Everyone's Windmill network product manager summed up the business failure: survival is the key

"Editor's note" This article consists of Tech2ipo's Yang according to Renren's Pinterest tourism social networking site "Windmill Network" PM Chen Xiaofeng for Team dissolution analysis of the text in the PDF, the article contains Chen Xiaofeng in Baidu, everyone and many other companies experience, Also include the company's internal entrepreneurial blood lessons, whether for Internet practitioners or on the entrepreneurial road you, have a very positive reference meaning. The Windmill network from March 20 High-profile on-line, to May 17 team dissolution, only experienced less than 2 months time.

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Last April, for a variety of reasons, left the dry 4 years of Baidu. Did not think of entrepreneurship or internal entrepreneurship, as many Baidu technology-born managers, tired of a variety of system architecture and coordination, but also tired with a group of fucked pm cooperation, hoping to do something they like. After leaving Baidu into a social gaming company, this time everyone hr found me, said that the senior hope to meet the understanding, the results of an interview, began to let me in charge of glutinous rice products and technology, I refused (not do not like group buying, is these products are too similar, glutinous rice that time is half a PM part-time), Then said there is a personal and art Dragon Joint venture Project "Windmill" (began to call Dragonfly, and later for some reasons to keep the Dragonfly, let us find another domain name, I found the windmill), the direction of tourism, feel good, and everyone will be listed immediately, passed.

Now think, a word special to have the feeling, that is: the choice is greater than the effort. Whether it is college students looking for jobs, is a variety of reasons for the job, or a business with friends, cautious choice, choose a reliable company, the choice of reliable products, the choice of reliable managers and partners, the choice of a reliable boss, spend more time contact and side understanding, can avoid many detours. I just took a detour.

However, success is the result of failure, the right face. For my personal development, this detour is actually very rewarding. If summed up precipitation, can also become a later experience. As the 10 percent store's Zhou Zhiqing and I said: Chen Old Lady help you to start a business failure to pay, also give you pay, this venture you actually earn.

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I am also not very fond of writing memoirs of the people, do not intend to write the flow of the record of the expansion of the internal business of the drip. Write some experience, and good friends to share, but also help themselves precipitation. Do not be too serious about these things, after all, from the failure of others to learn will be very limited, very shallow. Many reasons are simple and simple.

1, do not first gentleman, after the villain

When I was a graduate student at Tsinghua University, I started a business with a few friends and made telecom equipment suppliers (VoIP signaling monitors). A system can sell 380,000 to 450,000, cost only 230,000, start to develop well, then many manufacturers including Huawei also enter this area. But these external factors did not overwhelm us, but a few founders began to infighting, the CEO with the Telecom customers Europe eat and drink gambling, and no list out, CTO think he also sold 2 units, can be completely alone; the founder of the hardware, part of the company, thought you were going to die sooner or later, and now withdrawal.

Finally, the entrepreneurial yellow, brothers to meet the enemies. Think about the beginning of the cavity enthusiasm together, everyone is a gentleman, said can not pay, can not title, their own money to buy shares, but then after a little improvement, are beginning to calculate and mutual calculation.

Internal entrepreneurship, look at the bright, rich resources and support, but actually do it very difficult, the success rate of internal entrepreneurship should be no external start-up high. Don't be too optimistic at first, don't believe in verbal promises, try to get some more, and walk down some realistic written stuff.

Internal business, internal cooperation is the key, but also the hardest place. Therefore, the general will be drawn from various departments to the team (and a lot of people who are rubbish to kick to this side), so that on the one hand the bottom of the smooth cooperation on the other hand, but also conducive to the heritage of corporate culture. At first, however, I was unaware of the problem. When the boss introduced the project and team members to the heads of the parallel teams, the head of each department will dig out the lungs of the expression: Welcome to come together to seize the commanding heights of the Internet, our brother department Zaguomaitie also to support you. In fact, this is not to say to you, but to the boss to listen to.

Wait until the concrete cooperation thing, the general statement: This is not our KPI, you need to prepare for the year ahead of schedule, which is related to us, needs and the boss for approval; Our products also want to support, but the RD is not enough; our rd support is fine, but we need to consult with the project manager. and product confirmation requirements. You often say that the company attaches great importance to this new business, he said that our department is now really xxxx ...

