Alexey Sheremetyev, Planner 5D: «We have opened the The Sims on one monitor, while the second did Planner 5D»

Planner 5D, as so often happens, began as a project of «just for fun». The founders were proud to make a cool product, but did not know how to turn it into a business. Everything changed after Planner 5D was in a start-up academy Farminers. To learn how to create a project in an interview with "MakRadaru" says one of the co-founders - Alexey Sheremetyev.

How did the idea to create the interiors planner Planner 5D?

We have been working with my kofaunderom Sergei Nosyrev always paired. I am a designer, he is a programmer. At some point, Sergey bought the land for construction of the house, and I was engaged in the mortgage business, was going to buy an apartment and planned repair. And we kind of talked about it all, and since we both pros, then searched the internet and found nothing interesting. So the idea was born.

Experienced entrepreneurs say that, before you start to create something, it is necessary to determine what "pain" will treat the product?

Everyone who is faced with repairs, purchase of furniture, remodeling, the problem is the same: we have to somehow plan everything. There are, relatively speaking, two possibilities. Draw on a piece of paper or use complex software solutions such as AutoCAD, 3ds Max, and others. But since the latter is difficult, in the end, all painted on a piece of paper. But the age is now digital, you want to send the picture to family members, to share with them. And the fact that we did - it's the same piece of paper, only on a computer. Do not need to have special skills to learn 3D-modeling, it is not necessary to be an engineer - just download the app and finger painted, like in The Sims game. By the way, there really are people, a lot of them who download The Sims, to plan the repairs yourself. Because everything is simple and clear. Let there furniture and not a real, but about possible "to estimate the couch." So we just opened The Sims on one monitor, while the second did Planner 5D.

What projects are most often made by people, for example, in Russia and in the US? Given our still largely Soviet home ...

There is a big difference. Because the needs of the Japanese, Mexicans, Americans, Russian is different. Sets of furniture should be different, and the objects must be different. We have a huge number of clients from Brazil, they basically make large houses with swimming pools. And if you look at the Russian users - it is, as a rule, small-sized apartments with tiny kitchens, where people are still trying to do something and draw plans. The Japanese mostly planning gardens. Standard designs for the Americans - the garden, two or three-storey house and a lot of the furniture inside. Our main users - the US, Brazil, Europe and Russia. At the same time, Russia is only 30%. Therefore, the emphasis we are doing on the foreign market, and oversee the specifics of users from other countries are very interested.

How do you earn on the application and what numbers can announce, without disclosing a trade secret?

Planner 5D is now available on all operating systems and devices, with the exception of Windows. As a result, we gained more than 3.5 million users. For two and a half years, users have made more than 10 million projects. Monetize the product we started only a year ago. During this time we have become self-sufficient and gradually increasing our profits.

How does the team work Planner 5D?

We started together, and at first it seemed to us that we are self-sufficient and we need no one else. Then, of course, we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to hire professionals. At various times we had from 2 to 15 people. Now 10 people. The situation is funny: half the team - Russian, half - Lithuanian. We all have different ways of working, we speak three languages: Russian, Lithuanian, English. But some do not have secrets. Because our basic ideology - not to waste time on discussion. We do not have the planning system, trackers and other tasks. The main working tool - Google Docs. There we keep the plans, a set of tasks, and documents. Of course, programmers use their desired software to communicate, for example, for catching bugs, but globally in the company we are using only simple tools.

And do you have business users? Look towards the B2B?

We have been several attempts in Russia. Main, with which we have tried to work - it's furniture. The obvious thing: you have to arrange the furniture in the project, now we have to buy it. We started communicating with furniture manufacturers, retailers, up to IKEA. But to find a common language in commercial terms could not be with anyone. Now we can be freely embedded Planner 5D throughout the site, who wants to collect and thus the audience. At the same time in the USA we have now developed a very interesting interaction with schools. For us to get a lot of letters from teachers and principals of American schools with a request for cooperation. They use the Planner 5D during lessons - for example, on the lessons of architecture - and for homework. First, we do something individually for each school, and is now building a loyalty program, in which will be corporate licenses and much more. Ourselves interesting to see what will come of all this.

According to statistics, in order to use any Planner 5D?

Mainly to solve their problems with the layout, arrangement of furniture. We have a large community where people lay out and discuss their projects, we are communicating with users and trying to figure out what they need. Because when you do yourself a product, then it seems that you're doing the right thing. And actually need something quite different. We have already seen this and now communicate with users more.

You went all the way to Farminers from application to issuance of the start-up Academy. Tell us what's inside, as the general system works?

If not Farminers, there would be no Planner 5D. At first we did planner for yourself. For us it was more important to make a cool thing, not a business. We were proud to have done better than Autodesk with its program Homestyler, despite the fact that we did everything together, and they have thousands of engineers. At the same time we are still working on their papers, and scheduler doing at night. Decisive step we do, until I saw the announcement on Facebook Alena Vladimir that Igor Matsanyuk gaining team Farminers. I sent a request. A few days later we were invited by Igor, we talked the next day dismissed from their jobs and began working in Farminers Academy. We were very "green" in virtually all aspects of the business. We have the right to healthy brains were working with us, taught. A total of 15 start-ups in the first set, we sat almost in the school, at the neighboring Party. Then we were sent to Silicon Valley show planner real monster of IT-business. A year later, we have already launched Planner 5D in its current form, and we have very quickly gained an audience of 250 000 users, and after 5 months, we crossed the mark of one million users. From the first set in Farminers afloat leaving only our project and another.

And what happened to the rest?

Well, the same can not all be lucky. Were great startups that were simply not understood. Ahead of time, or did not have enough energy to the founders. It's one thing when you build some calculations and see everything under his point of view, and another thing - the reality that you face. The academies were the guys that everyone thought that now they just shot because they had a great idea and the realization of this idea. But did not get them.

Do not remember the name of the project?

Dating Service iPQ2. The project is closed, the team scattered.

Farminers took you to her not for free. What were the conditions?

Terms call us immediately, everything was transparent. 150 thousand dollars in exchange for 40% of the company. I still perceive this is perfectly normal, because it is better if you will have 60% of something than 100% of nothing. Yes, say many Matsanyuk takes, well, who you will give something for nothing? Even if 90% was taken, there are still 10% chance in life to do something for yourself. I think it's worth it.

Moving to Lithuania is included in part of "take over the world" plan?

From the beginning we thought of ourselves as a global company. Lithuania - is the first step. There are many good people who understand the European audience. We are for the year increased by 5-6 times earnings. By learning to work with a European audience, let's go further.

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In conclusion, I will add on his own. In early autumn Planner 5D will be released in a completely new interface, and "MakRadar" got the right to exclusive information about upcoming changes.