7 lessons to learn from startup failure

Delivery service which delivers all materials necessary for cooking recipe on the website on the day "Dinnr"Is a startup in the UK. Investment Cloud FundingSeedrs, But on January 12, 2014 2013, we declined to accept the second round of investment and the project ended in failure. That is Dinnr's CEOMichal BohanesMr. Mr. Mr. "I got some experiences got from startup failure"7 lessonsIt is summarized as.

Seven lessons I learned from the failure of my first startup, Dinnr - Medium
https://medium.com/@michalbohanes/seven-lessons-i-learned-from-the-failure-of-my-first-startup-dinnr-c166d1cfb8b8


◆ 1: Does it solve realistic needs?


As a result of elaborate market research, 70% answered "I think that I think I will buy Dinnr's products" in a questionnaire targeting 250 people, and I got a good reaction when I performed a one-on-one user interview with 10 people It was done. Mr. Bohanes felt that "People are admitting our idea" and expecting that a large number of orders will hang in, but only three results on the first day of sales, the total number of orders in the first week There were 12 cases. The big mistake in the market survey was to ask, "If you like this idea, would you buy a product?"

Mr. Bohanes thought that the answer of people's "yes" means "I will definitely buy it when I go to work," but in reality it is "someday the online supermarket"Ocado"Gas missing, all the super doors are obstructed with burning lava, there is a leak if radioactive gas is leaking from the kitchen in the restaurant, so that zombies eat people's brains When it becomes, it may be likely to buy your product, "Bohanes says.

"All good ideas are not necessarily good business," Mr. Bohanes said that it was important to know whether it meets someone's practical needs. In the case of Dinnr, it is not asking "Do you want me to buy this?" In the preliminary survey, rather than asking "When did you cook with a new recipe at the end?" "Do you dislike take-out meals?" " Do you feel awkward at the time of corruption? "If you apply to them, ask" What do you do as a countermeasure to minimize the problem? " If "not doing anything" is majority, Dinnr will be a valid solution.

◆ 2: "There is no entrepreneurial experience" is not a reason for choosing a simple path
Mr. Bohanes of Australia is stained with an Australian learning system "to study and prepare firmly for the future in the future", and it is necessary to devote much time to preliminary preparations and preparations before starting the business I felt it in my body. When starting Dinnr, Mr. Bohanes tried to understand e-commerce value propositions and customers. I know that it will not be a billion dollar (about 100 billion yen) business in a year, and in reality it was aimed at selling the company for several million dollars in a few years.

As Mr. Bohanes' advice, "If you need market expertise or technical assistance, you should learn yourself or look for experts". Even if I have a job I tell you that you can spare time for entrepreneurs at night and weekends.

◆ 3: The success of the concept is all small hints accumulated. Success does not roll in the street


The way of good entrepreneurship is to "successfully" transplant "successful cases in foreign countries to where they are. Business similar to Dinnr is NordicScandinaviaAlthough it exists in London, it does not exist in London, so he seems to believe that it can be put in orbit well.

In Northern Europe and the UK there are different cultural characteristics, but it is not as large as Britain and Japan. In Scandinavia there is no large online supermarket like the UK, but the Northern Europeans love the culture "to eat dinner with family" rather than the English people. By finding such small hints, it is said that the concept of startup will be found.

◆ 4: Becoming the worst self-critic at an early stage
For detailed and accurate criticism, market survey data etc. are required, so someone takes one hourStress testIt is difficult to ask for theoretical and practical criticism from others. It is worthwhile to ask smart people involved in investment and others, but I will become my worst critic at the earliest possible stage, cast a lot of questions from various angles and shoot down my own ideas It is important.

◆ 5: Firmly manage the company with development and design


Dinnr has overseas developers and designers who are recommended by investors. Mr. Bohanes added two people to the core of the team after knowing it and worked in the same room so that I could do what I had imagined immediately. Even if it is not a technology-oriented company like Dinnr, it is effective that it is at a distance that developers can collaborate immediately.

◆ 6: Professional design improves business fundamentals
Mr. Bohanes had the opportunity to talk with entrepreneur woman for home business, she told Dinnr's problem is on an amateurish website. She pointed out that "What you need about jobs is reliability, and websites designed by professionals lead to higher customer acquisition rates." Sense is required, but it seems to be better to use larger photos by improving photography techniques. Five months after receiving the advice, the re-purchase rate which continued the decline showed a recovery as a result of visually appealing by changing the appearance of the website.

◆ 7: Goals that could not be achieved are abbreviated and results are rushed


At the beginning of starting Dinnr, Mr. Bohanes had set monthly goals. Often the goal was too high to achieve, but I did not do much orbital correction to the end. So, for example, once we have achieved the goal of "getting 100 customers," we will stop moving towards acquiring new customers. Next, we set a goal of "to obtain re-purchase of 100 people we acquired by the end of the month", if we can not achieve it, we should abandon the goal achievement quickly and if we can achieve it, we should do it Mr. Bohanes thinks. It is important not to be too particular about one goal.