the Internet more thoroughly. Now they are two of the top three in the industry, and the leaders have no longer heard much in the industry. Since we met at a very young age, we were very good friends in addition to our business, and we still have hair and internet marketing all the time. With words, such cooperation and friendship has been nearly 10 years.

Vertical website O2O Pivot

With the development of friends network, we began to think about the development of the problem, began to have a platform dream, think of the site if you can have hundreds of thousands of of visits a day, in the industry can also assume the role of the flow entrance, so there is no worry about no money to earn. But the market is not with the people's Fantasy walk, in fact: because is a problem-solving community, every visitor is a very realistic demand, come to hair friends if the hair problem solved rarely come back, if you can not solve their own hair problems will not return. Only a handful of people will often be on such websites. This is quite different from a forum like Tianya Mop. This kind of blow lets us go back to reality, rethink our position and finally find a way.

At this stage is almost 2009 years, it is this time we identified the role of the network, defined as a fulcrum. Then it is to rethink the profit point problem, relying on advertising costs to feed the team is very difficult. We analyzed, about the hair can be profitable points are: 1, transplant surgery; 2, health hair and hair care, 3, hairdressing services, 4, around the first three customer introduction commission; 5, Hair care products sales. For the first three kinds of service we soon denied, too unsuitable for us. The fourth kind for us may be able to quickly make some money, but we can introduce the main is the hair-making customers, this market is very small, a little bit can touch the ceiling. The rest is only the fifth point, although it is very difficult, but this is what we have to choose.

For hair care products sales subdivided into: Agent brand and independent brand. We have done research and found: Agent brand to do a little easier, but the profit margin is very low, independent brand profit margin is high, but the operation is very difficult. Then we analyzed the ability of the team: we are good at doing community operations, but we know little about brand marketing, production and sales. Finally we decided to use the network as a fulcrum for our start-up, then start from the agent brand, can enhance our understanding of brand marketing and improve our sales capacity; At the same time, we began to contact research and development institutions and manufacturers, to prepare for the next step, and then did a third thing, is to run to note a trademark called Su.

Pry Open website Platform Dream

Later proved that this layout is also good, in the course of operation, several aspects of spontaneous interaction will be, continuous fermentation and expansion of the network around the formation of this fulcrum more and more big. In 2012, we launched the Su this trademark, for niche market made a health brand, made the first single product, is a shampoo. In this process, the network as a fulcrum to play a big role, because the only to make a good product is not enough, need someone to say, said the people will be enough authority. In the early stage we put the product to a lot of related health care personnel and hair friends online active hair friends to use. At this time relying on the credibility of the hair network, otherwise a new brand few people are willing to use, especially these authoritative people are very picky and cautious. After several rounds of trial, the product soon embarked on a benign operation.

Because of the fulcrum of consciousness, we constantly in the initiative to make this fulcrum more perfect. For example, we are particularly concerned about the emergence of new media, and the current media craze has also given us great enlightenment. We have set up a friend of the public account and my own public account, the first group of fans are from the network. This operation brings another benefit: we have established more contact points with our users and closer relationships. Then there will be new opportunities, for example, based on the current media situation, we are going to launch a new brand of hair care, the kind of people-friendly route. Although dare not say will succeed, but have such a fulcrum pry move, get a lot of industry personage and the support of the user, certainly will the success probability greatly raise.

About the business story of the Friends network is probably so, I think we can also understand why this is a three no entrepreneurial story: we did not have a vigorous marketing initiatives, not fast also doubled, did not have the stimulation of debt management. Just like a snail in the vast rainforest leisurely crawling, thinking and practicing their own future, the danger came in the shell to hide for a while, the danger went on to continue their own crawling, no eye-catching. For us, it is not so much entrepreneurship as the practice of life.