Personal experience: I opened the business 20 years

In 17 years, he created the company, which works with the TV channel "Friday!" And the Ministry of Education

The first money

In 14 years, I realized that almost all the richest people in the world - entrepreneurs. I wanted to be like them, and I started to actively explore the question: read, watched a video about how to start a business. I was looking for experience-school business, but did not find anything efficient. As a result, up to 16 years I have been actively studied entrepreneurship with all its sides and tried to run small business projects.

With partner, who was also 16 years old, we began to print images on T-shirts to order. We lived in a small town Biysk Altai Territory, and attended the same school. He shared my idea and was willing to help in the work, and to learn basic things together was easier and faster.

sales lead through the Internet: First bought mainly friends, and after a while the flow of customers has increased significantly. We are engaged in this business for about six months, earning quite a bit - up to 10 000 per month, but the experience gained enough. I also wanted to create a truly large-scale and profitable business. I started to look at the IT market, because I realized that it can not only make money, but to make something really serious. On the Internet, you can work together with the world, and to print on T-shirts - only in one city.

I learned a lot of online seminars on business and on one of those events met his future partner. I was 17, I went to school and lived in Biisk, he was 22, he studied at the Baumanke and lived in Moscow. We have never met at that time, but both wanted to develop in IT. We began to explore the market, considering different ideas, including for implementation abroad. As a result, by chance we noticed that "VKontakte" has introduced a new element of design communities - cover.

In the social network "VKontakte" a lot of people. Where a lot of people - and there is money.

Cover is at the top, and it's the first thing you will see people coming into the community. We thought, "What if we make this interactive?" That's all. We found the developer and wrote the code for the first dynamic cover. From that moment began a very rapid growth, it was in February 2017.

As I opened the case for 10 000 rubles

We have invested a total of 10 000 rubles, the main investment - their time. The first cover, which we did, was elementary: it displays the latest subscriber and the most active commentator. Then we have earned only 5 000 rubles and all the money given to the programmer who wrote the code.

By the way, programmer we took in a fraction, he was responsible for the process of project development. Later we bought his stake in the company, but first there were three people: myself, partner and programmer. Profits shared equally.

Entrepreneur without secondary education

Parents (father - a teacher in high school, my mother - an economist in the pension fund) at first did not understand me, "How can learning in school, even without a secondary education, to do business? "It was for them something incredible, such examples are not around It was. But they were generally not opposed. There was a condition: if you want to do business, you can do it, but only so as not to suffer studies and sports. Parents now support me in all endeavors.

Friends and peers react strangely. Some laughed. And I think they just burn time: play computer games, go to some parties in the clubs. I tried to engage in the development and takes almost no time on useless.

The first customers were surprised that I'm only 17 years old. Imagine, I was sitting in class and talked to them. But that changed after we did a project for the TV channel "Friday!" - now only look at the case, and not on age.

Subordinates are treated with respect. Many people ask how it happened, how it all began.

I realized one thing: make the first big project, and no one will not care how old you are.

The more transparent and the larger the business, the less surprises

Difficult periods business It happens all the time. Even a small project has a lot of problems. For example, customers who do not like something - they have to return the money, otherwise they threaten to sue. There are a huge number of financial problems, there are also cash gaps. But this is all solved.

We always work under the contract - it protects us from all sorts of trouble. And yet we work with brands and organizations that have a good reputation: TV channels, state corporations or other large companies. Sometimes they delay payments, the money can go up to six months. But always pay.

As I was sitting in class and did federal projects

We make our product quality, it is noticed the social network "VKontakte" and we become recommend companies. For example, the Ministry of Education entrusts "VKontakte" and "VKontakte" trust us. So the ministry has become our regular customer.

For example, we made an official exam community. This was not on the same site, although these examinations rent 700 000 people each year. I noticed it and came out with the initiative of the Ministry of Education - this happened a year after I myself taking exams at school. Now pablike already more than 75 000 people. The right to maintain the community transferred to the Ministry, but I created it with the team. In the community there boatWhich for the second year helps students find answers to exam questions.

The most memorable was the first project I work with the TV channel "Friday!". On it was planned broadcast of the Harry Potter films, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the release of the novel. It was necessary to somehow identify this particular show, because the movie has already passed many times on many channels. Then the management decided to make interactive in "VKontakte", and we have implemented the idea.

When it was "Friday!", Our project was just a couple of months. Creative director of the channel, where he saw our dynamic cover and wrote to us. We were very surprised. As a result, made the project, which wrote many of the media. Mechanics seemed simple - users distributed on four Hogwarts staff. But nothing we have not done this, and while it was a challenge for us. Chat online, I still lived in Biisk.

I was sitting in class and did a project for the TV channel "Friday!", In which took part 50 thousand people.

Classmates were discussing our piece with the cover, because it advertised on TV, and no one knew that I was involved in this.

After this work, we began to contact a lot of people, and the channel has become our regular customer. Before our project in "! Friday" was 200-300 thousand subscribers, is now - 1.3 million. I believe that this growth of the audience - it's kind of merit of our projects.

lessons youth

Now our team of 16 people. Some of them work remotely, and some - in the office on Bauman. I have not even a dollar millionaireSo I have a lot of plans and I always go forward.

Now, for example, in absentia, to receive higher education. History knows many examples when people build great companies, not having higher education, but later still it was obtained. So I decided to take care of this in advance.

In his way, I would have changed only one thing - would have started even earlier. Less time would be spent on useless things, to the temptations that are all teenagers, such as computer games.

