Let it Flow !!

Networks were never easy to create, not even when I started my first job at the steel mill. There were multiple reasons for a network to break: Cable trays burnt due to molten metal flying around, copper wires stolen, ports failing, or the little plugs at the end breaking. To fix the network one went end to end with a meter, figured out the break, and then spent hours laying new wire and crimping the ends. It was not easy to create those physical networks but we knew if you followed the process, you could not go wrong. Those networks then were simpler in comparison to the virtual networks now.

(In case you are wondering where I worked, one of my furnaces:?7 Blast Furnace)

For those who do not know, I am trying to create V-All (Yeah, adding a dash so you do not call it Vall) as a multisided platform with non-profits on one and individuals on the other. For the last four months since V-All went live, we worked to get the minimum number of people to create a self-sustaining atomic network.?

What is an atomic network? The minimum number of people required to make a product become useful. It is a small, stable, engaged group of people that works independently and can be replicated to reach scale.?

(Andrew Chen - The Cold Start Problem).

Check out V-All

There are two sides to this network, the hard and the harder. The hard for us was the non-profits on one side and the harder are the users who create and attend events. The harder side is the challenge that we are currently grappling with.

While there is logic to creating a network, there is no real science to it. You can create an atomic network from two people like in the case of Zoom or you need an entire city like in the case of Uber or Airbnb. In the case of V-All, I am pegging the number as 1000 users in one immediate geographic location. If I have 1000 users overall, we will have 100 (10%) who will engage and host events and bring another 1000 in to create a tipping effect for the network. This is an assumption, that it will give us enough data to see user behaviour patterns. Right now we are at 300, with not as much recall of people on the platform.

To reach that 1000, have been trying different approaches since February. Not counting January since that was when we worked on the hard side to bring some non-profits on the platform. Have 30 non-profits now and more continue to join. For the harder side, started with the nonprofit networks. Thought if we could activate their youth groups, could have a decent quantum of people from Delhi University. This did help us reach our first 300 but it is an assortment of people based on who hosted the event. We have people across different age groups spanning from 15-45, with different interests and needs. We even have a group in Mumbai so a completely different geography.

In parallel also tried working with some schools and colleges. Conducted sessions, and invited them to host events. While there was interest from the students, there are roadblocks. There is an existing curriculum, a teacher who is already overburdened, and a lack of awareness in terms of what the students want to do and can do. We did get signups, Instagram followers, and some ad hoc events but again the recall value is low. Also, we targeted elite schools and colleges which already have a lot of opportunities so V-All was one of the many and not even at the level of the super-evolved ones

Besides these two approaches, we tried several others, some are still in the pipeline so the verdict remains open. Now have gone back to the drawing board and am understanding the successes and failures. Success is that month on month we have had an increase in the funds raised and engagement. Failures are innumerable, some of them given above and then some to add to the list.

What I have understood is

1. Delhi or any of the metros are an over-saturated market with everyone in the impact and all other spaces vying for the attention
2. Need to reduce the geographical spread and make it localised and targeted
3. Target a specific audience, 15-25 is the age to go after so while others come, do not push for those. So yes my mom can participate but have to be clear she is not my target audience. Her feedback while important is to be taken with a pinch of salt.

What am I going to do?

1. Explore other geographies outside the metros while continuing to target Delhi. Have a few on my list and am activating those to get 1000 users in each.
2. Try to focus on a certain area even in Delhi. So if we are talking about Delhi University colleges then hit just South Campus or North Campus. Trying to reduce the net we have spread.
3. A clear focus on the youth from the social media content to everything else we do.

V-All Instagram

All of this sounds so logical and in control but it is so not the case. This month we may not have as many events and there will be a little lull on social media. Frustrating to see that empty page and disheartening to take a couple of steps back. Then I remind myself, this is not a launch where I am running, this is a proof of concept. A network is not built in a day and the whole process will be a step ahead and two back till we get the ultimate success. Will have to do whatever it takes to get the first 1000 and then we see what happens next. It will take a lot longer to have those multiple atomic networks and the more significant network effects to kick in.

In case you are wondering how that picture connects to networks. It doesn’t !!. I tried to find one with my old servers with tape decks as backups but I had none(You have no clue what I am talking about. Can you believe it, audio cassettes that backup a computer ?? A computer that occupies up an entire cabinet). This is the only one I have from the first flow of iron when we restarted a furnace that had been down for two years. The joy to see this after six months of hard work which included creating all the physical networks again is what I am waiting for in V-All. The initial events which show up without us pushing anyone, users that interact with multiple events and create some of their own, all of that, and more will give me the joy that this did.

Any ideas, contacts, or advice you have to create network effects, keep them coming.

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