If you have 1 good idea, what will you do? Leave it there, or start looking for companions who can work with you to turn it into reality?
The first speaker of the “StartMeUp: Business Idea” program, Christopher Zobrist, began his talk with a question:
– ‘Does anyone know how many people have started businesses?’
– And ‘how many people have an idea but have not started a business?’
Those 2 simple questions alone were enough to get everyone in the room engaged and warmed up. Christopher shared that his passion for business began very early. His first business experience came at just 4 years old, when he sold oranges he had picked up in his garden. He said that business ideas often come to someone unexpectedly, and what distinguishes ideas from one another is what happens afterward.
He continued: some people have very unique ideas, but how can they turn them into opportunities? He enthusiastically elaborated:
1: How can you verify whether your idea is good or bad?
2: A startup is a team sport; you cannot do it alone.
Next, Christopher readily shared 4 steps to help 1 entrepreneur determine whether their idea is good or bad:
– Who am I, what are my strengths and what experience do I have?
– Does my initial core customer base actually exist?
– If some people already like my product idea, am I capable of building a prototype and seeing how the application would work?
– The final step is to learn from what you have experienced through the first 3 steps and keep improving.
Chris then emphasized: “STARTUP IS A TEAM SPORT”—“A startup is a team sport.” When starting a business, 1 person often has to wear many “hats”: designer, engineer, and businessperson. Chris used 1 technology startup as an example: if you decide to work alone, you must wear the following 3 “hats” at the same time:
– Hat 1 – Designer: Who are your customers? What do they need, and how can you create products they can use? How should the interface be designed?
– Hat 2 – Engineer: What should be built first and what afterward? Which technology should be used, and how should it be programmed?
– Hat 3 – Business: How to reach customers, build a stronger brand and raise capital,…
Startups do not necessarily have to follow the conditions above; you can take your own path. However, technology startup founders must understand their strengths and weaknesses so they can address gaps by finding partners…
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Christopher Zobrist founded and ran a company that achieved $2.100.000 in revenue and earned an MBA. Chris came to Vietnam in 2006 to build his second company, a software outsourcing business, and has since helped found 6 other joint ventures in Vietnam.
Christopher previously taught at RMIT South Saigon and Vietnam National University Hanoi, and is currently a visiting lecturer at International University, Vietnam National University.
Source startmeup
