"Boot strapping a startup" before Social Media existed: A reflection and thoughts.

Once, when I was younger (around 1995) I did something a little astonishing. It took an awful lot of work, grit, and strength. Pretty much all of my cash and even more discipline and self belief.

What on earth did I do? What crazy notion did I have?

Simply put, I developed a fully fledged product from scratch.

 Sounds simple and in some ways I suppose it was.

I knew what I wanted to do and I did wangle some support via a short, funded post grad course. I joined it strategically for access to early 3Dmodelling and 3Dprinting SLA tech it offered. It also promised access to world famous brands that had invested in the project initially. A useful promise that I took full advantage of, an early "hack" of sorts, if you like.

However this was not as straightforward as it seemed. The course refused to take my project forward as an official idea. Fortunately I found an option to pursue it as a personal project within the funding framework (see, that grit I mentioned) There are always things in your way, tripping you up or potentially a show stopping.

 You have must not let negativity beat you, optimism is your ally

What was this novelty I felt I had to share with the world? I love designing and building incredible audio loudspeakers; it was an early prototype of my ceramic enclosed Hi-Fi speakers:

In the final year of my degree I had collaborated with the lead Applied Physics designer of a major audio company, he gave me some technical and product advice and sent me a set of Yellow Kevlar based LF drive units, filter electronics and HF drivers.

Perfect, and to quote Fight Club (and why not?) "We now had corporate sponsorship" of sorts...

I based my new project on these donated drivers; a great start.

A good "cheat", one of my favourite words.

A good example of collaboration being crucial because it creates an automatic network of associated and interested/invested parties who may and quite possibly will help further.

Now what?

When you have a new idea in these social media aware times you can inflate it and put a shiny shell around it. Perhaps find an incubator or investor hub and start pitching it for funding. Failing that run a kick-start or social media based funding round. Sounds so simple, because, in a way, brilliantly, it is.

Better yet you create a content piece illustrating your concept and it goes viral…the world is your oyster. That path is fairly well established and has revolutionised the development of novel ideas, technology, business practice and product. 

Twenty years back, there was none of the above. No support infrastructure.

No Social Media, a hardly embryonic internet (I registered www.rgproduct.com in 1999) and no investment Angels etc.

The main funding event in town was the chance to be picked over by a VC or venture capitalist. An individual or company of people that were happy to speculate, and did so on novel ideas. I met my first in ’97 and it was fine, neither of us really understood the other and it went politely nowhere.

They wanted everything for nothing and I heard the phrase:

“1% of something is better than 100% of nothing" Far too often to take it seriously, if someone said this to me today I would kick them hard and walk away, then tweet about it.

Or write a LinkedIn article.

Then, in desperation I guess, I started to tout my ideas to companies for investment or licensing. Let me tell you this:

Do not under any circumstances show a good idea to a company that does similar.

You are, I learned, simply warning them and the market about coming competition and ultimately undermining and diluting your brand. Worse, you give R+D departments lots of good ideas for free, regardless of then nascent NDA documents. All this is easier to say in Hindsight, these days the structure of pitching and investment is more readily understood. The risks are more controlled. It is a known quantity.

Take a Chance

I took another strategic chance, knowing the pay off could be some time in the future. I was offered and eagerly took management of a website creation firm based in Manchester in ’99 to 2000, for a full year. Managing a business that created Artist websites for SONY amongst others; taught me about early SEO, graphic design, various code approaches (I do not code, never have), digital distribution and what are now funkily called UX and UI etc.

I took from this role the realisation that if I sewed my simple website with decent copy and images then one day, by sheer chance an early blogger might chance upon it. Harvesting my simple early EPK to mutual benefit. "It" might happen...The “It” in question was free global publicity, strong inward linking and global domination (well, maybe not).

This eventually did happen up to a point (no global domination) and in early Google days gave me a strong page one Google search result for numerous key words and searches including my base website name: rgproduct.

 My strategic chance taking paid off. It was a very real gamble; I learned all the way.

As you must.

Crucially social media is your friend. If you fall foul of any shenanigans a problem can be highlighted and flagged and the ensuing poor publicity, tweet storm etc presented via Twitter, FB or whichever channel; can be enough to force a resolution.

I realised recently that I had not only dragged a new product from nothing with sheer grit, but had also been through the groundwork some 20 years prior to what is now the start up scene. Including an early viral uptake equivalent blog burst (tiny in comparison to modern events).

Something I will be eternally grateful for.

Discipline.

Did I mention Discipline?

 It is your Yogic centre, your core and foundation.

If you have an idea, a kernel of something or even the merest glimmer, then hold it tight. Do not smother it but stay under the radar whilst you sort your vital early market research and viability studies.

Once you find it has a future and is suitably different to any other idea or product, then, only then start to promote it for investment purposes.

Protect it as you see fit, but be first.

Nowadays the idea of a presentation deck, prototypes and a quick pitch showing key points is common knowledge. The phrase "Elevator pitch" is a useful reminder that you may get a surprise and immediate opportunity to present your idea and that you must have an edited version of your story, my story, the story at hand and ready to playback.

In your corner, assisting you is simplified digital distribution (more mature internet), image manipulation, 3Dprinting and many other digital based technologies including apps & cloud software that allow much simpler creation and dissemination.

Be under no illusion, you need grit, you need Iron in your soul. You need equally a sense of humour and a self-belief that is super human. A supportive team, friends, family and relatives are vital.

The world will snub you, laugh or simply ignore you.

 If you know what you have is a valuable proposition then keep going.

Keep going.

Keep going.

Keep going.

One day, everyone else will know too.

This article is based on a section in my website that goes into much more detail. Please take a look: https://rgproduct.com/?page_id=1411 

Richard Grant

www.rgproduct.com