"I always wanted to do great work by a small team." Interview with Sergey Kotyrevym, head 1C-UMI

Sergey Kotyrev - entrepreneur with 20 years of experience, founder of the UMI Company and one of the key persons of the Russian market of digital-marketing version Tagline. His designs - a lifesaver in the IT world. Services help you quickly create a ready-to promote the site and then properly manage them. Talked with Sergei and figured out how to bring the agency into the lead just four years, what mistakes can bury your business, and why risk it could and should be.

"I do not fear and do something that is interesting"

- You fell in love with the internet in the 90s. How does it affect you?

- I think positively. At least, I do not know what would be the fate of my alternative. In 1995, after the second year of the University mom gave me my first computer. Over time, I'll save up for a modem connected to the Fidonet (an international non-profit amateur computer network. - Approx. Ed.), and then moved to the Internet. From that moment I began to learn how to make their own websites. To understand was not so hard, because I studied at a technical college. In addition, I was surrounded by fellow pros.

Once familiar artist said he wanted to sell the paintings abroad. I suggested to him to make the site, and he agreed. The task at that time was a non-trivial: it was necessary to find a scanner to process the picture, mark up the site and put it on the Internet. I managed and earned $ 150 - an astronomical sum for a teenager. With this money I bought a faster modem, and was very happy.

- Usually people are afraid to move forward in a relatively new niches, and the Internet was just so. Why did you decide to start a business that is associated with the creation of websites?

- I was so few years that I feared nothing and do only what is interesting. And if passion and brings more money, then all super. I sat in a room parental apartment and makes the site. The connection was very cool - 33.6 kilobits per second. The younger generation now do not understand, but my peers appreciate exactly how it was cool.

The first commercial Internet project I started in 1999, when he worked in the investment trading companies. Technical director could not cope with the new IT-projects, so I offered to help his candidacy, although at that time was engaged marketing. As a result, the process was carried away so that in 2000 he opened his own IT-company.

- How did this happen?

- I remember that moment as it is now. Once we have with fellow classmates from the Stockholm School of Economics, rested at the hotel bar "Baltiets". Nearby sat Samvel Avetisyan - a legendary marketer and well-known in narrow circles of people. We talked about business, and I said that to be employed me tired. I wanted to start their own business, but I had no knowledge, no money, no customers. Samvel asked, "What would you like to do?" I replied that I like to do and sites to work in the field of digital creativity.

After a while Samvel called me and said that he has a big customer who wants a multimedia presentation and a great site. It turned out that the client - one of the largest ports in the country "Petrolesport". I went back to the talks and willing to sign a contract. Sell ​​I did it perfectly, because as a student I worked part time on the radio and learned to talk with customers. As a result of the presentation on CD-ROM and website I had to pay 10,000 dollars.

- Then you still have left to work?

- First of all, I ran to open a legal entity. As the share capital recorded his only asset - a personal computer worth $ 150. I had no employees, no office, but it was 100 000 contracts.

Immediately retire from work, I did not, but came to the chief and told him about the situation. He invited me to take a free space in the room, continue to work for him and in his spare time to carry out personal orders. To pay the rent allowed to give, when the first profit appears. I am grateful to this man for what he helped me.

Over time, I still decided to go to the free swimming. Of course, it was a little scary, because among my friends and relatives entrepreneurs It never happened. I hired two employees, quit his job and began to pay the rent. As a result, the decision was correct, because in the four years I have created one of the three leading Internet agencies in St. Petersburg.

- What is the secret of such a strong growth? There was no competition?

- It has always been. However, of those companies with which we then competed in only three survived. Success came thanks to a competitive advantage. One of them - my ability to sell and be creative, which allowed us to win tenders for large budgets for that time.

Another reason for strong growth that we have decided to make their own software that allows you to manage sites. This made it possible to pick up tenders, requiring the construction of portals with a large number of works on content management. Thus was born the first version UMI.CMS - commercial content management system, which was later turned into a separate business.

In 2007, I was very tired of the advertising market, because it has realized that it does not scale well. Then I switched on the software market and began to create the software.

- So you gave up, left his own company and moved on to a more convenient market?

- I did not give up and came to the conclusion that most would never engage in non-scalable business. It was a conscious decision that I do not change for 12 years. I do not like when the amount of revenue and profit depends on the amount of resources. For example, if you a restaurant, The amount of money in direct proportion to the number of tables, the size of rooms and the number of employees.

