0:00:28.099,0:00:33.250 So hi. Alright, so welcome to my keynote. 0:00:33.250,0:00:35.300 All right. Apologies for that. 0:00:35.300,0:00:37.170 I've been a Rails programmer for too long, 0:00:37.170,0:00:40.690 and I used Scaffold to generate this presentation, 0:00:40.690,0:00:43.760 and I kind of, I kind of kept this towards[br]the end. 0:00:43.760,0:00:45.190 You know, I'll fix it in the end, 0:00:45.190,0:00:45.790 and I forgot. 0:00:45.790,0:00:48.690 So yeah I'm really sorry about that. But,[br]anyway. 0:00:48.690,0:00:50.659 So my name is Prateek Dayal. 0:00:50.659,0:00:52.379 Unlike Chad, you know, I do need an introduction, 0:00:52.379,0:00:56.079 so I'll introduce myself as I go along. 0:00:56.079,0:00:58.610 So yeah, I'm currently the CEO of SupportBee, 0:00:58.610,0:01:02.390 and I started working with Ruby in 2007, 0:01:02.390,0:01:05.080 when I co-founded Muziboo. 0:01:05.080,0:01:07.000 And Muziboo is a music sharing website 0:01:07.000,0:01:07.770 and we had this idea, 0:01:07.770,0:01:10.420 how cool it would be if you know people had 0:01:10.420,0:01:12.000 a place like Flickr for music, 0:01:12.000,0:01:13.950 where they would go and upload music and discuss[br]it, 0:01:13.950,0:01:16.369 not just share with their friends. 0:01:16.369,0:01:17.369 And we launched Muziboo, 0:01:17.369,0:01:18.560 we worked on it for a few years, 0:01:18.560,0:01:19.179 we grew it to about, 0:01:19.179,0:01:24.100 you know about half a million users. 200,000[br]uploads. 0:01:24.100,0:01:27.069 And as I said, I started working on this in[br]2007, 0:01:27.069,0:01:29.369 and it was a great time. 0:01:29.369,0:01:31.250 It just felt like heaven. 0:01:31.250,0:01:34.659 So I did electronics engineering in my college[br]days, 0:01:34.659,0:01:36.860 and this was my first real programming project, 0:01:36.860,0:01:38.979 and unlike the unfortunate people like you, 0:01:38.979,0:01:41.979 you know I never did any PHP or Java. 0:01:41.979,0:01:44.420 So I came to the programming world straight[br]into Ruby, 0:01:44.420,0:01:45.469 and it was so awesome, 0:01:45.469,0:01:46.890 and I could sit and code all day. 0:01:46.890,0:01:49.289 That was the part that appealed to me the[br]most about doing a start up. 0:01:49.289,0:01:51.969 Actually we didn't even call it a start up[br]back then. 0:01:51.969,0:01:53.409 So we just did something, 0:01:53.409,0:01:55.969 and I was sitting and coding all day. 0:01:55.969,0:01:57.820 And the community was still there actually, 0:01:57.820,0:01:59.140 surprisingly even in 2007 in India. 0:01:59.140,0:02:02.380 We didn't have a Ruby meet up but we had Open[br]Coffee clubs, 0:02:02.380,0:02:03.609 and we had some start up meet ups 0:02:03.609,0:02:05.509 and actually all the people talk about 0:02:05.509,0:02:07.909 is programming pretty much, all the bar caps??. 0:02:07.909,0:02:09.258 So I remember meeting Sidoo?? 0:02:09.258,0:02:10.919 and I remember meeting a few other people, 0:02:10.919,0:02:12.489 later I met Hemant. And we would sit 0:02:12.489,0:02:14.790 and chat about Ruby and you know, 0:02:14.790,0:02:15.579 they would give me all these cool ideas, 0:02:15.579,0:02:16.950 I would be like, I would be like hey dude,[br]you know, 0:02:16.950,0:02:17.480 how do I deploy? 0:02:17.480,0:02:19.380 And they would tell me there's this cool thing 0:02:19.380,0:02:20.680 called Mongrel, you should look at it. 0:02:20.680,0:02:22.489 And I would go back and check out Mongrel 0:02:22.489,0:02:24.480 and I would deploy. So that was a really fun[br]time. 0:02:24.480,0:02:26.380 I was having a great time. 0:02:26.380,0:02:28.790 But as you would guess it didn't last. 0:02:28.790,0:02:31.220 It wasn't as bright and sunny anymore eventually, 0:02:31.220,0:02:35.230 because I had to start worrying about making[br]money. 0:02:35.230,0:02:37.500 And I, you know I would just a couple of years[br]out of college, 0:02:37.500,0:02:39.239 not much cash, so I had to really start worrying[br]about, 0:02:39.239,0:02:40.449 OK, how am I gonna make money? 0:02:40.449,0:02:42.530 This is all fun, but you know let's get serious 0:02:42.530,0:02:43.989 about this start up thing now. 0:02:43.989,0:02:45.930 And I had never done a business 0:02:45.930,0:02:48.519 and so I did what you know any sensible programmer[br]would do, right. 0:02:48.519,0:02:49.979 I went to a business guy, 0:02:49.979,0:02:53.169 I went to a few business people to get their[br]advice. 0:02:53.169,0:02:56.609 And all the advice that I got was about SEO, 0:02:56.609,0:02:59.310 about partnerships, people said oh you're[br]a music company 0:02:59.310,0:03:02.150 you should go partner with the music labels, 0:03:02.150,0:03:04.820 you should hire a few sales people, sell music[br]listings. 0:03:04.820,0:03:08.100 Like if, I don't know how long, if you guys[br]remember, 0:03:08.100,0:03:10.120 but in 2007, India was sort of moving from 0:03:10.120,0:03:11.840 the offline world into the online world, 0:03:11.840,0:03:15.120 and the models were just sort of being adapted[br]to the online models. 0:03:15.120,0:03:16.790 And everybody was sort of like, 0:03:16.790,0:03:17.870 everything was a listing site essentially, 0:03:17.870,0:03:21.190 and you could just put ads on it. 0:03:21.190,0:03:24.900 So I, you know I didn't like this obviously. 0:03:24.900,0:03:27.459 I hated doing this work. 0:03:27.459,0:03:28.799 Because I loved doing programming. 0:03:28.799,0:03:30.400 But I still persisted with it, 0:03:30.400,0:03:32.500 I still persisted with it for a few years. 0:03:32.500,0:03:35.269 So I did some SEO, you know I tried doing[br]some sales - 0:03:35.269,0:03:39.650 it didn't work. And, you know, I really felt[br]like this guy. 0:03:39.650,0:03:42.870 I felt like I had all these super powers, 0:03:42.870,0:03:45.959 like metaprogramming and you know all the[br]cool stuff 0:03:45.959,0:03:49.720 that Ruby had to offer, but I would just sit[br]and, you know, 0:03:49.720,0:03:51.139 tweak page titles all day long. 0:03:51.139,0:03:54.530 To get myself ranking. You know I felt really[br]bad. 0:03:54.530,0:03:55.479 And I really felt disillusioned. 