MY STARTUP IDEA 1 : STARTUP CONNECT

Hello Folks,

Welcome to the series MY STARTUP IDEA. In this series I will share startup ideas I found interesting, the one's I researched about, ones on which I worked for some time but due to some limitations ( lack of proper team, no tech person in team for creating an APP and website, and most importantly, unable to answer the most important question 'How will we make money?") wasn't able to launch them.  As, no idea is unique and what good an idea if it isn't shared, that's why in coming posts I will try to share my startup idea in best possible way. If you like it then you are allowed to work on it and make this idea a reality.  

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STARTUP CONNECT

1. Originally this idea was shared with me by my friend in 2015. In 2017 I started working on it. Plan was to make a platform where entrepreneurs, budding entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs can come together and interact. In simple terms it was basically a kind of social networking site like Facebook for like-minded people , a place where they will share the project they are working on or idea they have. Any other person who has the same idea, thought or working on the same project will contact that person. In this way 2 capable persons can start their venture together. Also, here you will meet successful Indian entrepreneurs from whom you can take advice for your startup.

P.S. : No idea is unique. Two different persons in different part of the country with different mindset , different culture , different style, different beliefs can have same idea. So don't be afraid of sharing your idea with others. More you share , more you get to know about it. Someone can steal your idea but not your research, knowledge and understanding of that topic. SO BE BRAVE AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS WITH PEOPLE.

2. There will be a forum where people can chat, discuss things, have a debate on feasibility of the idea. Also here ( specially for budding and aspiring entrepreneurs) various news/articles will be posted regarding changes in the start-up culture in India.

 3. Also, on this website there will be a Product offering page. What happens is that people get so excited and carried away by their project is that they think that it will be next big thing in market. They start working on it blindly, raise capital either through their savings , from family or from loans. They  spend million of dollars on their project, and if it didn’t work, they end up loosing all their money and live a life below standard level of living. What the mistake they commit is that they feel customers will buy the product they are offering. Instead of making a product which customers want, they are preparing a product they think customer will buy. In simple terms they are trying to create a demand for a product about which customer has no knowledge and need.

To counter this, idea was to make a product offering page, a technology/artificial platform through which people can prepare their product digitally/ a dummy  and offer it for sale on their platform, and get the reviews of others on it, regarding whether they will buy it or not, and if yes then at what price.  If the response is positive then they can go ahead with it, if it isn’t then they will get a chance to replan it. (This page will be an open page. Anyone can access it. No registration will be required. So you can share it with your family and friends, and get a large sample for your idea.)

For example: If I am offering a smart phone for first time, what I will do is that I will make rectangle shape (size of phone) , tell the features ( basic one include that it will have big screen, no need to press same button again for SMS, you can view videos in it), show them how it will appear and how easy it will be to carry it. In simple terms before making a actual product I am transferring the mental image or blue print I have in my mind to customer's mind. If they feel excited and liked my idea then I will go ahead with it. If not then I will work on the suggestions and make the necessary improvement on it. So, before making an actual product I am checking the demand of that product. If I feel insecure that my design might get stole, for that I will get it patented to make sure right lies with me.

PROBLEMS WITH THE IDEA:

1. It requires a person with good knowledge of app and website development. I wasn't able to find anyone in my network for this work.
2. Some sites are already doing part of this work, but they are foreign sites. We don't have a specific site for Indian Startups, providing insight on real problems in India on which startups can work on.
3. Major issue is the fear among people that idea will be stolen due to which they won't come on board.
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So, this was my idea and problems I faced while developing it. If you like it then you can go ahead and make it a reality. It doesn't matter whose idea it is. What matters is idea is shared and worked on to make it a reality. If you truly believe in this idea and feel that you can make it a reality then do work on it and make it a success.