Startup with minimal investment. Ideas for a startup from scratch. Startup idea - where to start? Most likely, the initial and final ideas will be very different

As practice shows, one of the difficult stages in the “Venture Accelerator” is the step of creating an idea for a startup. Indeed, what else can you come up with when, it seems, everything has already been invented before you? However, the process of coming up with new business ideas is a skill that needs to be practiced. In the new video of our “Knowledge Base” we tell you how to learn to see and generate cool ideas for your startups.

First, let's figure out why we need a startup idea?

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Choose a direction of activity

Start a startup and become an entrepreneur

To do this, you need a startup idea that in the future will turn into a business and will bring benefits to your customers and profit to you as the founder.

What is a “startup idea”?

A startup idea is an idea that can be used to build a new company or a new line of business within an existing company.

Who comes up with the idea?

The idea is usually invented by the founder or founders; this important work cannot be entrusted to people who will no longer be involved in the project. Based on your talents and interests. Start with what you enjoy doing.

When do you need to come up with an idea and start your own business?

The ideal time comes exactly when you have a desire to do business and, at the same time, have resources in the form of time, energy and knowledge. If you're watching this video, then it's time to come up with an idea and start bringing it to life. Creating a startup is a series of successful and unsuccessful attempts at implementation. Therefore, the sooner you start your entrepreneurial activity, the greater your chances of success.

For example:

There are many such stories. The next story could be yours.

How to come up with an idea?

1. Imperfections around.

when you live your normal life, you face certain problems. For example, you came to the grocery store, and there was a huge line. You face problems like this every day. Try to notice them and try to find a solution. For example, a solution to the queue problem could be a home delivery service for groceries.

One more example. Once upon a time, high-mounted sockets and a short smartphone charging cord gave rise to a simple, yet convenient device for charging mobile phones.

Communicate more with different people. Pay attention when you can’t find a ready-made solution for something.

2. Talent or hobby.

if you have any talent or hobby, you can turn it into a business. Think about what you are strong at? What can you teach others? Or how can you improve the process of doing what you love?

For example, Ainur Abdulnasyrov has been interested in learning English since childhood and used various teaching methodologies. When he entered university, he began teaching English himself. Then he hired teachers and opened a school for learning languages, “Native Speakers Club”. He sold it and founded the company LinguaLeo.com, which now has more than 19 million users. Those. A man turned his hobby into a business. This is the best way to generate an idea, since you will be doing what you love, which you would do for free, but at the same time making good money.

3. Something fundamentally new.

How many ideas do you need to come up with?

In order to get started, all you need is one idea, the implementation of which you can direct your efforts to. If you cannot implement it in the allotted time, then you can return to the search for new ideas.

We must remember that there are no bad ideas. Success depends on the desire and effort of the one who invented it. Also, you don’t need to think that your idea is not unique. There are few unique ideas; many ideas were tried to be implemented many years ago, and only today they are becoming widespread, such as electric scooters.

There are various implementation options. Any startup idea you have can turn into a successful company.

Launching a startup involves a number of mandatory actions. Many beginning businessmen think that a unique selling proposition is enough, but the success of a new brand depends on many factors that are important to work out before starting. This is what our article is about!

Basic provisions

A startup is a company of any type that begins its development in the market. Today it is almost always funded by venture investors.

So what do you need to know about a startup?

1. It starts with an idea, the basis of any business. If you come up with and then offer a real product that has no analogues, success is guaranteed. The idea needs to be developed by attracting relevant specialists and finding investors.

2. Efficient team. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t count on quick profits; you need enthusiasts who are ready to work “for the idea” first.

3. Starting capital. It is impossible without a financial component. Typically, budding entrepreneurs attract outside investment, but there are often cases when they are ready to invest their own capital, and not just knowledge.

Testing phase

It is impossible to launch a startup to implement a project without testing. If there is no money and a large team of performers (at most, co-founders), but there is a lot of enthusiasm, the main thing is to come up with a working model of the company. The process of checking the viability of an idea always involves polishing it.

Next comes direct testing of the product/service. It is important to draw an objective conclusion by assessing the willingness of consumers to pay money for a product. As part of this action, the market is also studied, the basic concept of the future company is drawn up, and a portrait of a potential client is necessarily drawn.