0:03:55.479,0:03:57.609 I felt really disillusioned with start ups[br]because, 0:03:57.609,0:04:00.090 I said this is not what start ups should be[br]about, right. 0:04:00.090,0:04:02.709 I should be able to do what I enjoy doing. 0:04:02.709,0:04:05.419 And that's when I kind of started asking myself, 0:04:05.419,0:04:08.669 can I leverage my strengths as a developer[br]to build a great business? 0:04:08.669,0:04:11.290 Can I do what I enjoy doing already 0:04:11.290,0:04:12.380 and somehow build a great business 0:04:12.380,0:04:14.600 and build a company that I'm really proud[br]of? 0:04:14.600,0:04:17.250 And I started sort of looking around to get[br]ideas, 0:04:17.250,0:04:18.529 and that's what my talk is about. 0:04:18.529,0:04:22.070 So my talk is about coding your business. 0:04:22.070,0:04:24.880 And I just want to share some experiences[br]I've had, 0:04:24.880,0:04:26.199 some learnings I've had. 0:04:26.199,0:04:29.710 Some ideas we are even now working on. 0:04:29.710,0:04:32.199 And just get your thoughts, maybe, you know, 0:04:32.199,0:04:34.389 it would be nice if you guys could tell me,[br]like, 0:04:34.389,0:04:36.060 what do you think, what if you tried something[br]similar. 0:04:36.060,0:04:37.509 Or even if later you try something 0:04:37.509,0:04:40.949 and you know just tweet to me. That'd be cool. 0:04:40.949,0:04:44.600 So when I was doing Muziboo, about a year[br]into Muziboo, 0:04:44.600,0:04:45.780 SoundCloud launched. 0:04:45.780,0:04:49.140 And you know they launched in a public data[br]or something. 0:04:49.140,0:04:51.310 And they are a nice product. 0:04:51.310,0:04:52.560 And they started getting some traction. 0:04:52.560,0:04:54.190 But other than working on the core product, 0:04:54.190,0:04:58.260 one thing I noticed was that they had this[br]thing called the API. 0:04:58.260,0:05:00.820 And somehow people were slowly starting to[br]use that API 0:05:00.820,0:05:04.240 and people started writing apps on top of[br]the API. 0:05:04.240,0:05:07.880 And if you go to their app listing now they've[br]got dozens of apps. 0:05:07.880,0:05:11.560 And you know they have apps which help them[br]get new musicians on board. 0:05:11.560,0:05:14.340 These are apps which will allow people to[br]upload directly 0:05:14.340,0:05:18.280 from let's say a music recording program. 0:05:18.280,0:05:20.730 All these are apps that get some new listeners. 0:05:20.730,0:05:24.030 So people have used API to build charts 0:05:24.030,0:05:26.090 that are hip-hop charts, specific charts. 0:05:26.090,0:05:31.440 So I think the API really, really helped them[br]grow their user base. 0:05:31.440,0:05:33.860 And that was a great learning for me. 0:05:33.860,0:05:38.460 In some ways it was you know it was the hard[br]way that 0:05:38.460,0:05:40.810 I was learning, because they were taking off, 0:05:40.810,0:05:44.250 but I mean there was definitely something[br]to learn from them. 0:05:44.250,0:05:46.240 And then I sort of started looking around 0:05:46.240,0:05:48.380 and I realized that API is definitely 0:05:48.380,0:05:49.700 the new business development. 0:05:49.700,0:05:52.330 You know today if you want to grow a product, 0:05:52.330,0:05:54.600 APIs are a great way to do that. 0:05:54.600,0:05:57.480 And it's like, if you look at a lot of other[br]products, 0:05:57.480,0:05:59.530 so GitHub, Twitter, Facebook, Google - 0:05:59.530,0:06:02.280 there are so many examples that wouldn't be[br]the same product 0:06:02.280,0:06:07.060 if they didn't have the API ecosystem. 0:06:07.060,0:06:09.500 And especially most in the last few years, 0:06:09.500,0:06:12.000 a lot of products are actually just APIs. 0:06:12.000,0:06:14.260 A lot of products around are simply APIs. 0:06:14.260,0:06:19.470 So for example, Firebase - I should use a[br]clicker probably, sorry. 0:06:19.470,0:06:22.530 So Firebase is a tool that gives you a back 0:06:22.530,0:06:24.660 and forth mobile of web apps. 0:06:24.660,0:06:27.730 Swifttype for Surge, mailgun for delivering[br]emails. 0:06:27.730,0:06:31.009 Plivo from the streets of Bangalore is computing[br]with 0:06:31.009,0:06:32.400 ?? (00:06:31:06) head on. 0:06:32.400,0:06:34.200 And they both provide APIs for telephoning. 0:06:34.200,0:06:37.490 So there are a lot of products which are simply[br]APIs. 0:06:37.490,0:06:39.630 And I think as developers we are really, 0:06:39.630,0:06:41.630 really well-suited to do these kind of start[br]ups. 0:06:41.630,0:06:43.540 We already understand our target audience. 0:06:43.540,0:06:44.940 We are the target audience. 0:06:44.940,0:06:47.570 We, all of us have been to hack-a-thons, 0:06:47.570,0:06:49.300 we have worked with different APIs, 0:06:49.300,0:06:53.050 we know what it feels like when the documentation[br]is shitty, 0:06:53.050,0:06:54.389 what makes good code examples, 0:06:54.389,0:06:56.660 what kind of libraries do you need to kick[br]start the environment. 0:06:56.660,0:07:00.310 We really understand this stuff really well[br]already, 0:07:00.310,0:07:03.060 and I think if you were to start a company[br]like this, 0:07:03.060,0:07:07.990 you're definitely at an advantage. 0:07:07.990,0:07:10.419 And so you can build a product 0:07:10.419,0:07:11.870 and you know you can get maybe some users 0:07:11.870,0:07:13.740 but what about marketing? 0:07:13.740,0:07:16.300 That's typically the question that I get asked[br]most often from programmers. 0:07:16.300,0:07:18.260 Like how do you market your product? 0:07:18.260,0:07:20.570 How do you get customers? 0:07:20.570,0:07:23.419 And there are several ways to market a product. 