The history of my failure to start a business

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"Guide" Game media U9 net former general manager Li Qiufeng after three years of social game entrepreneurship, after all, or failed. Few people in the industry summed up the experience of the failure to leave to Up-and, so the mistakes in the business in one after another team to reproduce, this is a founder of the blood written on the experience summed up, blood can not be white flow, the text must be read.

Li Autumn Experience:

17173 Community Senior Manager

Sohu Game Channel Editor

UUU9. COM General Manager

Founder of Fenghua Games (social game development)

(has also been in contact with other companies in the operations, marketing, PR, sales work)

Body：

From 09 until now, after three years of time, I finally failed to start a business. Failure is not terrible, it is terrible to learn from failure.

I think the most important three points of entrepreneurship, according to the weight of the order is the size of the business model, executive power and funding. The business model is what you're going to do, how many important aspects of the whole business are figuring out, these links are implemented in place to achieve profitability; Executive power can also be understood as a team, whether you can let your team, your business model is very good implementation, so that the concept into reality; Finally, money is not everything, No money is absolutely impossible, we all understand.

The first step in entrepreneurship: identifying business models

Many professional managers start the biggest problem is not to start as a business to treat, business is the core business model, what you want to produce, production good how to promote sales? There are a lot of questions that arise from these two questions, such as how do you produce the high-quality products you want? Does your agent have the ability to do the promotion ? How do you establish and maintain a platform relationship? In the past work experience, professional managers are accustomed to doing things according to the requirements of the boss, regardless of how much cost to do a thing, whether the company can afford to pay the cost, the matter is good to generate how much revenue, if the boss thinks the cost is too high and canceled the plan, Professionals will also feel that the boss is stingy, in fact, this is a high degree of lack of experience, the specific performance.

If the CEO's understanding of the business model is superficial, at least the venture will fail. Determine the direction of the project, determine the effectiveness of the team, determine the agent capacity, determine a good platform relationship, a CEO can be very good to tell himself, what I should do, the weight of these things are how much. My personal view is that the CEO of a start-up team should spend 70% of their time in internal affairs, including team management, product production, etc., 30% of the time spent on the periphery, such as peer visits to exchange information, platform relations, PR, capital and so on. At first I made a lot of mistakes, for a long time I clerical with my colleagues until late at night, the company has no platform relationship, in fact, I can take time to go out and communicate with peers. If you're out of the loop, you'll lose a lot of information that will make your decisions easier and help correct the direction that might be wrong.

The second step in entrepreneurship: finding the right partner

Once the business model is established, the founders should actively identify the right partner. The reason is very simple, a CEO to do any work personally, must be tired like a dog.

To avoid this, you need a partner, a good planner or producer, you can save a lot of product strength; a party king who likes to do things may also be a business master, this person if apart run more, you can also save energy; if there is a friend of cautious, It's best to do the hiring and the management of the assets.

Do not skimp on shares, really can top the partners, shares to follow the industry rules, generous give. As the CEO needs to rely on their own charisma and ability to personality, so that the composition of the partner is not subject to investors, under the team is not subject to the company's mini hardcore.

In this piece I did very bad, entrepreneurship three years are my wife and I in the dead, the result is very tired, the effect is very poor. I see that there are many entrepreneurial brothers in Wuhan, and this is basically the case, I am really worried about them. If there is not a group of highly similar partners in the start-up team, it is not far away, CEO powers exclusive shares meaningless.

About executive Power

Again said executive power, my understanding of the executive is more confident, in the industry for more than 10 years, the past boss and colleagues on my evaluation is the implementation of strong. I think the power of execution needs to have an impact from top to bottom, the person must be a meat-eating fish, to have the ability to stir things, in the work can really do things wrong, dare to admit mistakes, take responsibility, in the face of mistakes do not engage in harmony, dare to criticize or cut off the crime of the people. He must be a man who can communicate and have a tight logic.

In addition to the various functional departments of the executive, in the recruitment should be good, focus on professional skills, the bad AS3 and C + + to drive away, a person with poor skills, the entire team will be dragged down by him; second, consider work attitude, choose Young to be careful, Because these few years in the young people see more and less hard-working, start-up enterprises resolutely do not recruit new, these people are now unreasonable social environment forced very impetuous, can do things to help enterprises in 20 of people rarely encounter one. Please go to those who just scoff at the overtime in the interview process, these people into the team, must be who with who knows, the start-up team is not tolerate too much this kind of indifferent mentality. Do interviews and background checks, use higher salaries, attract truly talented people to join, and let those who are cheap and flatter.

I know a friend who has spent more than 1 years on a chess project. When I went to visit his company, I was invited to attend their project meeting, talking about a very small function for two weeks and still not finished, all the executives were tongue-tied, said no problem card in what link. As a result, not only did my friend not continue to track down, but it was a consolation to all, and things went to nothing. I think this is not good, the problem of people do not need to bear responsibility, and no problem colleagues will feel very wronged.