Testing the idea cannot be postponed until the marketing department appears, since there is a high risk of offering the product to the wrong audience, and therefore failing.

Sometimes, in parallel with testing, the creation of a prototype begins, but more on that later.

Writing a strategy/goal

Strategy is an important stage in the development of a “young” brand. It is the viability of the business model that investors then evaluate when making financing decisions. Often the construction of a plan is based on the personal experience of the creator, successful cases gleaned from the Internet.

Why is it important to develop a plan?

Firstly, a strategy is necessary for systematic development (entering new markets, releasing new products, finding partners, merging with corporations, etc.).
Secondly, the business plan largely determines the size of the investment and how it will be implemented (self-financing or financial investments from outside).
Thirdly, the structure of the company’s management and the selection of employees depend on the planned points of consistent development and the set goals.

A business plan should always contain a “zest” that distinguishes the brand from others and can interest investors. However, do not overdo it with creativity, performance is more important.

Search for investors

So, a good idea has been invented, a development plan has been developed, a test has been carried out to determine how efficient the startup is - what else is needed to create? Lack of funding is the reason for the failure of about 30% of start-up companies. American researchers CB Insights claim that it is the lack of material resources that ranks second in the ranking of failures of “young” brands (by the way, a bad idea is in first place).

How to get investments? Let's look at the list of proven methods from Forbes:

3 “F” - stands for family, friends & fools (look for money from relatives, friends and... fools :)
state subsidies - newcomers have a chance to receive grants, but to do this they need to prove the viability of a start-up brand not only on paper, but also by having their own material assets;
business angels are rich people who want to invest in a young brand (theoretically, they may not even study the business strategy in detail, the idea itself is important to them; there are very few of them in Russia yet);
competitive events are a good chance to receive not only investments, but also PR (at a competition it is convenient to test the effectiveness of an idea);
venture funds - a mandatory condition for receiving investments from venture funds is the real practical implementation of the idea (today special attention is paid to IT projects);
“late-stage” investors are often large corporations who are ready to provide financial resources when a certain stability of the business is already noticeable.

Below is a graph showing the differences by investment sector of the Russian Venture Fund:

It is worth adding crowdfunding to the Forbes list - also an interesting way to get a share of investments. There are crowdfunding platforms where anyone can present their own project and receive (or not receive) funds for its implementation.

The most famous platforms: Planeta.ru, Boomstarte, Yandex. Money (offering this opportunity since 2014). Here's a crowdfunding map that clearly shows the statistics:

Prototype development

When listing what a startup needs, one cannot forget about a prototype - it is a working, but not final, version of a product/service.

We recommend that you think through your first offer: it should theoretically solve at least one problem of your target consumer. This will allow you to determine whether the right direction of development has been chosen or whether adjustments to the strategy are required.

Final stages

These stages are called “alpha” and “beta” in the business world.

The first involves conducting final testing with the possibility of improvements. At the same time, begin to build a client base. The final stage of the alpha stage is the announcement of the product’s release to the market.

The purpose of the beta stage is to bring the product closer to the final version. Considering the criticism of early consumers, consider improving operational efficiency.

The conclusion of the stage is the launch of the finished product; here you can still refine the shortcomings and make amendments if necessary. At the same time, think through the dynamics of sales.

Opening your own company is the dream of many people. Just imagine: you work not for your boss, but for yourself. You organize production activities yourself and are responsible only for your own work. Later, when you begin to achieve some success, you will be able to hire employees and earn more money, expanding your sphere of influence. This is a very interesting prospect, but most people do not even think that it can be brought to life, and not just kept in dreams.

Introduction

The two biggest obstacles on the path of many people who continue to take a job they don't like, although they dream of starting their own business, are lack of money and lack of ideas. Almost everyone believes that to open your own company you need to have a huge budget, as well as be a creative genius who can take creative ideas out of thin air.

Reselling items

Trading in the modern world is very different from what it was 10-20 years ago. The fact is that technological progress has led to the creation of online stores, which have not supplanted real ones, but have taken a much higher place in the industry. Naturally, to open your own online store, you will have to try and spend money: you need to create your own website, purchase a large assortment of products, find suppliers, promote the resource and advertise your activities.