The same with the Internet agency: If you want to increase the speed in half, you need to hire more same number of designers, programmers, web designers, managers, accountants. When my agency employed 55 people, I realized that there's nowhere to grow. More than 80% of my time was spent on the search for staff training, adaptation, termination and the next search. In this case, the normal frames on the IT market there was almost never in excess. In the end I sold the agency and began doing business, which is scaled, - to create software.

To work with the software it is very convenient, because the number of licenses sold has nothing to do with the number of employees.

Through a dedicated server we can issue at least 100,000 licenses per month. Marketing costs are directly proportional, and personnel - not. I do not have to hire new people to sell more. This is called scalable business.

- So, to overcome the crisis it is impossible to scale?

- You can put in a beauty salon 10 seats instead of five or open a second branch in another part of the city and the rush between them. Many entrepreneurs and do, but I lazy man. When he realized the essence, lost interest in the non-scalable business. I always wanted to do great things small minded team in which everyone cool and valuable.

- Desire failed to realize?

- Sometimes I get. Recently, I calculated that the entrepreneurial career of 20 years fired only five of the 18 startups. However, successful projects are paid for all the costs. Colleagues say that this is a normal statistics - the average of the hospital.

The most successful of my projects - group companies UMI. We've got to do two and a half and three successful product flops. As a result, UMI - good story, because I invested in it 200 thousand dollars, and has received several dozen times more. However, it is the result of 10 years of work, five of which I plow without weekends and salaries.

If you take all of the projects in which I have invested, and smudge profit by 20 years of activity, the will not so impressive amount, to consider yourself an entrepreneur and proud superuspeshnym a.

"No money will compensate for emotional burnout"

- What were the causes of failures of failed projects?

- This is a question for which I sat down to sum statistics. It was very unpleasant for me. In terms of the product and its positioning in the market even in the failure of the project much has been done correctly. Failures were associated with the wrong choice of partners and sub-optimal building relationships with them.

It turned out if I'm in complete control of the project, he kept at a decent level. The fact that I megaotvetstvenny man, so I can not let their offspring fall. If I act as a passive shareholder and simply invest money, the probability of failure is much higher. Of course, I try to carefully selected partners, but it does not always work.

- Despite their responsibility for 20 years of business, you certainly made mistakes. What were they?

- Diverse and repeated often. However, over the 20 years I've picked up a list of several dozen items. First of all it is necessary to competently approach the choice of partners with whom you share equity (capital of the company. - Approx. Ed.). They must have entrepreneurial inclinations and interest in the project. Otherwise, you may find that you raise the company's value in the hundreds of times, but sitting next to passengers who overhangs feet and earn together with you, but do not invest.

The second error - delay in making decisions. I tend to think long and all doubt, but sometimes not the most optimal decisionTaken in time, it appears to be more successful than the right, but received late. This applies including unsuitable employees, which should be dismissed as soon as possible, as long as they have not done anything stupid.

Another important point is the diagram of Erich von Manstein, I have long been popularized. It has two axes: one - the stupidity and the mind, and on the other - laziness and hard work. Considered ideal smart and energetic people, but by the hopeless - dumb and lazy. Then begins the dilemma: hiring of stupid or smart and energetic, but lazy?

It seemed to me that it is easier to put stupid people the right things and see how they work. In fact, it is a big mistake.

Stupid people will perform the task 10 hours, half of which will be spent on tinkering with jambs. It can very faithfully to look at you, but can not develop. A lazy man who is well motivated to optimize performance and make it 2 hours with excellent quality, so you had a chance to relax again. And these need to hire.

The fourth error - no middle ground in the process. Previously, I shook from side to side, first take everything into their own hands and build, and then burned and gave the result in the hands of managers who still prosirat. As a result, I had to come back again to the leader and all restore mode. We must look for a harmonious balance between control, delegation and independent work. I'm still learning, so that the amplitude of oscillation of the pendulum becomes smaller.

And the last error - skimp on the praise. I used to think that the good work - rate, and schools - a failure, not a small thing. As a result of the failure of all received reprimand, and the proper performance of duties in any way, other than money, is not encouraged. It seemed that for that I and people crying. Praise I still stingy: thank only for deeds that go beyond the bounds of my expectations. People perceived it bad, so that is the plan I still need to work.

- At what point did you realize that it is time to close the business?

- You want to get a simple answer to a rather complicated question. The person who answers unequivocally, probably not very smart, because they do not take into account the huge number of factors. I do not have a single principle, when to close a business. It affects many aspects, such as relations with partners and my vision of the world at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you can bite the bullet and continue to fight, but it turns out, in some cases, the light is turned hallucination, so no choice but closing no. Business - a small life, which is very diverse.