So, in many companies are executives directly grasp the innovation of the early incubation and resource coordination (I and the boss wrote a detailed introduction, the boss very Government replied: "Good point! we will study it." If not, you can communicate these resources from the outset, what support the system and technology needs to improve, how much price each quarter offers, and what support BD needs to do. Start small into the end, and then work together.

2, find a reliable boss

Recently a very popular internet company to find me, I hope I go, I hesitated for a while, finally gave up. To tell you the truth, I was more afraid of the kind, entrepreneurship was acquired, and then big company to do the head of high camp. It is not that this is not reliable, is my own bitten, ten years shy.

Companies across the department, although more complex, but the intention to operate or very good coordination (I have written in Baidu two internal cooperation with the article, now Baidu Intranet can also search, interested students can find me). But the most difficult to cooperate with, or entrepreneurial projects, frankly speaking, you do not have the resources, just by promise and flicker, no one cock you. To support you, in addition to past resources, newly established relationships, the most effective is your boss. Your boss and your style is match, whether actively help you seek resources, whether optimistic about this new direction is to be studied, whether a long-term plan and plans. If your boss is directly a product manager or development manager, forget it.

The product manager was forced to talk to the boss many times before leaving, but then he left. After leaving, the boss said to me: Xiao Feng, your new product direction is to steal the idea of others, you and the product director of the problem is not like you feedback, I will arrange for people to investigate, but I am too busy, do not have time to do this thing, since the new product direction has been determined, you will be full Speed projectile, do it well!

It is from this time that I began to lose faith in Renren, also the one bitten by the snake. There is a basic principle in management. This management principle you do not understand, but you should at least know the human accident even if suspected also don't first say, investigate understand first Ah, pro!

There is a very senior director of Personal network, and I chat, she said a word, let me a bit completely disillusioned: internal entrepreneurship, you first want to know what the boss wants, not what your users want. This is not necessarily true in theory, but it has a real meaning.

Baidu Library began in March 11, due to a variety of reasons (new to PM interest points, copyright problems), began to do electronic pay reading direction. I was very opposed at the time, but I left in April. Later, Baidu also bought the sweet potato net that has not been issued wages, by the beginning of 12 also completely gave up, the team business also dissolved. So, we need to think about, Baidu boss to the library of what hope? What is the hope for a new group of products? Do you want to earn 200,000 a month, or do you want to make up for the content of the Web search? The answer must be the latter. So stick to do beans, space open platform access game, the library to sell books at the end of the meal. But the situation of Baidu game is different, the boss of your positioning is to earn a little money, do the exclusive agent to do the face of the brand is also contrary to the original intention.

So, as a project for everyone and the art dragon, we need to understand what the board's classmates need. We first look at the art dragon, Art Dragon is a traditional OTA company, the boss used to sell sanitary napkins (this is not ironic, the management of Procter and Gamble is very good, business really do well), his hope for dragonflies only one: the use of everyone's traffic, product sales, so the windmill will be able to make money next month. The same products in the glutinous rice tourism channel, go.qq.com (do not know that after), the former is very match of the needs of the dragon, Monthly also can sell 2.4~3 million night, the latter Tencent did not invest in the promotion of resources, it is estimated that will fall off the end. So the concept of social tourism, in the Art Dragon Sounds, is estimated to be like a piece of slowly fermented stool. We look at Old Lady Chen, he actually Ming from the community this thing, need to operate, spend money will also smash this truth, so he is more biased internet a little bit. But in the face of the pressure from 20 dollars to 3 dollars in capital markets, the old lady often says that I will guide you 1 million people with the core users in the past, this product can get up? 1 don ' t want Money, I want success! He is anxious to produce products, anxious to become famous (do not listen to a person shouted realism slogan, to see a person chasing fame and profit behavior).

3, treat your subordinates

Whether it's a start-up or an in-house venture, talk clearly about the risks while you are willing to follow your men to clear up the opportunities. Otherwise, your greatest guilt must be to this group of brothers who follow you through the fire.