But you can start small: now there are a huge number of web pages on the Internet where things are sold from hand to hand. That is, someone sells their things, and someone looks for what they need and buys what the first person put up for sale. This is where it's easy to start your own business. You can look for cheap items and then resell them for more. If you buy a wholesale supply of some popular product at a low price, then it makes sense to sell it at a substantial markup.

In general, there are many opportunities, and you can start such an activity with a minimal budget. If things go well, you can gradually move to a higher level by opening your own online store.

However, this is far from the only startup with minimal investment. There are many other options for you to explore. Which startup with minimal investment should you choose? Here you should decide what you personally like and what gives you more pleasure.

Organization of holidays

Before considering another idea, it is necessary to refer to the term “startup” used above. What it is? Many users may not be aware of what this strange word means, but it has long been part of the speech of modern people. So what is a startup? What it is?

A startup is a new business that you open on your own, in most cases it starts with one person or a group of like-minded people. And your personal startup can specialize in organizing a variety of holiday events.

You will not have to spend a lot of money to provide services, since they will be intangible. Professionalism plays an important role here, so it is worth focusing on this aspect. It is recommended to start with children's audiences, as they are less demanding. When you hold a certain number of events at a high enough level, you will definitely get noticed. You can help this with online promotion.

Advertising agency

How else can you make your startup? The idea of an advertising agency may seem extremely unrealistic to many, but in reality it is much simpler than you might think. All you need is a creative mind, as well as basic equipment such as a computer, printer, scanner, and so on.

Then you just need to look for clients, of whom there are plenty on the Internet, if you know how to do this. An advertising agency can consist of one person or a small group of people, and it is not necessary to rent an office - you can engage in advertising activities right from home. So the advertising business is an area in which you can safely start your startup. The idea is very profitable if it can be implemented correctly.

"Husband for an hour"

It is quite possible that you have already seen advertisements for “husband for an hour” services, which do not imply any intimacy, as some may think. In reality, such a “husband” must be a jack of all trades and be able to do a lot, from plumbing work to repairing small and large household appliances.

However, such a startup has one big advantage - you don’t have to spend money at all to implement your idea. All you need to do is take a toolbox, which is in every apartment, and go make money. Considering that Russian startups are becoming increasingly popular, you will have to try hard with advertising to stand out from the rest. However, this will not be a problem if you are remembered by your clients for your versatility and professionalism. As a result, you can gain such popularity that you will leave all Russian startups far behind. They will envy you and look up to you as an example.

Freight transportation

As mentioned above, online shopping has changed modern commerce, and this also affected cargo transportation. Now you can easily open your own business in this area if you have a driver’s license and a car. How to launch a startup of this kind? It’s always better to start on your own, delivering goods to online stores, as well as to clients of such outlets.

Even if you don't have a car, you can take out a loan. With good workload, it is possible to make a profit of about 35 thousand rubles per month from one vehicle. And when the loan for the car is paid off, the profit will increase to 50 thousand rubles. Naturally, if you decide to expand and buy more cars, you will have to think about salaries for drivers. But you are guaranteed to have at least 20-25 thousand rubles per vehicle per month. As you can see, profitable business startups do not always require incredible investments from you.

Animal breeding

Startups with minimal investments in Moscow are a very real idea, but what can we say about small cities whose population does not exceed 100-200 thousand inhabitants? Here the conditions are much more difficult, but you can always find your niche. For example, you can raise pets. Just study the demand and purchase those animals that are of more interest to the residents of your city.

One of the most convenient and effective options is breeding rabbits. They are undemanding animals that reproduce at a high rate, and a purebred rabbit can fetch up to five thousand rubles. In order to open such a startup with minimal investment, you will simply need a project. You need to conduct an analysis to ensure that demand does not drop, and also plan how you will house the animals. Remember that they are not things and you will have to care for them and take care of them.

Shoe repair, key making and other manual work

As in the case of the “husband for an hour”, in this option you need to be good at doing what you are going to earn money from. Buying equipment for work is not so difficult. It can also be purchased on credit, which is easy to pay off over time. In times of crisis, Russians are less likely to buy new shoes and try to repair old ones, so you should definitely take advantage of this opportunity. This is a low-investment startup that will pay off fairly quickly.