0:07:23.419,0:07:24.790 Most of them don't work. 0:07:24.790,0:07:27.220 And are frustrating actually to execute on. 0:07:27.220,0:07:28.770 And what I - personally at least for us 0:07:28.770,0:07:31.800 and our company I've realized that writing 0:07:31.800,0:07:35.340 has turned out to be the best form of marketing[br]actually. 0:07:35.340,0:07:39.639 And what I mean by that is if you look at[br]developer docs 0:07:39.639,0:07:42.699 or marketing copy site or newsletters, 0:07:42.699,0:07:44.990 or even delegating great customer support, 0:07:44.990,0:07:47.710 it all boils down to being good at writing. 0:07:47.710,0:07:51.230 And, I mean that's just how it is. 0:07:51.230,0:07:53.790 For example, this is Mailgun's documentation. 0:07:53.790,0:07:57.210 If you go through it, it talks about setting[br]up SPF records, 0:07:57.210,0:07:58.770 you know how to get to deployability, 0:07:58.770,0:08:01.290 why do you need dedicated IPs, 0:08:01.290,0:08:03.240 it's stuff that all of us already understand[br]and can write. 0:08:03.240,0:08:08.370 We just need to be really good at communicating[br]this to our customers. 0:08:08.370,0:08:09.540 So we already understand this stuff. 0:08:09.540,0:08:10.600 We just need to get better 0:08:10.600,0:08:14.190 at being able to communicate it in writing. 0:08:14.190,0:08:18.199 The same way if you look at Firebase's landing[br]page, 0:08:18.199,0:08:19.740 any of us could sit down and write this 0:08:19.740,0:08:22.010 and we could build this and we could write[br]this 0:08:22.010,0:08:26.410 and you just need to be good at writing again. 0:08:26.410,0:08:28.560 So fortunately there is good news, right. 0:08:28.560,0:08:30.590 I mean it's, as developers, 0:08:30.590,0:08:34.620 I think it's very easy to improve at writing. 0:08:34.620,0:08:38.519 And I'm just going to show you a few examples[br]of how to do that. 0:08:38.519,0:08:41.570 So GitHub. I think one of the coolest things 0:08:41.570,0:08:44.339 that GitHub does is that every time you create[br]a new depository, 0:08:44.339,0:08:46.980 it says add a readme file. 0:08:46.980,0:08:50.130 And that's a great starting point to start[br]learning 0:08:50.130,0:08:51.690 how to write or communicate our ideas. 0:08:51.690,0:08:53.720 How many of you guys have opensource projects. 0:08:53.720,0:08:58.079 Even, or just some bit of code online? 0:08:58.079,0:08:59.490 And have you written a readme for it? 0:08:59.490,0:09:04.350 Oh, quite a few of you have, and quite a few[br]have not. Good. 0:09:04.350,0:09:05.889 One hand stood up very long actually. 0:09:05.889,0:09:08.910 So, there you are, yeah. 0:09:08.910,0:09:10.230 So if you haven't, 0:09:10.230,0:09:12.149 just go back and write a readme for that, 0:09:12.149,0:09:13.999 and if you already have, maybe try to improve[br]it. 0:09:13.999,0:09:15.170 Get some, maybe more feedback. 0:09:15.170,0:09:17.499 It's a great starting point to start writing 0:09:17.499,0:09:19.980 and learning how to write. 0:09:19.980,0:09:22.860 The other cool thing, at least in today's[br]world, 0:09:22.860,0:09:26.550 is that product development involves a lot[br]of writing, 0:09:26.550,0:09:28.170 and this obviously depends on company to company 0:09:28.170,0:09:29.709 but you can become a company like this 0:09:29.709,0:09:32.149 so you can choose to work for a company like[br]this. 0:09:32.149,0:09:36.100 So for example, I'll give you an example from[br]SupportBee. 0:09:36.100,0:09:39.769 So most of our feature requests are enhancement[br]requests 0:09:39.769,0:09:41.399 typically originate in our subcode desk ?? (00:09:41:07), 0:09:41.399,0:09:44.040 so some customer, for example in this case[br]somebody emailed saying, 0:09:44.040,0:09:47.619 can we have search word for word trash tickets? 0:09:47.619,0:09:49.339 And my colleague I asked who is here, 0:09:49.339,0:09:51.860 I asked him you know, do we support this? 0:09:51.860,0:09:53.519 So it turns out we support this in the API 0:09:53.519,0:09:56.009 but we don't support it in the front-end. 0:09:56.009,0:09:59.459 And so what we do is we write this ticket[br]into - 0:09:59.459,0:10:00.959 we have a GitHub app - so the code, 0:10:00.959,0:10:02.910 we would write that into GitHub, 0:10:02.910,0:10:05.040 and we create an issue. 0:10:05.040,0:10:06.720 And other than create, 0:10:06.720,0:10:08.110 other than using the issue to actually 0:10:08.110,0:10:10.300 just review code or attach code, 0:10:10.300,0:10:13.920 what we do is we try to flesh out the feature[br]completely in issues. 0:10:13.920,0:10:15.970 So we are encourage, not only encourage, 0:10:15.970,0:10:17.869 sort of we enforce everybody to just discuss 0:10:17.869,0:10:20.470 ompletely in issues. We don't even encourage 0:10:20.470,0:10:24.490 face to face or voice calls early on. 0:10:24.490,0:10:25.639 If you're not able to communicate something 0:10:25.639,0:10:27.839 in issues then you should probably go to a[br]call, 0:10:27.839,0:10:30.579 and then also sum it up and put it back in[br]the issue. 0:10:30.579,0:10:32.509 What this does it just forces you to 0:10:32.509,0:10:34.839 try to explain to your peers what you're trying[br]to do. 0:10:34.839,0:10:36.389 Sometimes in terms of code, 0:10:36.389,0:10:38.240 sometimes in terms of the marketing copy 0:10:38.240,0:10:39.550 that you think should be there, 0:10:39.550,0:10:41.399 or the subject line of the email. 0:10:41.399,0:10:43.619 It forces you to communicate your ideas. 0:10:43.619,0:10:45.779 And acquiring that skill also helps you 0:10:45.779,0:10:47.559 in communicating those ideas to your customer. 0:10:47.559,0:10:49.860 So it's really the same sort of skills. 0:10:49.860,0:10:52.790 And once we know what we want to work on, 0:10:52.790,0:10:54.999 what we do, we obviously attach code 0:10:54.999,0:10:58.899 and then we go through maybe a sprint or two[br]with that code. 0:10:58.899,0:11:00.899 And then finally once we are almost getting[br]done, 0:11:00.899,0:11:05.170 we post screen shots in the same issue of[br]the finished feature. 