Another aspect - pure emotion. When business fascinates me and inspirations rushing, I can deal with it as much as necessary, without a hint of fatigue. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes a company makes a profit, but from it no drive. No money will compensate for emotional zapping. In such cases, you can try to sell the business or give it to the partners management - this method is rare, but it works.

- What focused your work right now?

- From a business point of view I do UMI. Now we have another period of repositioning - a third of the company's history. For the first time it happened, when we came to the CMS market, and the second time - when the market hit upon the cloud services and sites ready. Now we are looking for new products and market segments to further their scale. I have ideas about what will be fashionable in the near future, but do not want them to sound, so as not to seem unfounded.

UMI In addition I am a shareholder of several start-ups: in-dating sites, crypts and, until recently, food service - I was a co-owner of restaurants, but sold them. I also engage in investment activity. Economic education ensures that I love infinitely to optimize your investment portfolio. This is a good exercise for the mind - gradually invest in other people's businesses and learn to understand them.

Finally, I have projects that are related to my hobbies and humanitarian values. This internet radio "Rare Fish" and the eponymous production center. I'm looking for talented musicians, they pay a record in the studio and release their music.

"Never give a second chance"

- How does your workplace?

- Vasya Vasin from the group "Bricks" is a great phrase: "My home is where I threw my cap." All so it is: the workplace is where there is a laptop and an internet connection. More I do not need anything.

A year ago, I moved out of town and now live in the village. Right now, I am sitting in his office, which offers a beautiful view of the forests, fields and pond. In front of me a 27-inch 5K Monitor, which is connected to the Internet at a speed of 100 megabits per second. Also, I'm incredibly happy to be here I have a great technique to listen to great music. I am a music lover with a good hearing, so that the sound quality is for me a priority.

At one time I tried to give up the laptop to tablet, but I did not succeed. Now I use the classic 13-inch MacBook Pro is the latest generation. And as a tracker using a clever ring Oura Ring. It keeps track of everything that is possible: sleep cycles, pulse, steps, calories burnt.

When I need someone to meet and talk in person, I come to the office. Usually this does not happen more often three times a week. I understand that the longer stuck in the workplace, the more other people solve problems which arrive from my staff.

Sitting in the office for 12 hours and take on every-encountered it is not very useful for me.

Business I like to spend in restaurants, because there is a nice relaxed atmosphere. And if the people of the inner circle, I invite them to his home: we fry kebab, we heat bathhouse and solve issues.

- How many people work on your projects?

- The UMI staff includes 35 people, but at its peak it was 50 or more. Then we optimized and most of the non-critical work brought to outsource. We have the classical division: sales and affiliate offices, marketing, development, finance, and service of care - this is the original name of customer service. There is still a top-managers: executive, commercial and general director.

- How do you organize a team? What are some rules that you follow as a leader.

- I, on the one hand, very envious of people who adhere to the rules, and on the other - I pity them a bit. At some point, you will have to give up on their own attitudes and suffer. I would replace the word "rules" on the "principles" - some of them I really stick. For instance, never give a second chance, if everything is already clear in the first. You are sure to be deceived and betrayed again, but will be even more damage.

The second principle I bought thanks to the Swedish businessman Hans Rausing. He was a sponsor of the opening of the Stockholm School of Economics in Russia, so I do not have to pay the full cost of tuition. On the issue, he said: "You will be all right, when you understand one simple thing: to be honest in the long run more cost-effective. "

It's been 20 years since the first time I heard this phrase, but she still lives in me. I look at the world around us and understand that when to the majority in the country will reach the thought, comes the era of prosperity and dawn. The problem is that in our country there is a long-term perspective, so to be honest beneficial not always. However, many still try to follow this principle in their lifetime.

And finally, another important principle: Do not work with idiots and do not go to extremes.

There was a time when business guru taught all regulate and control every sneeze and a bunch of the company. Then the situation has changed, and everything began to say that you need to hire the right people, who themselves will understand how to work. Many have begun to follow this principle, but the success stories of the work is still not enough. I really like the concept of the middle path of Buddhism: just do not go to extremes, and everything will be fine.

- How stable is now in the Internet business, which develops, it seems, by leaps and bounds?

- If you were born on this planet, you accept the fact that your fate is not known to anyone. This applies not only to business. Tomorrow on the head can fall off the balcony, or you break a leg rosgvardeytsy because you walked past the rally. You never know where the plant drugs and whether AIDS infection, yet sdaosh tests at the hospital. Business can also take away, destroy us from within, or stupid to kill the economy in the country, and he will be bent.