Beauty salon services

As you can see, examples of startups with minimal investment are almost endless. You just need to determine what you can do best, as well as what brings you pleasure. Use your ability to do haircuts, makeup, or any other beauty procedure by trying to charge money for it. Initially, you can dye your hair or do your nails at home, so you don't have to rent a space. Build a client base, starting with your friends, and then expand and gain popularity.

Tutoring

Another very common and interesting option is tutoring. As part of this, you will need to teach the subject that you are best at. This is a service that has always been very popular, but it becomes especially relevant closer to the moment when school graduates begin to prepare for admission to higher education institutions. Use the power of the Internet. Start small and then expand - chances are you'll end up with your own foreign language school.

Catering

If you know how and love to cook, then you should use it not only to eat yourself, but also to feed others. Naturally, for money. This does not mean that you need to rent a huge area and set up a restaurant with a hundred seats. Three or four tables will be enough to start with. Some do not do seating at all, selling food to go, while others simply prepare meals at home and then deliver them to customers’ homes (or they come to pick up the order themselves).

Making crafts

Another startup for those who know how to work with their hands, only this time in a more creative direction. If you know how to sew, knit, or carve wood, then at any moment you can start making money from it. There are enough resources on the Internet where people sell what they make with their own hands, while earning good money. Later, you can create your own online store and even promote your author’s brand.

Web development

In today's internet-driven society, website development is an incredibly in-demand activity, so if you have the drive, you can start making money without investing a penny. All you need is knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. There are tens of millions of websites on the Internet, but the demand for their creation not only does not fall, but is constantly growing. So you can discover a new career path by ending it as a director of a large IT company.

Online consultations

This startup may be a little similar to the one about tutoring. Its difference lies in the fact that you do not need to invite clients home and do not need to go to their homes to teach a particular subject. All you need is a program that allows you to make calls over the Internet, such as Skype. As a result, you will be able to give lessons on any topic without leaving your home or leaving your computer. However, the possibilities are not limited to school subjects: you can give legal advice, teach how to run a business, and even make astrological forecasts and predict the future of clients. As you can see, the possibilities for starting your own business with minimal investment are unlimited.

Opening a startup is a great way to start a career from scratch and, perhaps, it is even better than a diploma. Starting your own business gives you the knowledge and problem-solving skills that are highly valued in successful companies. These companies encourage accelerated learning and personal freedom, and make sure that all the effort invested is well compensated.

My startups couldn't live up to my expectations, at least financially - I was only able to complete one small one (which was enough to pay for a sabbatical leave). I spent four years on my projects. Two years ago I left them - now I help other startups as a programmer, mentor and/or project manager.

I truly believe that if I had had the following knowledge from the very beginning, I would have prevented my three projects from failing and would now be the founder of several successful companies.

If I could go back in time, I would give myself the following advice:

Look for negative reviews

Collect as many reviews as possible and don't miss out on the harshest critics. If you convince them, you can convince anyone.

Evaluate your ideas against harsh reality. Positive reviews are nice and fluffy, but they don't reflect the challenges your product may face.

Results are more important than hard work.

Many startups mistakenly think that success comes only through hard work. Some even prove this to others by talking about how they sleep less so they can work more.

But if you spend long hours of tedious work thinking through strategies, you will achieve greater results with less effort. Your productivity will increase and you will achieve your goals faster.

Don't jump into development right away / don't come up with an idea while you're writing code

You shouldn’t throw yourself headlong into development, which will drag on first for weeks and then for months. Prototype without code first and improve it based on feedback.

Business and design issues should be addressed separately from development. Development can require ten times more effort, and the pace of work is set by the slowest process.

Before you start writing code, collect feedback and use it to refine the product through revisions and evaluation.

It doesn't matter what you can do. What's more important is what you can't do

Your brain has a limited supply of productive time. The less you work, the greater your ability to think outside of your work tasks.

So you will have to distribute responsibilities. The ability to do this is perhaps the most important skill of any leader or team member. Sharing responsibilities will allow you to scale your performance and improve results with the help of others.

Yes, it's not easy. Effective sharing of responsibilities will require social skills, humility, and confidence. But I truly believe it's worth it.