0:11:05.170,0:11:06.350 And what that does is, it - 0:11:06.350,0:11:08.600 one thing is that it really helps us review[br]faster, 0:11:08.600,0:11:11.470 so we can, you know, know that this feature[br]is done 0:11:11.470,0:11:13.040 and can be deployed. 0:11:13.040,0:11:13.660 But more than that, 0:11:13.660,0:11:16.459 it's also a starting point for writing a blog[br]post about the feature. 0:11:16.459,0:11:19.470 And we have taken the same GitHub issues process 0:11:19.470,0:11:22.319 and turned it into user for our blog as well, 0:11:22.319,0:11:23.970 you know we power our blogs by JQL. 0:11:23.970,0:11:27.699 We create issues for each new feature that[br]we have, 0:11:27.699,0:11:31.189 or if you want to put out a def post about[br]how we did the feature. 0:11:31.189,0:11:35.199 And we use these assets and we write the block[br]post. 0:11:35.199,0:11:36.339 And because we are already comfortable 0:11:36.339,0:11:37.559 with this GitHub issues process, 0:11:37.559,0:11:39.249 very easy to get feedback. 0:11:39.249,0:11:41.300 So just like code we can comment in-line, 0:11:41.300,0:11:43.360 we can help people if they're feeling a writer's[br]block 0:11:43.360,0:11:45.699 or if they want some feedback. 0:11:45.699,0:11:46.829 It's very easy to give out feedback 0:11:46.829,0:11:48.540 and push out this block post. 0:11:48.540,0:11:52.470 So we really tried to make this process work[br]for us, 0:11:52.470,0:11:56.699 and it has ended up, it has ended in a lot[br]of our developers, 0:11:56.699,0:11:59.069 or people who've worked with us getting better[br]at writing, 0:11:59.069,0:12:02.579 and in fact for the first time even realizing[br]that they enjoy writing. 0:12:02.579,0:12:03.740 And it's worked really well for us 0:12:03.740,0:12:08.410 and I encourage you guys to go and try it[br]out. 0:12:08.410,0:12:09.610 Because the cool thing about this process 0:12:09.610,0:12:10.439 if that you can start tomorrow. 0:12:10.439,0:12:12.079 You don't have to wait to start a company 0:12:12.079,0:12:13.029 to become good at writing. 0:12:13.029,0:12:15.259 You know you can do it in your current job. 0:12:15.259,0:12:17.660 So next time you have a feature release post, 0:12:17.660,0:12:20.309 go out and propose to do it yourself. 0:12:20.309,0:12:21.269 Maybe you have a job opening 0:12:21.269,0:12:22.629 and you're putting up a job on Haskee 0:12:22.629,0:12:25.499 (00:12:23:02 ??). You know, tell your founders 0:12:25.499,0:12:28.170 or tell your CEO that you want to write that. 0:12:28.170,0:12:28.779 And just practice. 0:12:28.779,0:12:30.589 So there's so many opportunities around us 0:12:30.589,0:12:35.829 to practice writing in development. 0:12:35.829,0:12:37.879 If you build a company like this, 0:12:37.879,0:12:40.790 one of the other cool things that happens[br]is, 0:12:40.790,0:12:43.059 it's very easy to recruit a developer. 0:12:43.059,0:12:45.179 Because developers love hanging out with other[br]developers, right. 0:12:45.179,0:12:46.129 That's why we are all here today 0:12:46.129,0:12:47.850 and will be here tomorrow. 0:12:47.850,0:12:51.149 And so it is a very natural fit there. 0:12:51.149,0:12:52.879 And I've been talking to a few developers 0:12:52.879,0:12:54.050 in the last couple of months 0:12:54.050,0:12:57.759 and I realize that most developers hate these[br]block, 0:12:57.759,0:13:01.149 you know, job posts written with the words[br]ninja, 0:13:01.149,0:13:05.300 or, like how many of you are ninjas here?[br]No one? 0:13:05.300,0:13:10.600 What about programming rock stars? No one? 0:13:10.600,0:13:13.160 So yeah, I mean, people kind of hate that 0:13:13.160,0:13:16.410 and if you are a company like this that is[br]developer friendly, 0:13:16.410,0:13:17.119 it will show through. 0:13:17.119,0:13:20.559 You won't have to put an effort to look like[br]that. 0:13:20.559,0:13:26.649 And, so it really does help if you hire better[br]people. 0:13:26.649,0:13:28.999 So what I'm saying is that, 0:13:28.999,0:13:32.519 we figured out that in the end it just falls[br]under two things. 0:13:32.519,0:13:34.329 Doing great work on the product, 0:13:34.329,0:13:36.209 on the ecosystem, and then talking about it. 0:13:36.209,0:13:37.730 I think especially in India, 0:13:37.730,0:13:39.649 where we are really good at doing great work, 0:13:39.649,0:13:42.779 I think we are very, incredibly talented set[br]of developers here. 0:13:42.779,0:13:45.850 But we are not so savvy about talking about[br]it, 0:13:45.850,0:13:47.029 and it's not as much of a skill thing 0:13:47.029,0:13:49.369 I think as much as it's a mindset thing. 0:13:49.369,0:13:52.769 So it's about doing great work and talking[br]about it. 0:13:52.769,0:13:54.470 But obviously, I mean, this is not easy. 0:13:54.470,0:13:55.749 You know building a company like this 0:13:55.749,0:13:57.230 is not going to be easy, 0:13:57.230,0:13:58.449 because it's all about good teams. 0:13:58.449,0:14:00.279 It's all about hiring the best people 0:14:00.279,0:14:03.119 that you can and after you hire them, 0:14:03.119,0:14:07.179 spending a lot of time helping them get even[br]better. 0:14:07.179,0:14:10.160 And empowering them, so they can make decisions[br]on your behalf. 0:14:10.160,0:14:11.179 And obviously this is a, 0:14:11.179,0:14:13.329 this is a very hard thing to achieve, 0:14:13.329,0:14:16.100 and it's very easy to get it wrong. 0:14:16.100,0:14:17.329 And you have to just keep trying. 0:14:17.329,0:14:18.799 And it takes a bit longer. 0:14:18.799,0:14:21.809 So if you are definitely trying to flip a[br]start up soon, 0:14:21.809,0:14:25.049 don't try this. Don't do this. It'll take[br]awhile, 0:14:25.049,0:14:27.199 but I think you'll get a much nicer company[br]in the end. 0:14:27.199,0:14:30.230 And one of the side effects of working like[br]this 0:14:30.230,0:14:32.019 or creating a company like this is that 0:14:32.019,0:14:34.489 you can actually work from the beach, 0:14:34.489,0:14:38.249 because now everything happens on the, online. 