The first hundred thousand users are always the hardest
description
Transcript of The first hundred thousand users are always the hardest
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!