The next time you find yourself stuck at work, there is no need to increase the number of hours you work or move the deadline. Think about those who can help you.

Learn from other people's mistakes

You can learn from your own, but if you pay attention to the experience of others, your mistakes will become more original, and therefore more valuable for the community and yourself.

There are many ways to learn from others. What I like most is going to meetups and meeting experienced people who know something better than me. There are also TED talks, blogs, vlogs, books, online communities and more.

The community will tell you more than friends and colleagues

Friends always leave nice reviews because they truly believe in your business. Or they like you and don't want to express their disagreement. The real reason for their words is not easy to find out.

Thus, all of these people are unreliable sources of constructive feedback. Don't just rely on your inner circle - instead, reach out to your community of potential clients and investors, as well as other startups and experts in your industry. They may make natural, open-minded advocates for your cause. Get out of your comfort zone and go meet these people!

Create an action plan in case your startup fails

If you put everything on one card, you will experience a huge amount of stress, and because of it, your IQ level decreases.

So do yourself a favor and prepare all the acquired skills, contacts and other advantages in case the project fails. Don't be afraid to periodically update your LinkedIn or Angel.co page and check out new offers; you'll gain confidence in your abilities if you understand your worth in the market.

Any ideas require preliminary preparation. If this is a start from scratch, the question arises - where to get money for the business. Perhaps the idea will be based on traditional solutions; this is somewhat simpler from the point of view of the possibility of taking into account all risks. There is someone else's experience, the path has been paved, and there is a high probability of success and quick profits. If you decide to organize your own startup, then it’s like a roller coaster. Ups and downs are inevitable, although the end result and benefits may exceed all expectations.

And so that your path is not so unexpected, and the turns are not so steep, first let’s figure out what a startup company is.

What is a startup

The term got its name from a small “start up” company, which was able to become one of the brands we know, Hewlett-Packard, or HP. This term gained great popularity during the creation of the first large Internet companies. Vivid examples of successful startups are video hosting “Youtube”, the electronic encyclopedia - Wikipedia, social networks, as well as some IT corporations.

In addition to the major market players, there are many other projects that have only recently begun their development. Some started on crowdfunding platforms, the most famous of which is kickstarter. There are even incredible examples where a person, as a joke, posted an offer to raise money to buy pizza and received thousands of dollars. Under such market conditions, truly worthwhile projects are simply doomed to success. The main thing is the implementation plan, the ability to visualize the idea and show its value to the investor. As a rule, they are the ones who pull out promising projects; ordinary users can support your idea only with very good promotion (reddit to help).

At the heart of the activities of a startup company that has just established itself on the path of business, there is always a new idea or technology. Initial costs go toward developing, testing, implementing, and marketing innovations. And these will not necessarily be only monetary costs. If a company is formed by enthusiasts (or one innovator-inventor), then we will most likely talk about intellectual investments and human resources.

An extremely important point - do not forget about marketing, even after the start. You always need to promote an idea; a striking example is the iPhone. We advise you to watch the first presentations of the smartphone; the basics of marketing for information solutions remain the same.

If the idea or new technology turns out to be viable and profitable, then such a startup can be sold profitably. Or keep it as a brand, a new, profitable and promising project. Here are the main features of a startup:

Always an innovative or underappreciated idea.
Investors. They are needed at the beginning of the journey, when there is no concrete material result yet. That is, money is invested in the idea.
The number of transactions and reputational successes are not so significant that one can confidently predict future activities.
There is a development plan, ambition and calculations.
Enthusiasm.
As a rule, non-standard organization and methods of managing company processes are used.

What types of startups are there?

Startups can be divided according to several criteria. For example, depending on the characteristics of the product and the sales market, the following classification of startups is distinguished:

Copies of other successful projects. This includes numerous domestic projects that are copies of foreign startups. The most popular are social networks: VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, etc.
Entrance to an already occupied niche. As a rule, product introduction can be achieved through a price advantage and more favorable marketing conditions.
A dark horse. Mostly innovative projects, the prospects of which are difficult to predict due to the lack of alternatives. On the one hand, this is a big risk for the creators of the project, and on the other hand, it is an opportunity to receive high profits if successful.