The sooner you will start, the more have time to do it regularly.

To start, you need a great desire. Knowledge, love, money - all acquired in the process. The first thing, the most important - is how your desires and your intentions are strong.

In 20 years he has become a competitor of his employer

An alternative view as a reason to start a business

I was lucky opened business in their profession. I started working at age 17, studying in the second year of the University. I was invited to one of the leading studios in Volgograd Job Project manager. I worked there for three years, but we have had with the head of a different vision of the product I wanted more design decisions, and he - technical. So we had to start a business, to be realized in the coolest visual projects.

It so happened that I opened the business together with partners from the same web-studio: it was the programmer and SEO-experts. We agreed in the fact that they wanted to develop the visual part of the product. The yard was in 2008 - a boom of opening web studios, and we got into the stream.

Partners were older than me, they were about 25 years, but the driving force was me. I still remember: it was January 8, then we talked more on ICQ, and SEO specialist wrote to me that there idea - set up a company. February 12, we have already registered a company.

After that, we came to the head of our studio and talked about what we want to do. He said, "Well, just for the portfolio, do not use my projects."

Because of his youth and stupidity I myself created a conflict - for example, knowing that a key employee of our company's former manager looking for a job, offered him the best terms.

Then I realized that human relationship is more important than business.

At the launch of the studio it took us about 100 000 rubles. Invested in equal parts, something that makes a technique, because computers are needed. Part of the money we borrowed from the mother of my future husband. We immediately issued Ltd., and it still exists today.

our first customer I became online store bags. We found it on freelance website. I have never concealed that the first customers we were looking for there. We are doing everything from full turnkey website to a program if urgently needed money.

Nobody seriously did not take my decision

I was raised by my mother, and she's always seen me in a slightly different incarnation: a bank employee or officer. The first blow to her was my choice of specialization in high school, I informatics analyst in the field of PR, and not an economist. The second - when I came in and said that we are opening the business.

Mom tried to talk, but then spat: "The very next will deal."

And I understand for 10 years. Friends and classmates seriously this is not treated, and so far, though it's been so long and I now live in another country, I am very hard to tell a friend, "I am the head of the studio, I got my own a business". Because it seems to me, it sounds pathetic.

Of course, combine studies in high school on a full-time and permanent work, and a little later - the study and the business it was not easy. Yes, I took her own student hangouts, but I was lucky, and I met her future husband at work - we are together and opened a studio, he was a programmer on this team.

There was another way in which I could collapse. During his studies, I am very much interested in a serious PR, which can change the world. We were in town to lecture came shining political PR Alexander Chumikov. I walked up to him after the seminar, spoke about his passion for the sphere of PR. He became interested and offered to participate in a photo project, dedicated to the Year of Family. I did not go, because I have chosen to start a business, but until now this card it kept me as a trophy.

Cash gaps and "protracted divorce" with the co-founder of the studio

The main problem of any business - cash gaps. Especially if you are doing business is not a sober calculation, and with heart and soul. Often the projects I took for portfolioWorking for the future.

But no matter what, every month on the 7th of my employees are paid.

The largest cash gap occurred in January 2018, I lived for a year in Germany, but still adapted to the new type of management studio - remote. But I was able to solve the problem, even without investing their own funds. Typically, in such situations, I take up less interesting, but well-paid projects.

The most difficult period was the "protracted divorce" with our co-founder - SEO-specialist. So we no longer understand each other, that they could not continue to work. It was a serious crisis, which I am very grieved. But as a result of this situation, we all went out with dignity and still warm communicate.

I did business even from the hospital

I was very lucky, I was doing what I love most. I'm sure - this is the case, which I wanted to do. Even when I was away in another country, I knew that the business will not give up. Even if the patient is more likely dead than alive, I will reanimate it.

I love their job at every moment of life.

Even to give birth, I was away from the office: before that wrote managers what they need to do. At 4 o'clock in the morning I gave birth, and in the 9 already called the office and asked if they were all there and understand how things are going. During a brief decree, although I continued to to work remotelyI really like a miracle. And it happened: we wrote the manager of the company Epson - the one that makes printers, representative office in Russia and CIS. I could not believe at first that it was she, and checked the domain from which the message was sent. Yes, we have had customers from Moscow and all over Russia, but this brand came first. Epson ordered our promo for the new line of printers. Later, we made a site for the photo contest of the company, and then we were asked to do epson.ru site, and it is our great pride. By the way, with this customer we are working still.

We are a regional agency of the Volgograd and not ashamed of it. At the moment I am the only owner. And it is very important to maintain our focus - we make high-quality design. It is this focus allows us to take place in a variety of web studios rankings. For me this is a confirmation right way: among the 10-15 thousand web studios and agencies we enter in the top 100 in Russia. Also, we've created a site occupied 2nd in the category "Education" in the federal competition Runet.

lessons youth

The 20 is much easier to find resources within yourself - and do not need to deal with this meditation. You're just you take and do it, because you believe in it. Youth - a time when you can dance all night. I worked all night and reached certain results. Now I would have thought, but is it necessary?

It is very important to find your teacher. I do not really believe in what otherwise can be a serious business in his youth. I was lucky - my mentor, leader of the first web-studio, gave a lot of experience. More fortunate that I have had partners who were older than me and was not allowed to make mistakes. All difficult decisions, including termination of employment of people taken together, the three of us. I am sure that at the age of 16-20 years, if you open the case alone or with their peers, you are bound to make mistakes, because of which the business have close.

Because the experience that comes with age, is also important.