0:14:38.249,0:14:39.269 Everything happens in tools. 0:14:39.269,0:14:41.360 Everything is written, everything is documented. 0:14:41.360,0:14:42.369 And you become really comfortable. 0:14:42.369,0:14:43.379 It's like testing, right. 0:14:43.379,0:14:45.309 Before we started testing, 0:14:45.309,0:14:49.629 how many of you felt testing is gonna slow[br]you down? 0:14:49.629,0:14:51.790 And how many of you now feel that, 0:14:51.790,0:14:54.480 oh I can't write something serious without[br]tests. 0:14:54.480,0:14:56.679 Yeah, well same number of people. 0:14:56.679,0:14:59.439 Yeah. Good. Yeah, so it's the same thing. 0:14:59.439,0:15:02.160 It feels like writing is gonna slow your product[br]development down. 0:15:02.160,0:15:04.189 It's gonna take, make decisions longer, 0:15:04.189,0:15:07.029 but it actually helps you get way more structure. 0:15:07.029,0:15:12.189 And you'll definitely see that in a few weeks[br]or maybe a few months. 0:15:12.189,0:15:15.579 And - by the way that is a real picture 0:15:15.579,0:15:17.639 of us sitting and working from the beach, 0:15:17.639,0:15:21.259 so. That's one not-stock image. 0:15:21.259,0:15:25.049 And what's incredible to me personally 0:15:25.049,0:15:28.540 is that I was working on Musiboo for about[br]three years, 0:15:28.540,0:15:30.949 about two of those were miserable. 0:15:30.949,0:15:34.480 Right, there was, I was just banging my head[br]against a wall, 0:15:34.480,0:15:35.910 and I could have figured this out 0:15:35.910,0:15:38.299 and I could have changed my direction, 0:15:38.299,0:15:42.019 but I didn't. And I literally felt like I[br]was stuck 0:15:42.019,0:15:43.350 in a Groundhog Day. 0:15:43.350,0:15:46.110 Right, it's very easy to get stuck in a Groundhog[br]day. 0:15:46.110,0:15:47.970 And what you have to do is obviously 0:15:47.970,0:15:50.360 you have to step back, 0:15:50.360,0:15:52.679 and then you have to get a better perspective. 0:15:52.679,0:15:55.009 And I think the thing that prevented me from[br]doing that 0:15:55.009,0:15:58.149 was that I had no semblance of a work-life[br]balance. 0:15:58.149,0:16:00.959 Nothing. I was just working all the time. 0:16:00.959,0:16:03.100 I was under this assumption that if I am failing 0:16:03.100,0:16:05.069 it's only because I'm not working hard enough. 0:16:05.069,0:16:07.660 How many of you believe that actually? 0:16:07.660,0:16:09.459 That if you are not succeeding at something 0:16:09.459,0:16:12.059 then you just got to try harder? Yeah. 0:16:12.059,0:16:13.999 Quite a few people, right. 0:16:13.999,0:16:16.079 And I think this is kind of true 0:16:16.079,0:16:19.499 but I think it's not about the number of hours. 0:16:19.499,0:16:21.129 So definitely having some work-life balance 0:16:21.129,0:16:24.379 is very important in getting this perspective. 0:16:24.379,0:16:26.709 And the other thing I give thought a lot about 0:16:26.709,0:16:30.299 as a company is that there is simply no way[br]we can outwork our competitors. 0:16:30.299,0:16:33.279 So for example our competitors are companies[br]like FreshDesk, 0:16:33.279,0:16:36.579 which have thirty million dollars, two hundred[br]people team. 0:16:36.579,0:16:39.119 Even if like all of us work two days in a[br]day, 0:16:39.119,0:16:40.869 we would still not out-hour them. 0:16:40.869,0:16:42.209 So it's simply not going to work like that 0:16:42.209,0:16:44.290 and technology companies are not built like[br]that. 0:16:44.290,0:16:45.579 They're built one team member 0:16:45.579,0:16:47.709 and one great decision taken at a time. 0:16:47.709,0:16:50.269 And that happens when you have a fresh perspective 0:16:50.269,0:16:52.420 and a clear vision. 0:16:52.420,0:16:56.359 And it's amazing to me that being in the knowledge[br]industry 0:16:56.359,0:17:00.649 or industry driven so much by knowledge and[br]by creative energy, 0:17:00.649,0:17:04.049 how little at least I did, and when I talked[br]to other people, 0:17:04.049,0:17:06.559 people understand about how our brain itself[br]works. 0:17:06.559,0:17:08.089 And that's I think probably where a lot 0:17:08.089,0:17:10.319 of these misconceptions come from. 0:17:10.319,0:17:12.720 So I highly recognize that you guys 0:17:12.720,0:17:14.619 take a look at this book called Your Brain[br]at Work. 0:17:14.619,0:17:18.619 It's a very quick read. It's gonna take you[br]a few hours to read. 0:17:18.619,0:17:22.549 How many of you have read this book? OK, only[br]two people. Cool. 0:17:22.549,0:17:26.679 So. And both of them have (00:17:26:08) ??, so[br]yeah. 0:17:26.679,0:17:28.549 So yeah, please go ahead and read this book. 0:17:28.549,0:17:32.620 What this book shows you is how to get more[br]out of your work life. 0:17:32.620,0:17:36.899 How sometimes just trying harder is not the[br]solution. 0:17:36.899,0:17:38.139 And it's a very enjoyable read 0:17:38.139,0:17:41.779 and it gives you a very nice perspective. 0:17:41.779,0:17:47.679 Apart from this, I've also lately started[br]using RescueTime. 0:17:47.679,0:17:51.080 So I did a quick survey before the RubyConf 0:17:51.080,0:17:53.049 and I asked people how much they worked, 0:17:53.049,0:17:54.470 and so about twenty people I asked, 0:17:54.470,0:17:56.720 actually about twenty people filled out that[br]survey, 0:17:56.720,0:17:57.990 and I think seventy percent of them said 0:17:57.990,0:18:00.330 that they work about sixty hours a week. 0:18:00.330,0:18:03.830 And I encourage everyone to go back 0:18:03.830,0:18:05.139 and set up this application. 0:18:05.139,0:18:06.710 It's free for about a week. 0:18:06.710,0:18:07.940 And you'll be surprised by the results. 