Advice HN

2 points by chemcoder 11 years ago | 9 comments

Background:

I am a engineer by background with a brief experience in web development [rails]. Based out of Mumbai, India. I have started a company here supplying cleaning goods[Air fresheners] to corporates and SMB's . I got the gig going for over one and half years. The revenue as it stands now is around 2500$ a month approximately.We do an Annual Maintainence contract of providing air fresheners.We are also on the verge of bringing out a new product in car air freshener segment.

Problem:

Now the issue is i am getting kicked out of this company and i do not hold any strategic advantages. I have improved on sales but i improved quite late. Now i have to look after operations and other tidbits.

Advice :

I dont know how to go ahead. I am in the late twenties but i have been doing work which does not contribute to my resume. I dont know what to chose next a job or to start a new company also so in which area. I do not have the money to do it. I have the motivation but i dont have the guidance. i need to make some money to make ends meet. I am not married yet. I will be tremendously grateful to know your views and take the necessary steps to go ahead. Thanks for giving the time to read.

kamikazi 11 years ago |

It sucks to be kicked out of your own co. chton here has given good advice. Hopefully you still have some shareholdings/vested interest, right? Maybe remaining founders/investors are interested to purchase your vested stake if you're in dire need of money.

If there's absolutely no way you can avoid being fired from your co then it's better to accept that fact rather than keep looking in rear-view mirror and postulate 'what-if' scenarios. Own it and proudly include it in your resume.

"Grew XYZ from zero to $N until I was kicked out by my board and learned a few imp business lessons" - that's an experience most companies will value.

Since you're still in twenties, unmarried - you still have some time left on your side. Start hanging around on hackerearth kind of spaces where they combine hackernight kind of events with recruitment by actual startups if you want to remain on the tech path.

But looking at fact that you were able to sell airfresheners to SMBs (the toughest mkt) in Mumbai I'm sure you can sell pretty much any similar product to similar or (for that matter even same?) clientele. Enterpreneurship is 10x hard in India and so what you've achieved in oldschool product/mkt is no mean feat.

Is there anything that stops you from tapping in to your existing clients? If not, I'll suggest go back to purchasing managers of these SMB clients, be upfront & tell them you're out of your current co and ask them if there's anything else you can supply to them. If they were impressed by your capabilities/service in previous co, some of them will still like to have you around as vendor for a different product. Or maybe they can refer you to some other co. So take that up. Get some commitments, restart, bootstrap. But this time having learnt lesson from current misfortune, take care not to dilute so much that you lose controlling interest.

All the best.

I'm from Bombay. I'll gladly be your sounding board if you want to discuss any of this in-person. My email is in my profile.

chemcoder 11 years ago | |

yes, you are correct. There is a bottleneck of how much i can grow hitting at individual clients as corporates. Also you are correct that i can add more products and supply those too in addition.

The market i am targeting is commercial and has a limit to how much i can grow and manage. But, I need volume to grow and probably move a brand to retail chain stores to actually be realise some good overall cumulative profits. Otherwise whatever i start, will be a small business and wont be able to become large over time. Even after this much time i still have no idea how to make this business grow to multi-city or state.

JSeymourATL 11 years ago |

Assuming you still have good relationships with your customer base-- call each one individually. Explain that you are leaving the company and appreciate the business you did together.

Ask them two questions 1) Do they have any unmet needs for other products or services? 2) Might they be able to refer you to any friends or old colleagues who could use your help with sales/service/operations?

Do this and you will not only expand your network, but likely uncover several 'hidden opportunities'.

chemcoder 11 years ago | |

that is great advice.

chton 11 years ago |

I'm sorry to hear you're being kicked out of your own company. That's never an easy thing to go through, but you'll pull through.

I don't think it's fair to say starting your own company doesn't contribute to your resume. You did things outside of your comfort zone, and learned a lot. I would be happy to write that kind of experience on my resume. Own it, be proud of it, and use that when looking for a new job.

If you're currently strapped for cash, kicking back or starting something new is not going to be an option. I would advise you to hit the jobs market again, and try to find a job you would like to do. With your diverse experience, that could be in engineering, web development, or management or team leading. Keep your options open, and apply for a lot. If there is a company that is doing it near you, maybe some form of evangelism would be a good combination of your sales and management skills with your engineering background.

Good luck!

loumf 11 years ago |

Do you like web programming? Could you get up-to-speed in it again quickly? If so, do that -- there's a world-wide shortage of competent engineers. Resume is irrelevant (and yours is fine anyway)

If you need a quick job, talk to your customers, and see if they have any openings.

chemcoder 11 years ago | |

I do but i am not so good as compared to others. Also i can understand the parts quickly but i dont know i am good enough to make it commercially. I am at beginner's level of ROR i had made a small data management system and hostd it on heroku for my company.

loumf 11 years ago | | |

You don't need to be better than anyone, just good enough to get stuff done. If you want to go this route, just spend a few hours every day building on Rails knowledge -- there are junior positions in the US -- I have to believe there are some in India as well.

Take a look at this: https://rubysteps.com

It was created for exactly your situation.