What Did I learn throughout this first year with Angry Ventures
Yes, suspect. You must be thinking “one year? This has just begun!…” The truth is that these 365 days with Angry Ventures, seemed like 1000. I learned so much, I feel privileged for having the opportunity to create this route for me, and for the people surrounding me.
So, I’d like to share some points that I believe that may be of interest to others that pass or have passed by the same.
Here goes!
1)If you make meaning you will make money — When we are confronted with a new project the first factor in what we think is never the briefing or the offer. Instead, is how can we create an immense value for this project. What we’ve been discovering is that if we create value, in the future, regardless of the monetary offer, people will want to continue to work with us, because people don’t buy what they need, they buy what they want.
2) You’re consciously incompetent — You don’t know everything and what you know is almost nothing. So listen, learn, read and try. This is the only way you can evolve.
Don’t try to win any argument. What I’ve learned over time is that nobody will ever win an argument. Dale Carnegie’s books helped me to better understand this concept.
3) Our opinion is only our assumption — Over the past year we had the privilege of contacting with lots of people that are either setting up their projects, or have a business idea that they want to develop. What we found out, and be prepared because this is a pattern, is that our opinion is clearly our own assumption, and it’s a brutal arrogance those who criticize in a deconstructive manner, they say that it won’t work and discourage projects or ideas of others just based on their own assumptions. This happens a lot with “Experts”, Incubators, VC’s and Business Angels. Yes, I know of a lot of hugely successful projects that they thought would never work …
4) Don’t sell dreams that become nightmares (by Pedro Dias) — I have the privilege of working closely with the Premium Minds, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from their CEO and team, is the importance of managing expectations and the sincerity with which we discuss about what we do and what we promise. This thought has been crucial to continue to sleep very well at night …
5) Make it, Sell it! — I keep seeing people every day more concerned with their product than with their marketing and customer acquisition strategy.
“If You Build It Will They Come” — This no longer exists, no longer happens.
If you’ve created something, focus on marketing, it will be equally or more important than the product.
6) It’s only really awarded when money comes into the bank account — It’s happened before, and I think that will happen again. It is a fact as simple as described.
7) Be crappy, perfect people don’t ship anything — I’m not ashamed of any of the products we have. They are crappy, yes. They could be much better, Yes. With more features, better UX/UI, etc, etc, Yes! They will be! At this moment the most important thing is that they exist, they have customers, invoicing and we received lots of feedback that makes us want to be better every day.
8) Only morons start a business on a loan! — Because this sentence seems intensely arrogant I want to make a disclaimer:
The statement is not mine! — It’s Mark Cuban’s
But, and there’s always a but, it is certain and known that a bank loan should not be an option to be taken lightly.
If it works as an example, I just created the Angry Ventures, When 4 customers asked me for an invoice (After we’ve done services and licensing), ignoring for a while e-mails with requests for invoices from those customers, in order to get everything prepared financially.
You must be thinking: “Yes, but it’s not so easy to create a restaurant without a bank loan”. I agree! That’s why I think you should think long and hard whether it makes sense to create a restaurant.
(If this is your case, try to make an experience in your house: Invite some friends for a tasting experience and ask them a monetary value in the end. (Do this 5 times) If they pay you, go forward!)
9) Find what you’re not looking for — This mindset always helps me overcome worst moments. If I can find what I’m not looking for, I grow and learn. If this happens is because that moment is probably not so bad. Actually the opposite…
I think I will finish with this. There are many more things I could share, for example the super importance of people and teams, but I’ll leave it to a next post.
These were intense, magic and difficult days… Fortunately it is very difficult, it’s very good!
