Lean Startup isn't about being CHEAP, its about learning what your customers want!

Unsuccessful entrepreneurs do not mean they are stupid, but in fact they are either inexperienced and/or misguided that led to them to fail. A Startup company is like a baby, it is fragile, dependent, and flexible. Like a baby, a Startup needs to be nurtured with care, and the method of care differs for every company and in every stage. There is no set standard formula. Mr.Jamie, our mentor, once met an entrepreneur who spent NT$800,000 ($27,000USD) on a piece of thesis paper that had a formula for building successful Internet companies. Of course we know there is no such formula, however, Mr. Jamie, being the gentleman he is, wished the entrepreneur good luck on his endeavors, and till this day, Jamie has not yet heard back from him. We should all know where that guy ended up ~

Today's lesson was understanding what Lean Startup is about. Like I mentioned, Startup is like a baby, very fragile, so if you take your company into the wrong path, you will burn miserably. How do we walk toward the path of success and glory? The answer is, "LEARN." How do we learn? We have to learn from our customers, from our suppliers, from our users. The later you launch your product, the more opportunity to learn is lost. Hence, it is crucial to fire out a "lean" product with all the essential functions and see how users interact with your product. You might have built something awesome they didn't want, and they might want something that you thought was unnecessary.

iBeengo learned this lesson back in September, during the first interview with Mr.Jamie and appWorks Ventures, and decided to quickly launch out a product by the end of 2011. From offering information on 15 States, we reduced it to 5 states. From offering 5 different booking tools, we reduced it to one simple hotel booking. We will react to our users' need and want, and deliver functions of the utmost importance to them. As entrepreneurs, we have to have the courage to write emails to our first 10 customers and understand what they are thinking and their want. We need to continuously "Learn, Measure, and Build" according to customers' want and not "Build Build Build".

KEEP FIGHTING!

Visit us at www.ibeengo.com

Expected Alpha Launch in 55 Days

Image via Julien Haler
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