There are also many CEOs understand cost control as a cheap recruit, talent if the demand for high salaries, the boss immediately in the heart of its impetuous, unreliable impression. In fact, this mentality is how wrong, the important question is not the price, but the talent is competent to the corresponding work, in this premise as long as his requirements are not excessive, do not deviate from industry standards. There are ability, but willing to take the wages of the hard work in your small company, it is either a fool or Lei Feng. If the interview feels good, should provide talent satisfaction of the pay, let him into the team to observe a few months, the talent must be good enough for their own income is good enough to look forward to, when the boss of the people to understand the need for the correct understanding of the so-called cost control is not meant to people pay stingy, but to reasonable money, Let the team produce the best capacity.

As the operator knows, the staff wages is not the biggest consumption, this block of funds, responsibility in the operator, you need to have a minimum capital operation capacity, employees and you are not the same height, they do not have the obligation to undertake this piece of responsibility. Daniel must have large capacity, good work, high efficiency, cheap people although wages are low, but live slowly, function well after many bugs, repeated adjustment instead of wasting more costs, and communication cost management costs doubled.

In the process of execution, use a tool and two ways to control execution.

A tool is a document that records the progress of a project, I often use Excel to meet the needs, here is a record of 4 departments in the recent period of what needs to do, how long the project overall needs to be done, the phased version will be completed at what point in time, each meeting we also allow the participation of some sudden new work, If the addition is too outrageous, it will be used as a basis for assessing the ability of the relevant colleagues. Each time we have a progress meeting, we review the progress of the week, look ahead and lag, and see what we're going to do in the coming week.

If there are no other two ways, then the tool documentation is just dead, and I often use the employee's emphasis on survival and honor to protect execution. The first way is the pressure of honor, everyone has their own sense of honor, Team honor, when the lag appears, so that the relevant staff in the meeting to explain the team, the parties are required to bear a great deal of pressure, this approach to deal with the gentleman is a proven, lagging staff will consciously work overtime, the second week to catch up; The second way is the implication of the survival of the staff, said simply that, as a manager, you need to let the team members subconsciously understand that my job is not good to be removed from the possibility, if the pay is satisfied, anyone will care about this. Encounter no work sense of honor, do not make a point, since the capacity of unlimited, can save the whole team, do not care about the survival pressure, the manager to promptly give up, the enterprise is not a place to play personality.

I think in the entrepreneurial process, the CEO is often easy to confuse the goal and mentality, for example, we first feed the team, this is actually a mentality, not the goal. We need to be serious about enforcing the power, let such as, products on line, DAU10 million, the month into 1 million of the real goal to achieve one by one, in the process of moving towards these goals, the slightest can not slack, but also can not give the existence of blind optimism of the space, this is the first to support the mentality of the value of the team. If the CEO puts forward at a team meeting, our goal is to survive, then this is a very empty word, to bring the team is fear, relaxation and confusion. Similarly, the first practice practiced this argument, research and development is very serious things, to determine the goal of a good project, recruitment to the force of talent, regardless of whether these talents have been running-in before, should be strictly in accordance with the requirements of the producers to specific goals. In order to resist those such as the company listed after six months of ambitious slogan, we should have to practice practiced this self cooling mentality, but this mentality as a goal to and the team, the effect is very ridiculous.

I think the executive power comes from a just and fair Team System, and the promotion rules that managers make for their employees. The rationale for working in a company is very similar to the way we play a mock-play game, in the game the player's happiness comes from the upgrade of the rank and the enhancement of the equipment, and the employee's happiness comes from the rising of the number, which includes the ability and the income, only when the employees feel that they can achieve the digital promotion with their own efforts, Have the power to work, can have executive power.

About funds

Finally, talk about money. Many people who have no entrepreneurial experience look at the money very heavily, to tell you the truth three years ago I was the same idea, once I was with a start-up for many years of tea, talking about this issue, he does not think that money is the most important issue, at that time I thought he was too fit, but now in retrospect it is indeed his experience in entrepreneurship.

In fact, the only function of the Fund is to improve the fault-tolerant rate, attention and no one thinks that money is unimportant, but the importance of the money should be ranked in the executive power and business model, money can only be a start-up failure, give you two times the opportunity to start a business, there is no use. From the moment the company opened, the fate of the team into the countdown, the timer is the money in our account, need to be in the light before the company has the ability to revenue.

The CEO does not need to think about the money too hard and mysterious, but to focus on the first two factors, what are you going to do? How much do you need for this stall? Can you convince investors that you really need so much money and how do you make sure you can make it happen? We often see an electric dealer melt hundreds of millions of, immediately feeling way, wow, This person is really good, there are channels of relationship, can be fooled, and I do not see the problem, I think the core problem of investment is trust and ability, although the investment will also have shady, but that is not the mainstream phenomenon, rely on the world will not long to go.

