chinanetcloud chase future event - lessons learned running a chinese startup

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ChaseFuture Stars II最有价值的青年奖项

By Steve MusheroDecember, 2014

Running the World’s Internet Servers

Lessons Learned in Running a Chinese Startup

OaaS – Operations as a Service www.ChinaNetCloud.com

Hi – I’m Steve


Lessons Learned Leading a Company in China


So you want to start a company ?


Your Goal – Achieve Success


Our Goal – Avoid Major or Deadly Problems


Don’t end up like this


Easy to start a company


Then it gets harder . . .


Have a lot of patience


Very satisfying along the way


Assume everything can and will go wrong – it’s okay


What’s the worst thing that can happen – you’ll be okay


Choose Partners & People Well – Purge early & often


Not so easy to find money


People Challenges are the Biggest Challenges


Hiring is Hard


Jobs new for young people, less professional, hard to evaluate CV


Don’t show up (Check-in weekly) or quit on first day


Senior people are hard, age = salary


Equity almost useless


Finding Sales is hard


Finding Marketing is hard


Hire slow – Fire Fast


People don’t give feedback – Need to extract it


Use back/side channels


People want respect and opportunity – Leave without reason


Need very specific procedures for most roles


Find leaders


Finding & Developing key people is key


Develop your women employees into leaders !


About Customer & Money


(B2B) Customers can be difficult – Some want slaves


Accounts Receivable is good, but Cash is King – think in cash


Collect the Money – Always fun, track, be-proactive


Control the Money & Cash – It likes to walk away


Life in a Startup (Especially as Boss)


Things move fast – Priorities, to-do lists, be organized


Have Fun – It’s a long road


Stay Balanced & Avoid Overload


A fast startup is like an airplane taking off


But without all the parts – add them while flying . . .


When you’re doing it right


Success !


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chinanetcloud chase future event - lessons learned running a chinese startup

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