“I want to share with them another way to start a business.”

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Editor’s note: The current cultural tone of entrepreneurship is toxic. When it comes to entrepreneurship, it always seems to be inseparable from busyness and sacrifice. Many mainstream media even use the seemingly bright stories of the founders to whitewash the “24/7” work rhythm. Is there only one way and model for entrepreneurship? Or does such a enthusiastic entrepreneurial model work? Should you find a co-founder to start a business together? Should external financing be sought? This article answers these questions one by one. The original text is from Medium, the author Aytekin Tank, and the original title is “ Six Things You Should Know Before Launching Your Startup “.

When it comes to the culture of start-ups, it always seems to be busy and busy. From blogs to Instagram articles to interviews while drinking coffee, all the arguments today seem to tell entrepreneurs to pursue success at all costs:

The pain is only temporary, and giving up will regret it for life.

Let them sleep, just fight.

Your goal doesn’t care about your feelings.

No one will be drowned by their sweat.

The mainstream media even used those founders ‘seemingly bright stories to whitewash the “24/7” working rhythm (7 days a week, 24 hours a day, on-call standby status) to create founders’ passion for entrepreneurship And sleep in the office to create the next Amazon or Facebook entrepreneurial tone.

For startup founders, these arguments may sound tempting, but they are also dangerous. Many founders are “confused” before they are ready to start the tide of entrepreneurship. They may have nothing but passion, but simply believe that they can succeed by being “busy.” As a result, it is conceivable that such a model will not work at all. With enthusiasm and dedication, it is accompanied by huge pressure and burden. These smart, ambitious people are exhausted. They are sick, some are bankrupt, and some are both. Some people completely give up their dreams, because the illusion is broken.

Thus, for those who work 18 hours a day and rely on protein energy bars to “renew their lives”, I want to share with them another way to start a business, and another way to create a startup. Thirteen years ago, I wasJotForm was founded in the highly competitive industry field of online form production, and even Google Forms soon got involved, becoming one of our biggest competitors. However, we remain in our driveway to serve our customers. Today, we already have 5 million global users and more than 140 employees, and the premise of all of this is that we did not take one dollar of external financing.

The process of starting a business is not without its hardships, but this is by no means a story touting passion and pain. Our company is developing slowly, and we insist on rational and healthy working rhythm. Most importantly, in the process, I have always maintained a free and colorful personal life. Here are my six suggestions for my own experience and experience:

1. If you can keep your own job for a while, then your entrepreneurial road may be happier

Like many developers, I developed my first software product during college. I was very excited when customers started paying me for customization. The first money I received was a check for $ 150, and it felt like a fortune at the time. I also created a paid version at that time and started using it with customers. After graduating with a degree, I could have turned this product into a startup, but I know I’m not ready yet, and I need some real-world experience.

I got a job as a programmer at a media company, but every morning I get up early to make my own product. This situation lasted for five years, and I did not officially resign until I confirmed that my amateur income exceeded my full-time salary. It was also then that I finally took this leapfrog step and started the company.

The term “full-time work day” may sound negative in the context of entrepreneurship, but in fact, a stable job is very important for aspiring entrepreneurs. As long as you work for a healthy, well-functioning business, you can learn about business, communication, and teamwork. You can polish and improve your professional skills while getting paid. In addition, you can also accumulate a certain amount of contacts to help you develop your business in the future.

A good job will not hinder the realization of your dreams, but can add fuel to your pursuit of dreams. You might stumble upon a good idea while working for someone else, and that’s it for me.

2, pursue problem-solving, not passion

Many founders believe that they need only three steps to achieve success:

  • Ignore friends of concern and voices of doubt and criticism

  • Resign now

  • Working 80 hours a week and pursuing your own entrepreneurial dream is above all else

    However, if you haven’t figured out the actual problem yet, and you have taken this leaping step without solving a real problem, then the pressure (and bill) will follow and increase rapidly. However, if you can meet a need, you can be a step ahead. Because people are willing to pay for solutions to their problems, if your product or service can improve their lives (make them better and more convenient), then they will be willing to pay for your products.

    For example, JotForm solves a pain point problem that I experience every day. Editors need to constantly customize Web forms for surveys, polls, reader questionnaires, or contests. Making these forms is tedious and tedious, but that’s where I work. So I started thinking about how to automate this task. I designed a drag-and-drop tool so that even those who don’t understand coding can quickly build forms. After I resigned, it took me six months to refine the idea. In February 2006, I released the first version of JotForm. My personal experience and daily experience tell me that people want such a product, they need such a product, because it solves a real pain point problem. I think this is the kind of best entrepreneurial concept that the godfather of entrepreneurship Paul Graham said. This kind of entrepreneurial concept:

    • is what you want or need

    • A product or service that you can build (or largely autonomous) on your own

    • It’s another idea that few people think of.

      You may have to wait until all three are checked. Find that “best hit point” first, and then exert your passion and hard work.