Nothing can be done to eliminate uncertainty. We can only minimize it constantly in accordance with its capabilities. This is the meaning of life - to maneuver among the hazards to adapt, evolve and raise offspring.

- In one of the lectures "404 Festival" you told us that faced with a problem: to earn money, but did not want to work. Share life hacking, how to overcome emotional burnout and internal crisis.

- I have this period coincided with the very natural moment for the 40-year-old man - midlife crisis. All that inspired earlier ceased to arouse emotions, including money.

You have to understand that there is a great rule of thumb when you're on the brink of survival, no existential crisis will not come - you will be incredibly vigorous, Productive and motivated. And when will earn money - as I wanted and more - and you will cover the void.

After reaching a large and important goals are not always appears new.

I know a massage therapist who told me about the Chinese philosophy. He once said that a man as much as possible involved, active and motivated when located outside the comfort zone. If enemies come to your house or stupidly ran out of food, you are ready to perform feats. It should achieve everything as there is another man's fundamental strategy - to lie on the couch and do nothing. Comfort and stability weaken masculine and women are, on the contrary, needed. They can not be effective and productive, until they feel comfort and safety. This is logical in view of our different social roles for tens and hundreds of thousands of years of evolution.

Guys, if you're all right, do not allow yourself to relax for a long time - otherwise raskisnete. Get some rest and give yourself a new ambitious goal. Drag yourself out of your comfort zone and go for a new hunt.

"Since I can remember, I have always been a music lover"

- How do you organize yourself now? Use what some techniques of time management?

- The only time management technique, which I use - regular calendar Things Apple and app where my task lists are stored. Once a week, I just plan the problem to the next - it takes about 15 minutes.

Previously, I taught myself to carry out that plan, but now it variably follow: if the task is unpleasant to me, and it can be postponed, I certainly do it. Why force yourself in advance? Some of the cases set for next week, I want to run right now. Then I'll just take, make and receive buzz. Upon successful execution of the planned works the brain release dopamine reward. This is a legal drug and pleasant.

This my time management - without books, rules and principles. The smaller nasiluesh yourself, the more you are a happy person.

- Which applications help you in your work and in your life?

- The most important application for music - Audirvana. If you have a good digital-to-analog converter, amplifier and speakers, the playback of music in FLAC format through this program will improve quite sound. On the phone I use Apple Music and Tidal application for lossless-files. In the latter a very large library of music in high definition. If you have a good pair of headphones, you will feel the difference. However, in Russia, this service does not officially work, but we're we knowHow to get around this problem.

Yet I have two favorite online radio: American Radio Paradise and "rare fish", which I created myself. I wanted to listen to the radio, which did not exist anywhere in the world, so I did his. Now one of your favorite radio stations heard in each room.

As I audial, I prefer to listen to books instead of reading them. In addition, so you can absorb the information while driving or during any other activities. So, I use Storytel app subscription. Inside quite a large library, and if there is no publication, I buy it for "liters", or Amazon. I listen to books on accelerated playback.

To communicate with colleagues and I use Slack-mail, documents and keep in Google Drive. More to record notes and thoughts I have Evernote, but lately I've been more and more hate him. Until I found where to migrate. And in the company, we have more than 10 years of corporate use tracker "Megaplan". After the upgrade, the interface it has become much better. For storing articles use Pocket. Well and Facebook as the primary way of communicating with the outside world.

- What are the duties you perform on the radio "rare fish"?

- My job is what I find, and is pumped to the music that I think is cool. You could just continuously update the playlist in iTunes, but I decided that I wanted to share it. I collect beautiful for my taste music my whole life - it's part of my personality. How many can remember, I have always been a music lover.

In recent years, increasingly convinced that the music that I like, 95% of the people is, at best, bewildered and, at worst - rejection. I thought, that 5% of people in the world - it is also very to hell, so I decided to share my findings. There is quite a narrow circle of people, who are also fanateyut of songs that I like. They listen to my radio.

"Rare Fish" is not shocking popularity, because while I fundamentally do not invest in advertising. Every day comes from 50 to 100 people, and if any blogger finds and tells the radio station - about 300-500. I believe that has not yet found a broadcast format in which the "rare fish" will be distributed virally, so I plan to experiment with radio format.

- And how did the production center?

- I just realized that I have a huge amount of friends of talented musicians, a great desire to help, and the money to pay for them in a normal recording studio. I will not ruin it. I get the same hormones of joy and happiness from this activity. And from the realization of self-worth on the scale of the world art. Now "Rare Fish" was published more than 12 albums and three more on the way. This is the same strange, but cool music, as well as on my radio.