Another classification of startups is the degree of knowledge intensity. Depending on it, a distinction is made between traditional startups and projects that are based on high-tech technologies. The former are formed on the basis of easy-to-implement ideas, while the latter use advanced capabilities, which require appropriate funding.

Where to get money for the implementation of the project

Your project needs to be posted on the appropriate websites and startup exchanges. Such online platforms serve as a link between a potential investor and a startup. During lectures and trainings in coworking clubs, there is also the opportunity to present your ideas. There is always a diverse business crowd here. Among which there may be assistants in the implementation of the idea, the necessary specialists and professionals, as well as investors for the project.

One of the most popular means of financing startups is crowdfunding. Choosing the optimal site and correctly constructing a campaign to attract investment is a key feature of project development at the initial stage. To achieve the greatest efficiency and enter the crowdfunding platform, you need to correctly draw up a project plan, which must take into account the following points:

Target.
Audience. Determine who will be interested in your ideas and who will be interested in financing your project. A good option is to do research on independent forums.
General estimate. Before entering the crowdfunding site, determine what kind of financing the project will require. Usually they use the following formula: Total amount - the amount for the implementation of the project + associated + administrative expenses + the amount that may be required to solve unforeseen problems.
Media planning. After launching the project, create a database along with Internet resources that will contribute to the development and promotion of the project.
Prototype. If your startup is a technology solution, then it is advisable to have a mockup of the final product. Investors will be more willing to agree with you if you show them preliminary results and, based on them, ask for money for the final goal.
Promo clip. The video review will interest sponsors and will attract more investment. It can be specific about how the prototype works and the end goals of your project.
Reward. A very important point when raising funds on a crowdfunding site. For sponsors to support your project, they must benefit from it. Optimally - a finished product.

To receive dividends from crowdfunding, you must devote full time to promotion and work on the site. Get ready to work overtime.

Stages of startup development

Everyone who organizes their own startup goes through several stages:

Sowing. The preliminary stage at which ways to implement the idea are sought. A market analysis is carried out and a business plan is drawn up. Also at this stage, a product mock-up is created, tests, surveys and searches for sources of financing take place. In fact, this is the main stage at which most of the unsuccessful and poorly organized startups are eliminated.

Launch. This stage occurs after a sponsor has been found. Now the project can be launched on the general market. At this stage, direct competition with competitors begins, so it is necessary to demonstrate business acumen and use creative thinking.

Development. An intermediate stage in which gradual, pragmatic growth of the project occurs. It's time to reach the break-even point and start making a profit for your sponsor.

Extension. This stage occurs immediately after achieving the goals that were originally included in the business plan. At this stage, the project becomes recognizable; its position in the market is no longer threatened. Now you can develop the project in new markets, look for new sales points and audiences.

Final stage or exit. This stage is characterized by reaching the peak of the project’s development, when sponsors give up their share in this business, selling it to larger players. In rare cases, investors retain a stake in the project and subsequently use it as a source of passive income.

Startups based on American and European models

Domestic startups differ from foreign analogue projects. There are not many innovative ideas, and the most popular are “successful copies”; a striking example is the social network Vkontakte, copied from another social network - Facebook.

As you know, the main center of IT business is located in the USA, in the state of California. European clusters began to form around large technology companies such as Nokia and Skype. A large number of investors have contributed to London becoming the largest European IT capital. Over time, Amsterdam, Paris, Zurich and Berlin joined it. Features of startups based on the European model and their differences from the USA:

European funds are typically distributed among several areas of concentration. The 100 mile rule states that investors are willing to invest in companies that are within 100 miles of their office.
Heterogeneous environment. There are 8 language groups and more than thirty jurisdictions in Europe. The states have only one language and one mentality, which simplifies the tools for adapting the project to the audience.
Conservative attitude towards bankruptcy. If a company fails a project, then investors are unlikely to cooperate with it. In the States it’s the other way around; companies are given a second chance.
The average age of entrepreneurs in Europe is around 30 years. In the USA, the rule is: the sooner, the better, so the first startups are developed while still a student.
Pragmatic approach. Europeans strive to test a business plan, generate income, and only after that attract investment for the implementation of the project. In the States, they initially strive to make a large project a reality, and only then attract monetization and traffic.

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