      3. Organic growth is a good thing

      Achieving business expansion is no easy task, and that’s why I say that the importance of organic growth is seriously underestimated.

      If you only jump into the wave of entrepreneurship with passion, then you have to swim faster and faster. Because in this state, you will soon run out of your savings or financing, and time will not be too friendly to you. And if you are steady, start slowly and can minimize the pressure, then you have room to learn, and room to allow you to make mistakes and trial and error.

      No one is forcing you to achieve a hockey growth curve quickly, and no one is asking you to be a unicorn company. Independent startups that do not rely on external financingIt is a real user, and the acquisition of real users often takes some time. What good is that? The advantage is that the risk is much smaller, because the money from the user will not lie. If users are willing to pay for your products or services, it proves that you are on the right track. You just need to constantly adapt to their needs and maintain a reasonable and stable growth rate.

      Personally, I also created JotForm step by step. The marketing job I was doing was posting the product to a technology forum and also sending an email to the operator of the technology blog. I don’t demand it at this point, I just want to share my creative results with those who really need it.

      4. Only one indicator is important

      That’s profitability. You make more money than you spend. It sounds simple, but it’s not easy. The current entrepreneurial culture respects start-ups that can achieve rapid expansion or obtain a lot of financing. In today’s market, start-ups, especially start-ups in the technology sector, often face such a questioning voice, “So, how are you Make money? “

      In my opinion, profit should be an element that exists from the first day of entrepreneurship, rather than waiting for a magical moment in the future to suddenly fall from the sky. The amount of initial profits may not be large, but self-financing start-ups need these profits to keep the company running. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Opening a retail store or an online mall that requires stockpiling requires a lot of money. In this case, unless you have a large trust fund, it should be very difficult to do it on your own work savings. The business models are different, but the basis for the existence of profitability indicators has never changed.

      A year after we created JotForm, we released a paid version. Word of mouth is slowly accumulating, but the number does begin to increase. By the end of 2007, we had 500 paying users, and the total number of users exceeded 50,000. At this time, I could have a celebration party and issue a press release to promote it, but I was not driven by vanity to pursue these meaningless things. I know we need to continue to expand our subscriber base, and that’s what we’ve been doing for more than a decade.

      Treat your work and business wisely, achieve steady growth and solidify your foundation. This is the key to pursuing your dreams.

      5. Partnership is not a requirement

      Enter “Find a co-founder” in the Google search bar and you will see 206 million relevant content links. Investors like co-founder-type startups because different founders can bring different skills to the business. For example, we often hear the saying that co-founding a technical founder with professionals who are good at marketing and sales skills is a powerful combination.

      This statement may have some truth, but it is by no means the only one.The way. If you follow this standard and desperately search for the ideal partner to match, just to meet the needs of potential venture capitalists, the end result will often be that your partnership is not harmonious. Focusing on money (not product) is not a reliable way to start. Quarrels, misunderstandings, and disagreements will also make many companies of a certain size eventually fall apart.

      A few years ago, I also had a serious exchange and discussion with a potential co-founder, but ultimately failed to reach a joint venture model, but we all gladly accepted the result, and we are still friends now. Looking back, I am very glad that I created JotForm. This way I have a lot of freedom without having to give away 50% of my business to others. I can hire good people to continue improving our products. I don’t have to face the so-called dynamic mechanism of power, and I don’t have to worry about investors’ opinions when making major decisions.

      6, product first

      Venture capitalists also have an investment preference: they tend to support founders with Ivy League college degrees and dazzling resumes. I don’t agree with either of these two items. Back in 2006, my chances of getting a seed round of financing were arguably slim. I’m also not sure whether investors bought the idea of ​​online forms. After all, it was implemented on paper. This was not a very attractive idea, and I knew nothing about financing at the time. Therefore, I can only bury my head in my development work, and then hand over a high-quality product, and continuously optimize and improve it. Although it takes some time, it also allows me to focus on the product. The time and energy I put into making this product better. Therefore, I also suggest that today ’s founders can try this entrepreneurial way: invest time and energy to create a smart product or service and then continuously optimize and improve it; listen to the needs of customers; do meaningful marketing work, Promote your products; don’t spend money in your bank account.

      Let passion be your starting point instead of the foundation

      The road to entrepreneurship is not easy. You will encounter various difficulties and challenges along the way, constantly testing your determination. If you want to be an entrepreneur, I think you must also desire freedom. Because of this, those entrepreneurial ideas that advocate “busy and desperate” are so sought after. “Freedom” and “control” Words are so attractive.

      So, before you decide on letting others chart your business path, think about it. You know, external funds will rarely fall on you without a lot of strings attached. In this case, are you willing to sacrifice freedom to please those who seek quick profits? Are you willing to sacrifice everything, including your intimacy and personal happiness? Sacrifice yourself for your dreams may shape a great Hollywood movie theme, but it may not bring you a colorful and free personal life.

      Life is very important. Don’t rush to achieve success, keep steady, and make your entrepreneurial dream a reality.

      Translator: aiko