As the founder should let the investor feel your sincerity, let the other person feel, the money to you will not be wrong. Second, investors need to believe that what you're going to do requires a few billions of dollars, and you don't have a problem with that, as long as the investor really knows how big your stall is, he'll follow up and have nothing to do with the amount of money, even if he's not capable or concerned, as long as he's still interested, will also find friends to follow up.

Many founders love to see the money problem is exaggerated, that they can not anything the reason is no money, in fact, for Internet products, you can use thousands of or tens of thousands of pieces to do a simple demo. Even if there is no investor follow-up, as entrepreneurs should be aware of selling houses to sell cars to form a small team, a more complete version of the finished. Only you are completely insane, investors will be mad with you. Now is not a business plan will be able to handle all the years, mouth and an idea is not important, the important thing is:

1: Trust basis (whether you and investors have a direct or indirect basis of trust, people will worry about your personality problems, but also worry about you do bad things)

2: Business model (Do you want to do is a money to make a living, your model can be justified)

3: Executive force (Can you do it)

These three points are done. Be patient and wait a few months to prepare, investors also need to see your determination and your current pressure resistance, generally no one will only through a few meetings on the hasty decision, but if you have already started to do it, investors will be much more interested in follow-up.

Said so many, basically talk about internal cause, after all, one thing do not good, intrinsic reason is the main, I also want to talk about external causes, that is entrepreneurial environment.

Now a lot of people in the North canton and deep big companies learn to be happy to return to their hometown, usually some second-tier cities to start a business, I think this is a mistake. At first the reason many people do this is that the second-tier city is my hometown, the second-tier city personnel cost is low, think carefully can see this is very wrong.

First of all, whether to stay in the home only for life, and entrepreneurship is not any relationship, if you want to create a good industry, you should not take home as a factor to consider, because the home will not give you the advantage of entrepreneurship, it can only give your life to add color.

The second is the personnel cost problem, professional managers simply to understand the staff cost as the wage cost, this is not enough, which should also have personnel management costs and training costs. An industry in a city wants to take shape, it must have an ecological circle of talent. Many enterprises together to train new people, the elderly around. Second-tier cities in the eco-circle this is very weak, for Wuhan Xi ' an inland city, this is even worse, there is no good company to wash talent, the ecological circle is very dispirited. So we start in the second-tier cities, the environment can not keep up with the big cities, where the talent has no deep industry experience, no understanding of teamwork, as the return of the CEO will have to detail, careful management, teaching team how to collaborate production. And that's not the problem with big city people, most of the time they are too lazy to do, and there are few problems that will not be done; the capital environment here has no understanding of the game, it is basically difficult to find local investors, but also to find a similar coal bosses mine boss real estate bosses, most of them have the situation of quick success, For the pressure can not be done with entrepreneurs.

So even if you're in a second-tier city, you have to look for an investment relationship from another country.

Finally, professional issues, I have recruited 3000 monthly salary of back-end programmers and 3000 monthly AS3 programmers, it may seem like a jerk to you, but I did, and it turned out to be a pit dad, half because I was wrong about saving money, and half because I didn't really get a cow. The company has been open for more than a year and the team has recruited the right front and rear personnel, while in big cities This is not a problem, where more only to consider the cost of talent.

When I closed the company, I said I was sorry for my co-workers, and I helped my needy colleagues find a new job in Wuhan to avoid fluctuations in revenue due to company changes. And I also choose a big relaxation, take advantage of the national day did not arrive, and his wife to Xiamen played a lap, these three years really put themselves too tired.

Back to Wuhan and some friends to communicate, when it comes to me has closed the company's business, he was surprised immediately revealed the expression of regret, in fact, I personally do not have this sentiment, I think entrepreneurship is a learning process, success is the process of harvest, and failure is also, The point is to learn rather than be sure to reap success, and I think this is the right mindset.

Many people think of entrepreneurship as high-end things, and even the harvest of huge wealth as an entrepreneurial goal, this is certainly not conducive to your in-depth business, in the Tuyere after a small victory easily complacent opinionated, in the trough easily feel strong frustration. Own boss, just a new attitude to work, a way to learn new knowledge, from another perspective to see a company's development process, to experience the hardships and complexity of commanding the overall situation, can not be the boss as a conscious superior capital.

The failure of this venture, let me see a lot of things in the unprecedented, treat work has a new understanding, I think I in the next job, certainly no longer feel confused, will be more accurate to deal with the multidimensional relationship. There are many people who support entrepreneurship, and many people think that it is wrong to encourage professionals to start a business, and I think everything has a prerequisite and cannot be across. Entrepreneurship belongs to those who are adventurous, a way of developing beyond their own genes, if a person dares to constantly challenge the bigger and more complex work, the enterprise must be the knot which he cannot erase, we should encourage and affirm to such person, and to the brother who enters into the pioneering army with the less reliable mentality of making big money, I think it's dangerous.

Finally, the young, and the boys to encourage.