The notorious "experience"

    As you know, the most valuable experience is that which is given in a “minus” to yourself: financial, emotional, social ... That which “hurts” and that which cannot be simply taken and forgotten, like another unpleasant dream.

    More than a year ago, for us - the RZLTT Accelerator team , the history of the PromiseUP project was the first attempt to get a full-fledged experience in creating, sorry for a bad word, start-ups, that is, an independent business, from the idea stage, on the basis of some Internet service or product with a missing supply chain or real estate infrastructure and the easiest, by far, distribution method - free installation on platforms that are popular with the audience, primarily mobile.



    In principle, starting from the third paragraph it’s customary to talk about how cool we are, mi-mi-mi, look at our photos, but our pretty employee, well, the product ... well, to hell with it, with the product!

    In general, this will not be a success story, but a frank story about how everything really happened. It is useful primarily for those who dream of launching their own project and then cutting hundreds of millions with an unsuspecting, stupid, and unsuspecting audience.

    In fact, the average user of most products on the Internet today is no less experienced, and sometimes even more so, than the creator of another product.

    In general, the reasons why we want to talk about what they rarely discuss are more than enough. Below you will find 3 mistakes that we made and felt on our own skin.

    “Remote team = own team”





    Perhaps, in our history of PromiseUP development, this place was the most painful. At the same time, this is one of the most common mistakes when creating products on the Internet, in general.

    There are a lot of reasons why people are willingly trying on this error, but the main reason is that most of the technologies have reached the philistine level. It is no longer necessary to be either seven spans in the forehead, or even possess some outstanding skills in order to be an average developer.

    But between the "average" and "reasonably effective" lies a huge gap, which falls most of the projects that are created not for their own needs, but third-party. Or a situation is possible in which you want to create a product for yourself, but at the same time, in fact, you do not have the resources to conduct normal development - this is exactly the situation we were from the beginning. Therefore, in order to achieve their own goals, one way or another you have to hire outside specialists. We expected to save time and, in a sense, money by contacting an external, well-established development team.

    As you know, the devil is in the details. Those who worked with large-scale projects that require a long and ongoing development, with the immersion of all involved in it, know this.

    Remote work has its own specifics, but it is often believed that you can "discuss everything" and therefore the result will contain this "everything." I feel that you are smiling in this place, dear readers, and I feel that it would not be amiss to argue the fallacy of this assumption.

    It is always useful and pleasant to have the opportunity to discuss any moment that excites you, or someone else, exactly when it is necessary. This approach is harmonious - it does not even need to fit into the overall process, communication, as a rule, is already integrated into it.

    In the situation when you have to work with a remote team or individual developers, the implementation of parts of different levels turns into hell. People stop thinking flexibly and want to get their fee by providing some result. As a result, dissonance arises on both sides, as in the classic stories of “performer - customer”. I’m sure you read these, and many probably have several of their own tales in stock.

    Preparing to launch any project, you need to be well aware of the fact that in order to survive in the harsh conditions of the real market, you will have to show enviable flexibility. If everything is so tough in your organizational structure that adaptation is impossible for you, you will die out with a very high probability.

    You need to be able to change plans at any time without jumping out of the general strategy. At the same time, situations often arise when little things pull a chain of consequences in the form of more significant consequences and potential corrections, which must be taken into account initially, that is, be prepared for this.

    “Expectation of success = real result”





    Initially, instead of this headline, there was a big and bold emoticon, subtly hinting at a big misconception, contained in it (heading), but later on we nevertheless decided to slightly expand this thesis for all readers.

    Perhaps this will help you to avoid mistakes and allow you to look at what is happening around you real and (self) critical.

    Very often it seems to us, and especially to those of us who are on the “beginning of the road,” that a good idea corresponds to actual success at any stage of development of this very idea, its evolution into a tangible product. In fact, it’s important enough to be aware that this is not so. Or so. To judge you, I will only give a few examples.

    In the real world, a “good” idea is one that, in its practical role, is able to win the minds of at least a few people, while earning a couple of bucks. And, strangely enough, most of the ideas today are born precisely according to the "mass" pattern: "everyone needs it." As we well understand, such an assertion is easy to dispute, and indeed - what difference does “all” need if the individual must first take care of himself?

    This is the whole point - most of those ideas, ideologies, products and platforms that we call “revolutionary” today were created “for themselves”. The people who created them, who now manage large companies, first of all solved their own problems. It's great that someone else liked her decision like that.

    “Reasonability = level of implementation”





    And if the above seems fundamental, then what you can read below is technical. Namely, implementation.

    Not without reason, in countries with a high level and culture of copyright protection, the idea cannot be patented. Only its certain, clearly described and standardized, implementation method.

    In fact, practice shows that good ideas require long ripening in the form of the fruits of the mind and the fruits of labor.

    This means that it is very difficult to launch a quality product without practical experience in its creation and development, although no one says that this is impossible.

    It also means that there is a chance of not getting anything other than the (most valuable) experience, relying only on one’s own faith in the idea, its universality and applicability in any situation.

    The “thoughtfulness” of an idea, its hypothetical representation, and its realization, of course, are not the same thing.

    Here the same problem of subjectivity is observed as in the previous paragraph. The same thing is not convenient for all people, moreover, in fact, almost every person is comfortable with something “their own,” special and individual. That's why we are human.

    It is also known that it is impossible to foresee absolutely everything. At any moment in time, a situation may arise in which you will have to revise the latest changes or future plans. This, of course, will affect the actual implementation of any idea.

    Sometimes a situation arises when you made a radical mistake at the planning stage, realized and left on. You understand that you are "missing something" - well, if you understand this. Even better if you understand exactly what you are missing. Finally, it’s just perfect if you realize that after making such changes and making a sharp turn, you will get a different product.

    Your idea will grow into something else, transform. Are you ready to follow the lead of the majority of users of this product who pay you a couple of bucks? In fact, it is not as simple as it might seem. What can I say, most of the beginning business people (money and people) are not morally ready for this. They continue to abut, despite obvious signs of the necessity and inevitability of certain changes, the notorious transformations. And ultimately they die.

    Adaptation is the key to your health in every sense. Do not forget or neglect this. If you want to stay healthy, you will have to adapt to constantly changing conditions, which at the same time are the only real constant of the universe in which we live. It is difficult and painful. But only in this way, eventually, having been born a kitten, you can become a tiger.

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