0:18:07.940,0:18:11.320 You'll be surprised by how much time you just[br]lose 0:18:11.320,0:18:12.970 in a YouTube video that somebody sent you 0:18:12.970,0:18:14.360 and you had no idea that you opened 0:18:14.360,0:18:16.120 and watched for thirty minutes. 0:18:16.120,0:18:19.889 So your time is definitely finite. 0:18:19.889,0:18:21.480 So there's no denying that. 0:18:21.480,0:18:24.289 But it's amazing that with that finite time 0:18:24.289,0:18:26.610 how much of it we lose without even knowing. 0:18:26.610,0:18:28.740 So try to use this application 0:18:28.740,0:18:30.360 and free up more of your time 0:18:30.360,0:18:32.720 and enjoy your life as well while you're building[br]a start up. 0:18:32.720,0:18:38.929 I think that's really the key. 0:18:38.929,0:18:45.299 So Bangalore. When Prakash invited me to do[br]the keynote, 0:18:45.299,0:18:46.470 he pushed out block which it said 0:18:46.470,0:18:48.389 I'm gonna bring a unique Indian perspective. 0:18:48.389,0:18:51.730 And I wasn't sure what that was gonna be entirely, 0:18:51.730,0:18:53.860 but one thing I do feel very passionate about 0:18:53.860,0:18:55.389 is being in this city actually. 0:18:55.389,0:18:57.840 So in the last couple of years I've traveled[br]a lot. 0:18:57.840,0:18:59.299 I've been to Chile, 0:18:59.299,0:19:00.799 I've spent a lot of time in Vietnam 0:19:00.799,0:19:03.309 and some other southeast Asian countries. 0:19:03.309,0:19:05.250 And I've traveled a lot 0:19:05.250,0:19:07.860 and I really enjoy living in some of these[br]places. 0:19:07.860,0:19:09.090 But I always come back to Bangalore, 0:19:09.090,0:19:12.820 and I really like spending time here simply[br]for one reason. 0:19:12.820,0:19:15.080 I think this place is full of incredible developers. 0:19:15.080,0:19:16.889 It's just so amazing. 0:19:16.889,0:19:21.460 I haven't been to U.S. Yeah, thanks. 0:19:21.460,0:19:23.440 Thank you. 0:19:23.440,0:19:27.049 I haven't been to U.S. 0:19:27.049,0:19:28.370 But I've been to some of the other hubs. 0:19:28.370,0:19:29.539 I've been to Syngapore. 0:19:29.539,0:19:31.769 But seriously the development activity here[br]is just amazing. 0:19:31.769,0:19:35.120 People are so passionate, they really like[br]the code, 0:19:35.120,0:19:37.250 they like trying out new stuff. 0:19:37.250,0:19:40.350 And in general if you see our English ability, 0:19:40.350,0:19:41.029 everything is really good. 0:19:41.029,0:19:43.139 And I really think that we, 0:19:43.139,0:19:44.840 and especially today if you look around you, 0:19:44.840,0:19:46.600 there's enough money, there's enough resources, 0:19:46.600,0:19:47.950 enough accelerators, 0:19:47.950,0:19:49.230 some may even say too many accelerators 0:19:49.230,0:19:54.559 or incubators around us, to help you launch[br]companies. 0:19:54.559,0:19:57.750 And I really hope that in 2014 a lot more 0:19:57.750,0:19:59.110 such companies get launched from Bangalore. 0:19:59.110,0:20:00.600 I'm totally rooting for you guys. 0:20:00.600,0:20:02.019 If I can help you guys in any way, 0:20:02.019,0:20:04.000 or anybody else, I'm totally up for it. 0:20:04.000,0:20:06.049 Let's build more such amazing companies. 0:20:06.049,0:20:13.049 So yeah. Happy New Year, and thank you so[br]much. 0:20:17.350,0:20:19.769 So I wanted to keep the talk a bit short, 0:20:19.769,0:20:21.620 so you can either use the time for Q&A 0:20:21.620,0:20:23.399 or reclaim your fifteen minutes of life 0:20:23.399,0:20:30.309 and go back home early. It's your choice. 0:20:30.309,0:20:34.850 V.O.: Questions, anybody. 0:20:34.850,0:20:38.460 QUESTION: Regarding the writing of, 0:20:38.460,0:20:40.409 I mean encouraging your team to start writing. 0:20:40.409,0:20:42.710 When you started up, how big was your team? 0:20:42.710,0:20:43.480 P.D.: Sorry? 0:20:43.480,0:20:46.090 QUESTION: When you started off with Muziboo, 0:20:46.090,0:20:47.289 how big was your team when you 0:20:47.289,0:20:50.600 started actually writing in the code and solving[br]issues? 0:20:50.600,0:20:52.090 P.D.: No, no, not really. 0:20:52.090,0:20:54.630 So none of this happened in Muziboo actually. 0:20:54.630,0:20:56.380 And that's why I kind of moved away from Muziboo. 0:20:56.380,0:20:59.220 I realized I'd gone too long, far too long, 0:20:59.220,0:21:00.870 to like, totally change 0:21:00.870,0:21:03.679 and the product had taken like a lot of fundamental[br]decisions. 0:21:03.679,0:21:05.190 QUESTION: OK, one more connecting question. 0:21:05.190,0:21:06.409 So when was the point that, 0:21:06.409,0:21:07.880 how many team members were there 0:21:07.880,0:21:09.639 when you actually started encouraging your 0:21:09.639,0:21:11.380 team members to start doing this? 0:21:11.380,0:21:15.970 P.D.: Right. So that's a cool question actually, 0:21:15.970,0:21:16.769 and you have to start doing this 0:21:16.769,0:21:20.049 when you are just one person actually. 0:21:20.049,0:21:23.720 And you have to start from day one. 0:21:23.720,0:21:27.330 So it's funny but even when I started doing[br]SupportBee, 0:21:27.330,0:21:30.370 I would actually, you know I was the sole[br]developer 0:21:30.370,0:21:31.880 but I used pivotal tracker 0:21:31.880,0:21:34.389 and I would try to document everything, 0:21:34.389,0:21:36.710 and not as much but still. 0:21:36.710,0:21:40.139 Because I think that's the biggest challenge 0:21:40.139,0:21:42.259 in setting any kind of culture, 0:21:42.259,0:21:43.950 that you have to start really early on. 0:21:43.950,0:21:44.789 And when you say early, 0:21:44.789,0:21:46.830 you have to basically start with yourself. 0:21:46.830,0:21:47.889 So the best time to start is 0:21:47.889,0:21:49.549 when you're starting the company. 0:21:49.549,0:21:52.210 And some companies have done a good job of[br]explaining this, 0:21:52.210,0:21:54.799 so recently you know we've been reading the[br]walf?? 0:21:54.799,0:21:55.049 (00:21:54:23) handbook. 