The first 10k The first 10k users are users are always the hardestalways the hardest

Rashmi Sinha,SlideShare

Who am I?Who am I?

SlideShare... SlideShare... best place in the world to share presentations

Taking over the Taking over the world world (one PowerPoint (one PowerPoint at a time!)at a time!)

Start May 06 > Beta > Launch Oct 06 > Grow > Grow more > Angel funding Dec 07 > Series A Apr 08 > Grow more

1. Make your1. Make your app app usefuluseful

Solve one problem Solve one problem really wellreally well

Make app Make app socialsocial

SlideShare as non social appPowerPoint plugin?No virality

2. Speed is2. Speed is

imperativeimperative

Why startupsWhy startups need need speed?speed?

Small & fast

Set the tone for Set the tone for speedspeed

In hiring, development, design, releases, biz dev

Be agileBe agile(worry about scaling later)

3.3. What What to buildto build

Why we builtWhy we built products products we didwe did

MindCanvas: Could sell into marketSlideShare: Understood market

37signals:37signals: Build less Build less

Build forBuild for right right reasonsreasonsStart with lessAdd complexity (when necessary)Remove features Get people used to change

To build To build a feature ora feature or not tonot to

Listen to loudest?Watch behavioral metrics?Read blog posts?

Loudest users ORLoudest users OR silent silent majoritymajority

slidecasting example

How toHow to double double traffictraffic??

Anatomy of aAnatomy of a feature feature launchlaunch

Groups: V1, V2 & V3

4. How to4. How to LaunchLaunch

The AlphaThe AlphaFeedback to the embedNo publicityBrowser compatibility issues

How How developeddeveloped should a Beta be?should a Beta be?

SlideShare betaEnough to get point acrossLittle of social layerNot buggy

SlideShare SlideShare launchlaunch

Invite only: Before or after launch?

AlphaStealth mode

Open to allLaunchInvite only

Initial MomentumInitial Momentum

5. Use5. Use metricsmetrics

What metrics?What metrics?Performance: page load times...Errors: 404, 500s...Traffic: Web logsDatabase tracking: No. registrations, login, uploads, contactsCustomer feedback emails

Get yourself aGet yourself a shadow appshadow app

Metrics we care aboutSimple console with daily, hourlySimpler than web analyticsWhole team uses itMeasure project success, iterateProxy AB testing

Daily email Daily email reportsreports

6. Scaling6. Scaling

Community Community is hardis hard

Community is a great way Community is a great way to growto grow

No marketing costs, users evangelizeConstant stream of feedback

Scaling community with Scaling community with millions of usersmillions of users

Users help each other?

7.7. Outsource Outsource what what you canyou can

Outsource Outsource

complexitycomplexityAmazon S3, EC2Dedicated servers instead of colocationGoogle AdsGoogle SearchDifferent widgets (Gigya, AddThis)

8. Working with8. Working with

remote teamsremote teams

ChallengesChallengesGetting to know each otherHard to develop informal rapportNeed to look at same screen.Body clockBenefits: 24 hour cycle

Synchronous Synchronous is is

mustmust SkypeGoToMeeting

SCRUMEnd of day reports

9. Ideas are9. Ideas are dime a dime a dozendozen

NO EXECUTION = $1

WEAK EXECUTION = $1000

SO-SO- EXECUTION = $10,000

GOOD EXECUTION = $100,000

GREAT EXECUTION = $1,000,000

BRILLIANT EXECUTION = $10,000,000

AWFUL IDEA = -1 WEAK IDEA = 1

SO-SO IDEA = 5

GOOD IDEA = 10

GREAT IDEA = 15

BRILLIANT IDEA = 20

Ideas are a multiplier. Execution is Ideas are a multiplier. Execution is all that mattersall that matters

XX

http://www.oreillynet.com/onlamp/blog/2005/08/ideas_are_just_a_multiplier_of.html

Care aboutCare about executionexecution

Scrutinize ideas: “can we execute on this?”How fast? When can we start work?What will first version take?Which team member will do it? What metrics to track progress?What will we push back to work on this?

10. Understand10. Understand market market sizesize (& revenue model)(& revenue model)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/docman/5053155/

Potential Potential market market sizesize

No of PowerPoint presentationsBlogs & Video

Potential Potential revenue revenue streamsstreams

AdSenseAffiliate NetworksSponsorshipsFremiumLicensing White label versionMarketplaceJob board Professional services

Good Good early legsearly legsAdsenseConsulting revenue

Revenue Revenue stream stream impacts impacts applicationapplication

AdvertisingPro accounts & FremiumWhite label solutions-Revenue stream should not kill virality-Don’t loose focus on majority

Problems withProblems with

fremiumfremium

VC money?VC money?Retain control till you canTake money (if you absolutely need it)From right partners

Finally Finally slides athttp://www.slideshare.net/event/webvisions-2008/slideshows

find me at www.slideshare.net/rashmi

We are hiring!