Vineesh's Thoughts

8 lessons in funding your own dreams - Perhaps my presence at Proto despite the odds was not just coincidence! ;)

An insightful presentation into how Tekriti grew giving good glimpses of the inside story. Each lesson demonstrated on their own turf was quite enlightening to say the least!

Lesson #1 - It's not about the big idea, but grabbing the smallest opportunity and building on it.
It is not about thinking, planning or funding. It is all about doing.

Lesson #2 - Start small, think big. It is prudent to start small when you are boot-strapping but plan to grow big and work accordingly.

Lesson #3 - Inexpensive != Cheap. Identifying and nurturing raw talent lies at the very heart of building a boot-strapped company. Fresh talent may be lacking in knowledge, but the make up for it with their energy and passion.

Lesson #4 - Sex appeal is important. 'Cause it attracts talent, it attracts clients, it attracts attention and most importantly - makes you feel good.

Lesson #5 - A company without culture is like a body without a soul. Building a culture requires a lot of hardwork, but fortunately, very little money.

Lesson #6 - Don't take the startup thing too far. Start becoming a "real" company so that you can scale up. Rules and policies are eventually required to create a feeling of belongingness.

Lesson #7 - If you can't sell, you might as well go home! You are on a boot-strapped startup. If you don't sell like hell, where shall the money come from?
Golden rule - Sell before you produce and sell before you hire!

Lesson #8 - Funding product dreams with services money is hard, but POSSIBLE!
First and foremost, don't kill the Cash Cow. When the services business is the first born - don't treat it like a step child.

But the most important lesson was "SLOG!SLOG!SLOG! Nobody died of hardwork. But several entrepreneurs came close."

Ohh well those were all the words from Gaurav.

Mine - "Thanks for the whole day! I'll owe it to you guys for whatever I achieve."