0:21:55.049,0:21:57.639 I don't know how many of you guys know about[br]it. 0:21:57.639,0:21:58.500 But there's a company called walf, 0:21:58.500,0:22:02.179 which makes a lot of cool games like Counterstrike[br]I believe, right. 0:22:02.179,0:22:05.820 And, sorry, I'm not a gamer, so, yeah. 0:22:05.820,0:22:07.700 And, so Walf has a good handbook, 0:22:07.700,0:22:08.380 and that's what they said. 0:22:08.380,0:22:10.419 To build a company like this, 0:22:10.419,0:22:13.750 you need a very strong commitment from day[br]one. 0:22:13.750,0:22:14.970 And one of the things I didn't mention 0:22:14.970,0:22:17.860 is that one reason we can do this 0:22:17.860,0:22:19.470 in a lot of companies can do this 0:22:19.470,0:22:20.870 and take longer to build better companies 0:22:20.870,0:22:23.539 is the fact that they don't take any investment. 0:22:23.539,0:22:26.039 So you know you might have to worry about[br]that as well, sometimes. 0:22:26.039,0:22:27.429 QUESTION: Hey, um, Prateek. 0:22:27.429,0:22:28.440 Something that always fascinates me 0:22:28.440,0:22:31.090 with entrepreneurs who have started product- 0:22:31.090,0:22:32.929 moved to a different product is, 0:22:32.929,0:22:35.460 at what time did you decide that, OK, 0:22:35.460,0:22:36.460 this product sucks. 0:22:36.460,0:22:37.730 Or it's not gonna work, 0:22:37.730,0:22:38.950 I need to move on. 0:22:38.950,0:22:40.880 When do you take that decision? 0:22:40.880,0:22:41.769 It could be a lot of factors - 0:22:41.769,0:22:42.929 finance, team, motivation. 0:22:42.929,0:22:44.090 P.D.: Right, right. 0:22:44.090,0:22:46.019 QUESTION: What was your move? 0:22:46.019,0:22:49.659 P.D.: Right. So I definitely had a moment 0:22:49.659,0:22:51.779 where I clearly knew I had to move on. 0:22:51.779,0:22:55.350 And so for awhile obviously I thought 0:22:55.350,0:22:56.519 that you know I should keep trying, 0:22:56.519,0:22:57.980 and I talked to a few more entrepreneurs, 0:22:57.980,0:22:59.880 and given. So we had a lot of traction, 0:22:59.880,0:23:02.500 we had about a million visits at one point. 0:23:02.500,0:23:05.110 And we did have a good amount of traction, 0:23:05.110,0:23:07.070 but the thing that frustrated me the most 0:23:07.070,0:23:09.070 was that over the three years that I did Muziboo, 0:23:09.070,0:23:12.649 I learned a lot of new stuff. And not just[br]in terms of programming, 0:23:12.649,0:23:15.919 in terms of how to go about product design[br]and things like that. 0:23:15.919,0:23:17.940 And in the case of Muziboo it had already[br]become 0:23:17.940,0:23:20.710 too big to sort of start over or to completely[br]change, 0:23:20.710,0:23:23.169 especially with, and we didn't have a big[br]team as well, 0:23:23.169,0:23:24.909 so it was just me and my co-founder 0:23:24.909,0:23:27.840 and I was pretty much the only programmer[br]anyway. 0:23:27.840,0:23:31.100 So it just felt like, with the new experiences 0:23:31.100,0:23:32.620 that we had and the new knowledge that we[br]had, 0:23:32.620,0:23:35.460 it just makes more sense to start something[br]fresh. 0:23:35.460,0:23:36.549 Because one of the things that also happens[br]is 0:23:36.549,0:23:38.130 when you are just starting out, sometimes[br]you 0:23:38.130,0:23:41.000 pick an idea that's close to your heart, or[br]looks cool, 0:23:41.000,0:23:43.289 but may not necessarily make business sense. 0:23:43.289,0:23:44.870 So with all those factors put in it 0:23:44.870,0:23:48.259 just felt that it's better to start over again 0:23:48.259,0:23:51.210 in a domain that I can relate to more. 0:23:51.210,0:23:52.409 One of the other problems in Muziboo 0:23:52.409,0:23:54.190 was I'm not a musician myself. 0:23:54.190,0:23:57.620 So after awhile I couldn't relate to their[br]problems actually. 0:23:57.620,0:24:00.399 And it's, in Support it's been incredible 0:24:00.399,0:24:02.429 because we use SupportBee ourselves. 0:24:02.429,0:24:04.000 And I wanted to get into a domain where 0:24:04.000,0:24:08.049 at least I could relate to the target customers[br]a lot more. 0:24:08.049,0:24:09.759 So even though I wasn't from customer support, 0:24:09.759,0:24:11.769 I could relate to business owners and small 0:24:11.769,0:24:13.639 and medium companies, 0:24:13.639,0:24:15.190 and so it made sense to just switch over. 0:24:15.190,0:24:17.490 QUESTION: OK, so your story is very close[br]to, 0:24:17.490,0:24:20.610 you might like this, ??, he's a[br]??. 0:24:20.610,0:24:21.450 P.D.: OK. 0:24:21.450,0:24:23.440 QUESTION: But he started with his own service[br]company. 0:24:23.440,0:24:25.800 No, he- yeah. First service company, 0:24:25.800,0:24:27.400 and then he expanded his product (00:24:27:19) 0:24:27.400,0:24:31.140 and then he learned this concept of ??, so.[br]?? 0:24:31.660,0:24:34.060 P.D.: Right. Yeah I think a lot of entrepreneurs[br]do that. 0:24:34.070,0:24:36.789 I think visual website optimizer are another[br]one. 0:24:36.789,0:24:38.950 Paris ?? tried a couple of ideas. 0:24:38.950,0:24:41.289 In fact he had a music service as well. 0:24:41.289,0:24:44.909 I don't remember the name but it was there[br]for awhile. 0:24:44.909,0:24:46.860 And, so I think even India there are a lot[br]of entrepreneurs 0:24:46.860,0:24:47.980 who have done that actually. 0:24:47.980,0:24:52.179 And I think they've had pretty good success[br]that way. 0:24:52.179,0:24:54.820 QUESTION: Do you think it's important 0:24:54.820,0:24:56.759 for someone who wants to start a start up 0:24:56.759,0:24:58.360 to first work in a desk job, you know, 0:24:58.360,0:25:00.379 with an MNC and then start the start up? 0:25:00.379,0:25:03.299 I mean do you need the experience or can you[br]just, 0:25:03.299,0:25:05.669 you know, finish college and then go straight[br]into a start up? 0:25:05.669,0:25:07.779 This is because I'm a college grad, 0:25:07.779,0:25:10.529 almost, so I want to know. 0:25:10.529,0:25:12.409 P.D.: Right, so obviously this answer 0:25:12.409,0:25:15.929 will come with a disclaimer that, yeah, 0:25:15.929,0:25:19.669 you know, there are always exceptions to the[br]rule, 0:25:19.669,0:25:20.639 and so there are, like for example, 0:25:20.639,0:25:21.820 I think Fractor?? is one company 0:25:21.820,0:25:24.190 that came right out of college and did really[br]well in India. 