- what to do in your free time?

- When I moved out of town, sleep It declined by about 2-3 hours. Now I can use this time to more useful tasks. Besides communicating with his wife, children, friends and a cat I study interesting information, mostly scientific. Most often, it has no practical value in my life and work, but my brain for something at her hooked. I see two documentaries on the day on scientific or artistic theme. In addition, I signed up for a huge amount of scientific channels on YouTube.

Recently I became interested in behavioral economics - a joint applied psychology and marketing. The irrationality of the behavior of the buyer when he decides whom to pay the money, now has a fairly large scientific basis.

I do not know why my brain feels a constant need for new information, but I really liked the study, which is given in the book "red pill". The brain works with the information in the same way as the body with the food he puts it into the subconscious and processes.

Maybe when I'm brushing your teeth after a few years, the head shlopnetsya some kind of a cool idea. I myself can not understand what it is the consequence of reading the book or watched movies.

It seems that the brilliant ideas come from outer space, or are born because we are exceptional. In fact, our brains are constantly working with the information that we have absorbed over the years. If nothing studied or little pondering the insights and do not wait.

Layfhakerstvo from Sergei Kotyreva

books

From the literature, which is strongly affected me, I must say "Hero of Our Time"Mikhail Lermontov and" Immortality "Milan Kundera. Also I like "days foam"Boris Vian and"Hundred Years of Solitude"Marquez. Previously I loved the works of authors such as Leonid Andreev or Roald Dahl. In recent years, I do not like the emotional torment themselves, so this do not read anymore, but in his youth liked to feel himself a minor breakdown.

Business literature is ambiguous: the relevance of changes with each decade, so that there is no book that will delight the whole life. I read "hard management"Dan Kennedy, and she was very sobered me at one time.

In addition, I like to applied psychology, because I have a good understanding of the people and even to manipulate them if you want. In this regard, I helped the book "The syntax of love", and in addition to it, and read more "The Five Love Languages». These publications will help you understand what kind of people are in front of you, which means that it will be easier to understand, in what places to hit and iron. But most importantly, they allow us to understand who you are.

Recently I read an interesting book "Berezovsky time"Peter Aven. I advise everyone who grew up in the 90s. More strongly impressed "Jesus. historical investigation"Yulia Latynina. Difficult, but extremely interesting work.

Simple and amazingly funny books advise "Between enema and charisma"Samvel Avetisyan. He talks about how he started working with Oleg Tinkoff in the early 90's and went with him all the way to the bank. I recommend this story from the heart. And there's a cool book "Russian management model». It was written by Alexander Prokhorov, and it's just a must-have for the Russian managers. The publication, which never gets old.

Movies and Series

Recently, I look a little feature films, but there are those that are with me for life. I think one of the main "Wings of Desire" by Wim Wenders. Besides him like "Breaking the Waves," "Dancer in the Dark" and "Melancholia" directed by Lars von Trier. I like Jim Jarmusch and Terry Gilliam - only.

I like the classic movie: Danelia, Andrei Tarkovsky. I love all the movies filmed Alexey Balabanov and Emir Kusturica. From comedies - "Black Cat, White Cat" and the old film "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels."

In the series, the most love English humor. Green Wing, The Wrong Door, Mighty Bush and everything else that grew out of the "Monty Python". But the Big Bang Theory I really like. And our "Mylodrama" - uncensored, of course.

Podcasts and videos

Let's start with the business. Watching TV "Russian standards!», «Reading Adam Smith», Big Money, «moving stories». More recently I came across a channel "Point G // How to earn in the IT"But so far only a few looked vidos. Like a normal interview.

Humanitarian areas I like Alexander Nevzorov channel and the project "Eschonepozner». Science - "Antropogenez.ru», «uporotyh paleontologist», «Nauchka library». See also the two steep channel about space - Hubble and Alpha Centauri.

Stunning canal on the history and archeology - Sinus. I also like to listen to Jordan Peterson - Canadian clinical psychologist. Look it vidosy with translation. Cool guy, one of the last hopes of our civilization in the fight against leftist madness.

When it comes to lifestyle, I like the channel "lawyer Egorov"- a St. Petersburg man, who works as a lawyer, but occasionally goes into the wilderness on the shore of Lake Ladoga, which builds the house and make a dam together with beavers. More like a channel "Taiga hikes Andrey Pugin». He leaves in a few days hiking and visiting interesting places, such as former landfill underground nuclear explosions, or simply beautiful abandoned village off the beaten track.