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By Andy Parker
Co-Founder at Zealify @ParkerACS
@Zealify
www.zealify.com
Startups: The Status Quo Should be Your Plan B
Who am I?
Hi I’m Andy (@ParkerACS)
Who am I?
UEA Graduate, 2012 - Business Management
Co-Founder - UEA Management Society
Co-Founded Zealify - £70k investment - Team of 4
Since then:
Zealify’s Mission To help people discover great jobs they enjoy in exciting companies to work for. - High growth startups & SMEs. - 15-250 employees. - Mostly tech & digital - But roles of all types
Zealify Profiles
2 things:
1. Helping people find great jobs in high-growth companies.
2. Helping people start their own companies.
The status quo?
- Corporate graduate job? - Management consulting,
accountancy, investment banking etc.
- A ‘safe’, ‘secure’ ‘respectable’ job.
The status quo?
Myths & Pressures - Higher perceived risk - Lower perceived credibility - Pressure from peers/family/
university - Your bank balance
“The biggest risk is not taking any risk… In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking any risks”
- Mark Zuckerberg
Route to success
The Alternatives…
Reasons to startup
2
3
1
5
6
4 Impact
Learning
Results
Flexibility
Long term reward
Ownership
Reasons to join a startup
2
3
1
5
6
4 Impact
Learning
Team
Meritocracy
Long term reward
Join a Mission
Financial Outcomes
Source: h*ps://view-‐api.box.com/1/sessions/e8c318c1945d4d0a9b3ac3bab12f8558/view
I decided to startup
Try |
Fail |
Try |
Succeed
Startup #1
The good: Solving our own problem
The BAD: We didn’t care that much.
Startup #1
NEITHER did anyone else!
And so it
FAILED
Lesson #1
It’s REALLY, REALLY hard!
BUT It’s hugely rewarding!
Top tips…
Top tip #1
1. Find a great co-founder
- It’s hard! You need support.
- Complimentary skill-sets
- Higher chances of success
Top tip #2
2. Launch a side project (not a startup) - Test if you can work together
- You’ll learn a lot
- It doesn’t matter if it fails
- Do it for fun
- It can always become a startup
Top tip #3
3. Find great mentors Surround yourself with great people
- Who’s done it before?
- Support, guidance, sounding
board, mediation.
- Credibility
Top tip #4
4. Always be learning
- You’re never ‘done’
- There are always challenges to
face – they’re just different.
- Learn the skill until you
understand it enough to
delegate it.
Top tip #5
5. You have to be passionate about it!
Top tip #6
6. Build your personal brand. Linkedin. Up to date, professional, key-‐words, photo, groups
Twi*er. Be relevant, engage, stay current.
About.me Your personal home-‐page.
Personal site & blog. Wordpress.org OR build it yourself. Blogging is the new CV.
CommuniUes. Hacker News, GrowthHackers.com, Inbound.org, subreddits etc
Top tip #6
6. Build your personal brand. “Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room”
- Jeff Bezos
Top tip #7
7. Just get started.
Don’t be a ‘wantrepreneur’
My route so far.
The future for Zealify
1. Continue to grow... 1. Customers 2. Team 3. Impact 4. Learning 5. Revenue
The future for Zealify
2. Build more relationships with mentors, investors, peers.
After Zealify?
Who knows?
Check out…
The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
www.startupclass.co
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
- Steve Jobs
If it fails...
You can always go back and follow the status quo.
