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Vitaly Denisenkov is an IT entrepreneur, mentor, co-founder and concurrent director of Borovoy Studio. Fifteen years of work in the field of marketing and Internet management, and has recently been interested in start-ups, and the business man does not share his enthusiasm for them. Like, most developers do not understand the market nor their capabilities, but are just pbading from one event to another and are tempted by the idea that one day they will receive from them. money to realize the idea. We talked to the entrepreneur and found out where this impression comes from and what beginners really need to do.
Why managerial skills are needed
– What's wrong?
– Guys come to start-up competitions and say, "We will sell farm produce!" Other: "And we will make food!" You look at everything and you think: "Are you serious?" People really do not understand what and who they are doing and why it will not work. The overall problem is that start-ups are created by people between the ages of 19 and 25. The probability of doing something at this age is practically nil. As Toyota's founder Sakichi Toyoda said, "Never try to design something without three years of hands-on experience." Not an absolute, and you can find rare exceptions, but overall it's like that.
There are still very, as I call it, "busy" old startups. They could have had a completely different business experience from the point of view of success, but in an attempt to join the global IT industry, they largely solve problems away from the users' problems.
Now in Belarus, only one project claims to be a kind of "unicorn" [unicorn; особо успешные стартапы называют единорогами. — Прим. Onliner.by] is Flo. Why? The founders have the highest level of managerial skills and business awareness, as well as a serious experience.
And the contests tell the entry into foreign markets of people having yesterday a CT and the girl was afraid to invite her to a meeting. Well, let's be honest: what can they sell to whom? And who of them will buy?
Let ten other buyers find and receive finance from them, while with them it is possible to talk about something. Venture is, of course, risk and all that, but it is not necessary to turn everything into insanity and courage.
– But they say that the sooner you do it, the sooner you will have experience
problem with professional management. Ideas in startups can be absolutely nothing. Only for their implementation, management skills are needed, which 99% of the time does not come from the word "absolutely".
In simple terms, a start-up is small, but the business, ideally fast growing. And if there is no leader able to allocate roles and areas of responsibility, select the right people (and do not select unnecessary people), delegate authority, organize some workflow – the company will die. And if so, it's important to be able to change the structure, business model, and processes from one step to the next. While four friends have "seen" MVP – it's a management style. Investment attracted – everything, it is time to evolve, we need other approaches. Very few people who can vary that. And that comes with the experience.
Otherwise it will be like with the team of Argentina: there is Messi and the rest. And Croatia does not have its own Messi, but there is a team that aims for the overall result. Everyone remembers the end of the story.
Here's what the different start-ups say: "There are so many restaurants in the world, there are so many in the US, and that's what we're going to do." Well, it's nonsense. Where are you from, and where is the American restaurateur from Iowa? How are you going to sell him something if the project involves a personal sale of services? I'm not saying that you have to know local legislation, cultural differences.
When they say "we have no competitors", it means that we do not realize that it is necessary to swing the market or even create it from scratch. And that means that sales will be 2-3 times more complicated than usual.
In general, the emphasis on the Western market in most cases only delays the verification of an idea by the reality. You can play a little more at startup, get on stage, feel the attention and maybe write something. But this story does not concern business either
. In my opinion, in most cases, the needs are similar, and the idea is easily tested in the local market, the project verifies its viability. And if all is good and there is truth, not mythical, income – it feeds energy and gives confidence to go ahead. Without feedback, badysis and badimilation, it is impossible to succeed.
Is the Belarusian and Russian market small? Go, in 80% of the cases it is enough. And if you transfer the attention of the mythical restorer from Iowa to the real Minsk, then maybe something will happen, and if not – there is a chance to learn something. To succeed next time.
Investors, hakatonschiki, mentors
– There is an opinion that such start-ups develop an ecosystem. Is not it?
– Imagine someone will take their money and invest in a failed start-up. Will this improve the ecosystem? I do not think so. Simply someone will have the experience of unsuccessful investment, and at the same time, a trauma of it.
Let's say they are smartmans (although there is a theory that smartmany does not exist, this term was coined by poor investors to pay less). Okay, suppose the angel pumped into management investing. If the idea is good, an illusion can be created that just push and steer the project, and it will fly, as they say. But usually there is a huge gap between the managerial skills of the founders of the startup and their ambitions that it is this potential difference that destroys the project. Most startup mentors will be removed only if they will work for a bet, but then this story no longer concerns business angels and venture capitalists.
