Insights on startups from a founder's 5-year journey

Some insights on startups 
a founders journey"
Roger Basler!
November 24th, 2014!
www.unternehmens-architekt.ch! 1!

Roger Basler"
Unternehmens-Architekt"
Betriebsökonom FH!
@rogerbasler!
!
Co-Founder and CEO of PLV Fashion AG!
Country Manager Switzerland of whatchado GmbH !
CEO and Founder of the Swiss e-Commerce Academy"
CEO and Founder of Gustav&Paul Digital Marketing"
CEO and Founder of Analytics Agentur Switzerland!
!
What I do for a living? As an Unternehmens-Architekt I am invested or
leading several ventures within Switzerland and Austria. I manage the
founding, business development and startup stage of these projects and
companies on my own account.!
powered by www.whatchado.com"

What we will cover today"
1.  Why there is no such „startup“!
2.  10 ideas and insights I gathered over 5 years!
3.  Questions and answers!

Why there is not just one startup"

Many ways lead to Rome"
1.  What we all dream of: Lifestyle Startup!
2.  What we all start with: Small Business Startup!
3.  What some of us aim for: Scalable Startup!
4.  What happens in Tech: Buyable Startup!
5.  What others do: !Social Startup!
6.  What others do as well: Mompreneurs!

The Lifestyle Startup"

The Lifestyle Startup"
•  Build a sustainable revenue stream that is
systemized to operate on its own!
•  Work hard, but aim to minimize hours worked!
•  Proﬁtable from the very beginning!
•  Have a network of clients / friends that pay for!

The Small Business Startup"

The Small Business Startup"
•  Setup to feed your family (or yourself)!
•  Maybe already is a family business less than 5
people working in it in a local market area!
•  No need to grow fast and big!

Scalable Startup"

Scalable Startup"
•  Common understanding in the Silicon Valley as a Startup!
•  Needs Venture Capital in several rounds!
•  Think Big, Bootstrap all!
•  Serving a market bigger than CHF 300 Mio. annual
turnover!
•  Can grow more than 100% year over year!
•  Founders will mostly leave after build stage (growth will
be „managed“)!

The Buyable Startup"
•  Search for a disruptive idea no big company is
capable of in the area of!
–  Medicine!
–  High Tech!
–  Mobile!
–  Gaming !
–  App!
•  Look for alliances and good knots to the
industry!
•  Get bought – get out!

Social Entrepreneurship"

Social Entrepreneurship"
•  Solve a problem for society!
•  Push social innovation and mind change!
•  Maybe not to be monetarized immediatly!
•  Have a strong and idealistic team!
•  Have a long breath (ﬁnancially)!

The Mompreneur"

The Mompreneur (or Dadpreneur)"
•  Find your niche!
•  Scale your limited time (part time)!
•  Make sure you can (partly) live on it!
•  Collaborate with other mompreneurs!
•  Beauty, fashion, marketing, personal services
(daycare, dog sitting, etc)!

What is a Startup in fact?"
A Startup is a temporary
organisation used to search
for a repeatable, scaleable
business model.!

What if its not?"
•  It‘s an experiment!
•  It‘s a less expensive but more valuable MBA!
•  It will make you think out of the box!
•  9 out of 10 startups fail!

Back then 1998 - 2008"

Back then 1998 - 2008"
•  10 years of experience!
•  Speaking 5 languages!
•  Having a corporate
credit card!
•  Having all expenses
paid!
•  I can do this on my own!

Let‘s start a healthy business (2009)"

Lets close that business (2010)"

You did it once, you can do it 4 times..."

10 insights I gathered"

10 pieces of (personal) advice"
1. "
2. "
3."
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

1. Your best friend"
2. "
3."
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

1. Your new best friend"
Knows your numbers!
Is within 15 min drive or a call away!
Is not (!) someone from your own family!

2. Cash is King"
3."
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

2. CFIMITYM"
If you run out of cash, its over!
Send bills and follow up!
Ask for advances!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

Your reputation is all you got"
Work hard on it!
Help others!
Call back immediatly!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. "
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

Work on your network"
Have a pitch (for your mom)!
Start local – connect with industries!
Pay it forward – with a kick back!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. "
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

The ﬁrst client is the hardest, keep it"
Say thank you!
Work on referalls!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
7. "
8. "
9. "
10. "

Find your opposite - outside"
People telling you the truth!
People not afraid of not knowing your business!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
7. Find your niche "
8. "
9. "
10. "

The world is an ocean"
Find your niche and people that pay for!
You cant do everything – but you can be known for!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
8. Say NO "
9. "
10. "

Just Say Nay"
This will help you more than you know now!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
8. Say NO "
9. Set Goals"
10. "

If you cant measure it ..."
... You cant manage it.!
Measure, learn, adjust, move on!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
8. Say NO "
9. Set Goals"
10. Do things"

Stop thinking – start doing!"
Do that call TODAY!
Yes it is that simple!

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
8. Say NO "
9. Set Goals"
10. Do things"

2. Cash is King"
3. Reputation"
4. Networking "
5. Be patient"
6. Have a sparring"
8. Say NO "
9. Set Goals"
10. Be Nice"
O N E
F O R
F R E E"

Have a homebase"

And if all fails..."

Happy to answer any questions"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
Now or later: @rogerbasler"

Seite 54!www.unternehmens-architekt.ch!

Contact"
Unternehmens-Architekt"
Roger Basler!
Pﬂanzschulstrasse 33!
8400 Winterthur!
!
p: !+41 44 586 07 97!
m: !+41 78 644 76 81!
www.unternehmens-architekt.ch!
!
@rogerbasler!
www.rogerbasler.ch!
!
Thank you very much."
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