After resigning from OPPO, the author embarked on an entrepreneurial journey of “one-person company”, taking on multiple roles such as sales, customer service, and lecturer alone to operate a knowledge community. In the past two years, he has summarized six underlying thinking on entrepreneurship through practice for your reference.
2 years ago today, it was my last day at OPPO, and then I personally ran a knowledge community.
To what extent is “personally”? I took on the responsibilities of sales, customer service, lecturer, coach, finance, designer, editor, etc. at the same time.
Friends said, isn’t this the popular “one-person company” now?
Literally, I thought that a company was responsible for all aspects of the operation by one person, but I didn’t take it seriously at the time.
Today, the business positioning of the knowledge community has become very clear – not to think clearly at the beginning, but to think of it and make it as you walk.
The whole process is very interesting and mysterious, and I have a new understanding of the “one-person company” that I didn’t care about at that time, so I will take the opportunity of the 2nd anniversary to tell you some thoughts, especially if you are currently working in a company, but you may start a business in the future –
01 A real one-person company is to wear through a small category
A one-person company does not mean that it is a person, its essence is to do things thoroughly in a small category! It is difficult for friends to surpass you, so that consumers think of you as soon as possible.
Because as entrepreneurs without any resource background, we have no capital operation, no family security, and no mature customer source… A person is destined to be difficult to fight the world.
After 10 years of interaction design, why did I transfer to product manager?
After the real job transfer, I found that many jobs were still beyond my imagination. The work of a product manager is indeed more complicated. Theoretically, the work of a product manager includes all aspects of the product, from market research, user research, data analysis…
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But we can find a small copy to play through, so small that large enterprises can’t see/can’t see it, but it has market demand. Then break through it, do it well, and make yourself a TOP1 player, and this small copy is to find a very vertical and subdivided category.
For example: “Night Chat 21 o’clock” is a live broadcast column open to community members, and today we have done 112 episodes, with 1 session per week that has never been interrupted and never changed.
02 What you are best at may not be suitable for business
You are an expert in a certain industry, such as research, design, products, etc., this craft can help you find a good job, but before you want to transform to start a business, you must understand that this craft can become a business.
For example: “User research” is already a very mature skill in the experience track, but if you want to open a research company, it may not be a good business. Because it eats the account period, eats costs, eats resources, and the gross profit is low, and the competition in the domestic market is fierce now, unless you have enough cash and patience in hand, it is a bitter and unprofitable business, and you can’t stand it until you succeed.
03 Want to understand how the first business came about
To do toB business, your first business is crucial; To do toC business, your 1000th business is a challenge.
In terms of toB business, connections and reputation are important, but the source of the most reliable and successful probability of the first business is that you have made outstanding and successful projects in the enterprise in the past.
For example, “Coach Running” is a consulting service for enterprises, my first order is to provide NPS research and management system for Shenzhen’s 3C manufacturing industry, the reason they chose me is because during my tenure at OPPO, I created 8 major NPS assessment businesses and achieved 100% compliance rate for 2 consecutive years.
Therefore, during the employment period of the enterprise, you must be able to choose a project, and then use all the thoughts and methods to achieve the extreme, and fully summarize the methodology of the review itinerary to prepare for the follow-up.
04 Your business = (value – demand) * N
I have seen a similar point of view, called “demand = business”, I don’t completely agree, because if you just look at business from the perspective of demand, how can you highlight your difference? Especially under the condition that friends are everywhere and the market is extremely priced.
Therefore, when you choose a business, you must use this formula: business = (value – demand) * N
“Value” is the service you provide, “demand” is the pain point of the other party, and the rest of “value-demand” is to provide customers with services that exceed expectations, only in this way can there be the possibility of sustainable survival, so it is the “N”, there are new customers, there are repurchases.
For example, “talent introduction” is our headhunting service for enterprises, because I am familiar with the experience track enough, I can even help companies define and improve the portrait of candidates, and it only takes 3 days to provide companies with a match of >90% of candidates, which is the formula I follow.
05 Star business = (value – demand) * standardization
Celebrity business must meet three conditions at the same time:
(1) Large demand
(2) High gross profit
(3) Reproducible
If you don’t want to be an old scalper who burns life, then this formula must be clearly figured out, what is your star business!
For example: the same is “coaching with running”, the company chooses to cooperate because it recognizes me, and if I say that I change to a consultant, they will not agree. So even if this business is in high demand and high gross profit, it cannot become my star business, because it cannot be replicated, so the star business of the knowledge community is…
06 If you want to start a business, you must be thick-skinned
In May, I met with a senior executive friend of a company, and she lamented that I have been in business for 2 years, and the biggest change is that my skin has become thicker, and I agree with it to the extreme!
Looking back on the second half of 23, I was very thin-skinned, and I had an offline course called “Management Power of Ultimate Experience”, and the content was carefully crafted, but I was embarrassed to shout, and even once denied myself that I was not a good salesperson.
Now I have found a way to thicken my skin, and I will tell you – “So hungry”
- “Good” represents your product, which must be carefully polished and used with all your might! Even if it is not the best compared to friends, but you are indeed prepared with your heart, then you will live up to others and make yourself confident.
- “Hungry” represents your pressure, if you don’t make an order, you won’t have food to support yourself and your team next month, and anxiety about the future is the motivation to push you to take a step forward.
- “What” means are you really ready? If you just have a “good” product, it is not enough, its sales path, service path, and delivery path are all aspects of a complete set of design.
To sum up, I hope it will be helpful to you.