Even a layer of professional hacketters has already appeared – they tell stories. There is something like a hobby or entertainment: a change of scenery, socialization. But it's exactly the quantity that will never become quality. Just because these people come to events for something else.
Why are there many international startups in Israel? The domestic market is extremely competitive, it is difficult to sell "in the interior". Here they are immediate and aim at the big ones. But there are fewer cultural differences, and start-ups with good experience and good management who have worked in large companies with expertise in the chosen field, who understand its structure.
In Belarus, with some desire and pressure, the money is already won. There is no acute need for constant professional development. As you know, professionalism begins where the resources of common sense and worldly know-how stop. Meanwhile, there are enough entrepreneurs in the country for earnings, no one will develop managerial skills – this is not necessary. And that's enough.
– This sounds more like a clbadic business approach. And the startups are inspired, for example, by Jobs, who did not recognize the rules and finally guessed who he was. It turns out that the success stories hurt?
– Yes. After reading the book on Mask I had a personal crisis. No joke. I depreciated, my job, my skills, my skills. The fact is that we are not Ilona masks. And We'll Never Do It
When I traveled last year on the Community Connection program in the United States, at the University of North Carolina, they told us: ] "We never quote Mask or Jobs as an example because students are ordinary people, and they are gifted beyond the measure of the single." In the business school from this university, for example, they teach basic things: recruiting employees, working with finances in simple models in Excel. It's only when you understand the basics that you can move on.
When you really need to start a startup
– The experience appears for 35-40 years. At this age, people are invaded by dacha families. Why do they need an adventurous start-up when there is a stable job?
– I agree, it's the trap of comfort and stability. Such people already want to be business angels, and not risk everyone for the opportunity to make a big project. You have to listen to yourself – not everyone needs it and not everyone can make big plans.
But it is this age – 30-50 years – that is ideal for realizing commercial potential, creating a globally successful project or developing an outstanding organization. As Alan Hansen [бывший игрок и эксперт в футболе. — Прим. Onliner.by] once said about young Manchester United, "you will not win anything with children". This sentence became winged, although it was then that she strongly encouraged the Ferguson team, and eventually they became champions of England. But this is true in the vast majority of cases.
In a good way, business angels and mentors, if they want to make a big story, must also create it. It's their experience, their managerial skills, their emotional intelligence, their in-depth expertise and their leadership energy that make projects necessary on a daily basis.
Mask still works as CEO, although, apparently, why? That's why: big stories require great leaders. It is not a matter of delegation, but of the inspiration, the direction and the motivation of the big teams to reach a big goal. In fact, he is capable of units.
Simply, the successful story of a startup can be this: create a good company, experienced at age 35-45, wanting to "shake" itself. Gradually, by pbading the management of the company to partners or managers hired, you can embark on a start-up with global potential. For such a manager, it is exactly the task of development, and the student of yesterday can not do it
– What do you think of accelerators, incubators?
– In this university, where we arrived in the United States, IT- Incubator orders for ten. People were very different in age: from 20 to 50 years old. Such a breakdown gives the opportunity to learn and better understand the needs of other categories. It is clear that the teams had different potential and expertise, but the atmosphere of experimentation, creativity on the inside has allowed to quickly establish cooperation between a dozen or so. teams and receive prompt feedback.
– Yes, they already have the necessary connections and social capital. They will quickly find funding, literally pbading through the list of contacts in the phone and looking at LinkedIn. But it's still not enough professional startups. And when there are 50, some competition already begins. Until now, we do not have this closeness. From all angles, we hear the same thing: there is money, there is no one to invest in.
Even in this situation, it is not necessary to be overly affected by each startup. Look at them with a sober look. If the idea is sucked off or is inappropriate – then speak with the amendment in your opinion. If you bother with startups like children, they will remain children. Without adequate feedback, nothing will change for the better.
– So, startup competitions lead nowhere?
– I do not want to belittle anything, especially it's easy to do. While competitions, hakatons and so on lead to the creation of some movement. All right, he was born. Now, we must understand: will this give the desired result in the long run? What to do for further development?
The badociative series for the word "startup" is not "conversions", jagged jeans and Apple products, but intense intense work, multifunctionality, focus, revenue growth. In this case, jeans can be anything, the essential thing is that they do not interfere with the work. In my opinion, a startup is above all a realization. The idea in general is worthless, but subjectively we can estimate at least a million, at least a hundred.
Global statistics show that the idea is not a plus, but a minus one million. And success will come when, after painful research, an effective response will be found, which should be done to replace the less by more. Sincerely, I wish all start-ups success in this search!
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