What i heard on a startup event
So yesterday I went on a seminar about startups. I don’t have a startup nor I am too interested about doing one, I just went to learn something new from people that know more than I. I took the bus and then the train and finally met up with my friends (I am bored to go alone). We were about 70-90 people of different ages and backgrounds in a very nice building that hosted the event. There were more people than the chairs so they stayed on their feet. Of course i and my friends went on the front rows to see and hear better otherwise I believe if even one of those two missing it is pointless (except if you paid for it, this one was free). The seminar or event you can say it however you want wasn’t just for startups in general but about:
1. Marketing for startups
2. Branding for startups
3. HR management for startups
At start the host spoke that was the Europe Direct center and gave us some information about what happening in our country with startups and some ways we can obtain the fund we need to start it. I won’t say how cause it mostly applies to my country so it would be useless for most of you. Then they told us the seminar had 2 parts, the first one was about marketing and branding for startups and the second one was for first time in this event ( the event running for some years and it is in the context of startup Europe week) we going to talk about HR management for startups. Finally the event was for about 2 hours long.
PART 1 (Marketing-Branding)
In this part, 3 guys came to talk and because they wanted to make it interactive one of them asked questions and the other 2 represented Marketing and Branding answered. The Branding guy was the chief of sales or sales manager in a big company and a mentor for startups about branding topics and as for the other one, he was a marketer and digital marketer consultant that works on a startup as a marketing manager and at the same time he holds a Ph.D. and teaches in a college. What I can remember from yesterday is that as far as it concerns marketing he said that startups don’t differ too much from the regular businesses because they need a marketing plan and a marketing strategy too. Both of them said that the real problem startups face is that while they create very good products they can’t sale them and one of the biggest reasons is that they don’t know exactly what their products do and how to tell to the customers how beneficial they are for them.
‘’Test your products’’ they said, "but don’t go to your family or your friends they will be the worst judges ‘’ "aaa very good’’ ‘’ its great you are the best my son’’ but go and test it to the people that you want to be your customers either they are b2c or b2b. Only then you will earn a good feedback and then you can make the changes needed.
Moreover they said that if you own a startup you are the voice of it and you need to run and go by yourself to build a community and they gave an example of one business man that called them and ask for their services and what exactly he wanted was for them to create a Facebook page and talk to the customers. The answer was that ‘’I won’t take your money for no reason, you are a b2b business and in b2b the personal sale plays a huge role, moreover you know where are the one you want to sell too and there aren’t too many, that’s what happens in b2b businesses. So all you need to do is spend some of your time to go meet these potential clients and inform them about yourself’’
Furthermore the first thing to do is to build a community and that means you should be in every event-seminar-meeting possible. Don’t relay too much to social media there is no point to pay money for advertising if you nobody knows you. You have to emphasize to make the customer understands what the product you are selling is doing for him and then build the community step by step. There is not a specific marketing tactic or technique ( for example social media first or let’s do a pestle analysis) you should follow cause every startup and company is different
Part 2 (HR management)
In this panel 2 women came to the stage to talk about HR management. One was over 40 years old that was an academic university teacher and responsible for MSc in human resources and another about 33 that was director of advisory work of a company. They said that most new startups think ‘’we need a marketer or an analyst or sales man but HR? we don’t need that’’ only the startups that have some years running start to realize the need of HR and gave us an example of a startup with only engineers that after they created the product they had no idea what to do and what they need next. They said at some time you will need to add some people in your team and when the time comes you need to think as business man and do the process needed ( what I need? , interviews , ask some questions ) and not take your friend or your cousin because he is a good boy/girl. Furthermore, not everyone is for startups you need to think first what your heart is telling you and do it otherwise you will fail long-term.
‘’if you need help ask for it’’ there is no need to think about it or by shy, you have a business and if you don’t know something go and ask, nowadays you could take the information’s you need for free by universities, forums , mentors ,event, meet ups , etc etc so there is no point to think about it.
‘’Don’t hire someone different with the culture you have created’’ for example if you have a team that whatever problems they have solve it with dialog or a team that if you judge them or say something to them they will not get mad but instead they try to work it out and be better and you hire a new person that is competitive then the results will be chaotic
Finally something else the HR teacher said and everyone of the co-speakers agreed with is that I know our country is facing a lot of problems but don’t just give up and go to another European one. Stay there and try it, you just need better information’s, there are many programs that provide funds and many people they are willing to help you even for free. Take the risk and stay and if all of as try our best in our country we will eventually force the system to be adjusted to our needs ( she said that last one cause of high taxation and cause there aren’t any laws that help startups, mostly everything about startups are either from Europe programs, private funds, non-governmental organizations, institutions and volunteering )
I hope I provided some helpful tips to everyone interesting in those things. If you want to add something or share your point of view I will be very happy to read it
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