創投給的創業同學們的建議

   最近創業比賽的第一階段告一段落。從一開始的點子發想到最後的成果發表，花了我們十一個組員四個月的時間，也算是有做功課了。但是這段期間我們做出來的商業企劃書真的可以轉變為一家成功的公司藍圖嗎？恐怕還差得遠。但是，我們是一直在進步的。這篇文章列出其中一位評審給這次報告的十九組同學共同的評語的重點。從這些評語，我們應該期許自己能夠學到東西，向我們的夢想更進一步。



1. 這次的BP比較像是學生作業，而不像是一個因為熱情而誕生的結晶。熱情才是唯一最重
    要決定創投投資的關鍵。

2. 選擇和自己生活經驗有關的問題。從自己的日常生活出發，你才會真正瞭解這個問題。

3.很多人在BP中把焦點在產品上，但是更重要的是，必須說服投資人市場真的
   有這個需求。需求才是BP的重點，而非產品功能。

4.許多第一次創業的人有種想法就是所謂的產品就是有形的東西，而一家好的公司就必須要
   有好的產品，因而花太多力氣在設計產品上。而非去發掘問題的核心。找到問題的核心才
   是最重要的。沒有抓到核心，好的產品不會變成一家成功的公司。

5. 市場準備好了嗎？或許你的產品很好，但是必須考量市場對這個概念的熟悉程度，以及
    使用者有多大的動機改變自己的習慣來使用你的產品。或許你的東西夠好，但是市場還
    沒準備好。這會是一個創業者碰到的最大問題。

6. 產品如何分配到有需要的人手上？很多組花了大部分的力氣在建造產品上面，但是如何
    讓產品推銷出去，卻很少著墨。通常你的產品不會好到自己長腳跑到顧客手上，讓他們
   自己捧者鈔票上門，因此去和可能的通路以及行銷管道實際訪談，或許會對真正的市場以
   及問題有實際的瞭解。

7. 有的組認為自己的產品很創新，故沒有市場上既存競爭者。但是市場上沒有這個產品必
    須問自己兩個問題：1.There might be a reason for that. 2. maybe you are right, but there's lots 
     of substitutes. 



原文：

 評審評語 from 許安德創辦人

To all YEF members:


I decided to write general comments regarding the business plans that I saw because I saw areas for improvement that were applicable to all. My comments have less to do with the technical aspect of a business plan as most of the plans addressed the basic components. However, I thought there was a great deal of improvement possible in terms of the content and the thinking behind starting a venture.


A few thoughts on identifying a problem:


My overall impression of the plans was that they seemed like a school assignment rather than a work of passion. Having passion and a deep understanding of the problem you are solving is very important. I’d say that passion sometimes outweighs the problem itself. In my own experience of fundraising, both as someone seeking investment and providing the funding, I’d say that “passion” has probably been the single most important fact that has enabled me to both win investors and also win me over when other entrepreneurs have pitched me ideas.


Having said, this leads to my second point, of picking problems that are solvable by you given your life experiences. I understand that YEF members are students and therefore, young, and have limited life experiences, so I’d suggest that in the future, you should pick problems that you have observed in everyday life or are relevant to your generation because this would be something that you know about.


Is there a need? A lot of the business plans discussed plans for a product. The problem I saw was that the product was feasible but I wasn’t convinced that there would be a need for the solution.

First, a good business does not always need to be a product-based company
Second, a good product does not always make for business or financial success
I think many first-time entrepreneurs and especially the mindset in Taiwan is about building a product or something tangible, however I’d say that the important thing is to figure out the problem you are solving first and not to fall into a mental trap of needing to build a product.
The hardest thing to overcome in starting a business is “market risk”. If the market is not ready for a product or unwilling to pay for your product or unwilling to alter its behavior to use your product, then you will have a problem.


Lack of discussion on “distribution:” Let’s suppose you do have a winning product already, how do you get the product to the end user? This is actually a critical question but most start-ups don’t think about the issue from the get-go. I would advise teams to talk to potential suppliers & distributors and to understand their thinking, e.g. what type of margins they’d expect to move a product and perhaps they will also offer a more realistic assessment of your potential market.


Other Comments:
“There is nothing like our product or service”


Answer:

1) There might be a reason for that

2) What you say may be true, but there might be lots of substitutes


Mark Hsu