We've been hard at work here at Snapclass and we thought it was time to provide an update as to exactly what we've been working on. Our main goal here is to produce high quality, extremely useful business educational video content and that's where our focus has been. We've spent a lot of time filming and producing classes for you and we're not starting to release some classes. We'll be starting slow and iterating on our process in both production and delivery to you to make sure we are providing as much value as possible.
From Why the Lean Start-Up Changes Everything via Harvard Business Review.
Lean methods are changing the language start-ups use to describe their work. During the dot-com boom, start-ups often operated in “stealth mode” (to avoid alerting potential competitors to a market opportunity), exposing prototypes to customers only during highly orchestrated “beta” tests. The lean start-up methodology makes those concepts obsolete because it holds that in most industries customer feedback matters more than secrecy and that constant feedback yields better results than cadenced unveilings.
Being secret no longer yields (and probably never did) any substantial benefit. In fact, it becomes a reason for failure more often than not. Customer feedback is at the top of the list in the start-up world. The differentiator between you and your potential competitor becomes the knowledge you have of your customers.
Value - a fair return or equivalent in goods, services, or money for something exchanged.
Last month I started thinking about education in these terms of “value” and quite frankly I think I got screwed. I went to Michigan State University, love the school, the people and my experience there, but quite frankly I use next to nothing of what I learned there. I don’t think I’m alone.
For all the money I spent on my education shouldn’t I get an educational warranty or some type of support after the fact? My Samsung TV came with a multiple year warranty and support; I only paid them a couple hundred bucks, not tens of thousands. But the fact of the matter is we go to university, receive a snapshot of information and get a piece of paper and some how this piece of paper signifies to employers we add value to their work force.
Everyone makes mistakes, but in my opinion there are only two things that matter:
- How quickly you realize you've made a mistake.
- Finding a resolution and implementing it.
It sounds easier than it is and it can be especially tough in business. What's the best way to discovering your mistakes? The usual suspects, listening to feedback, data and being objective. However, finding mistakes is a double edged sword. On one hand you are likely in the best position to realize there is a problem. On the other you are so far down the rabbit hole it's hard to be objective if you are having a problem. It's a tough place to be.Last week we launched Snapclass. Just 36 hours after launching I realized a major mistake; our pricing model. The pricing plan was well thought out, but it missed the mark. Specifically, we chose not to include a free version of our software, which was stopping people from trying it. We thought the free trial period would be enough to get people in the door, but that turned out to be wrong.
Whether you run a startup or an established business, every choice you make could be a mistake. In fact, most of the time you'll have a better chance at choosing wrong then choosing right. Don't worry about making them, worry about fixing them.
Eight years ago in the summer of 2004 I studied abroad in Shanghai. While I was there I met another student named Rodrigo. Rodrigo was from Spain, spoke marginal English and always had a smile on his face. Rodrigo loved to have a good time, he'd party all night, explore all corners of Shanghai and if he had time he'd show up to class. Over the course of the semester I'm not sure he ever got any work done, but I am almost certain he had the best time. Looking back now I NEVER thought I would be getting business advice from Rodrigo, but I did.