0:25:24.190,0:25:26.250 I don't know if you know about them. 0:25:26.250,0:25:28.169 But typically what I've seen is, 0:25:28.169,0:25:30.649 it does help to have a few years of experience. 0:25:30.649,0:25:33.259 But at least today you don't need to get that[br]experience in an MNC, 0:25:33.259,0:25:33.769 necessarily. 0:25:33.769,0:25:35.559 You can actually get it in a well-run start[br]up. 0:25:35.559,0:25:38.779 A start up with a certain amount of validation. 0:25:38.779,0:25:40.210 So probably you don't want to join a start[br]up 0:25:40.210,0:25:41.340 that has no validation, 0:25:41.340,0:25:43.500 and you're not sure where the start up is[br]headed. 0:25:43.500,0:25:45.159 But as soon as you think there's enough validation 0:25:45.159,0:25:48.240 or you like the product story or you like[br]the founders, 0:25:48.240,0:25:49.580 you can definitely work with start ups. 0:25:49.580,0:25:50.929 And they can teach you a lot more. 0:25:50.929,0:25:53.000 Similarly because in starts ups you work, 0:25:53.000,0:25:54.049 you have to do what work, 0:25:54.049,0:25:56.470 and your work is always going to be used. 0:25:56.470,0:25:58.100 Big companies have the luxury of just sitting 0:25:58.100,0:26:00.220 on your work or just wasting your time. 0:26:00.220,0:26:02.389 But in a start up that luxury isn't there, 0:26:02.389,0:26:06.379 thankfully. So you're always going to gain[br]a lot more exposure. 0:26:06.379,0:26:08.129 So yes, to answer your question, 0:26:08.129,0:26:11.519 I think it's good to get some experience. 0:26:11.519,0:26:13.370 QUESTION: So hi Prateek, 0:26:13.370,0:26:16.049 I'm going to add a comment, 0:26:16.049,0:26:19.269 and then you can probably add more to it. 0:26:19.269,0:26:21.419 To start up, there's no right time. 0:26:21.419,0:26:25.090 But what I believe is the research that goes[br]into starting up. 0:26:25.090,0:26:28.629 So whether you're out of college or you work[br]for MNC, 0:26:28.629,0:26:31.259 whatever that means, but all your work for[br]any company, 0:26:31.259,0:26:34.269 as long as you do good work and you find a[br]problem you can solve, 0:26:34.269,0:26:37.870 and you validate it, by going, asking, talking[br]to people. 0:26:37.870,0:26:39.419 Then you can start up. 0:26:39.419,0:26:41.210 And then the rest of the start up stuff 0:26:41.210,0:26:44.960 like finances and team and stuff comes through. 0:26:44.960,0:26:46.379 So Prateek it'd be pretty interesting 0:26:46.379,0:26:50.710 to see how you started about the idea about[br]SupportBee. 0:26:50.710,0:26:52.990 Why you thought there was a gap. 0:26:52.990,0:26:56.600 When did you realize that this could actually[br]potentially take off? 0:26:56.600,0:26:58.049 And finally, you know, competition. 0:26:58.049,0:27:01.100 P.D.: Right. Can these lights be a little[br]bit dimmer? 0:27:01.100,0:27:06.299 It's, if it's OK. 0:27:06.299,0:27:08.149 So sorry, so your question was when did I, 0:27:08.149,0:27:11.289 when did I start and why did I think it was[br]a good idea? 0:27:11.289,0:27:13.440 QUESTION: So you, there must have been a time 0:27:13.440,0:27:14.759 when you found there's a pain point, 0:27:14.759,0:27:16.330 and was like hey, man, this is a cool idea, 0:27:16.330,0:27:18.000 then you did your research. 0:27:18.000,0:27:19.110 Then you actually said, 0:27:19.110,0:27:23.110 all right I think there is some app to be[br]found. 0:27:23.110,0:27:24.320 And finally competition. 0:27:24.320,0:27:25.529 P.D.: Right, right. 0:27:25.529,0:27:27.419 So when I was coming out of Muziboo- 0:27:27.419,0:27:29.190 actually in some ways that's the other lesson 0:27:29.190,0:27:32.460 I have learned. It's always easy to learn[br]in hindsight, 0:27:32.460,0:27:36.080 right. You can look back and it's much easier[br]to come up with lessons, 0:27:36.080,0:27:39.080 life lessons. So take it with a pinch of salt. 0:27:39.080,0:27:41.590 But one thing I realized was that after Muziboo, 0:27:41.590,0:27:43.559 I was pretty, like, not really desperate, 0:27:43.559,0:27:45.240 but I was like, in a rush. I was like, 0:27:45.240,0:27:47.440 oh my god man, you know, I've been sitting 0:27:47.440,0:27:49.549 for a whole twenty days without doing anything. 0:27:49.549,0:27:52.759 You know, three weeks. And, so I was like, 0:27:52.759,0:27:54.529 actively looking for ideas, and we've had, 0:27:54.529,0:27:58.779 we had this idea about having a customer support[br]tool before. 0:27:58.779,0:28:00.149 Because we tried to find form to use 0:28:00.149,0:28:01.470 where we ended up using something, 0:28:01.470,0:28:03.929 but it wasn't that great. 0:28:03.929,0:28:06.360 So it was around that time that I came up[br]with the idea, 0:28:06.360,0:28:09.669 all right. And so, one of the first things[br]I did was, 0:28:09.669,0:28:11.999 and we had a few other ideas before that, 0:28:11.999,0:28:14.860 so we tried validating those, and those didn't[br]work with customers. 0:28:14.860,0:28:16.259 So we would just put about, 0:28:16.259,0:28:20.200 put up a landing page and then try talking[br]to people. 0:28:20.200,0:28:22.139 And the one of the first things I did about, 0:28:22.139,0:28:24.340 when I came up with the SupportBee idea was, 0:28:24.340,0:28:25.620 I talked to Valerie from Balsamiq. 0:28:25.620,0:28:27.879 So Balsamiq is a very popular company 0:28:27.879,0:28:28.820 I think most of you guys would know. 0:28:28.820,0:28:31.169 And they were very, very well-known for their[br]customer support. 0:28:31.169,0:28:32.519 So I reached out to Valerie 0:28:32.519,0:28:35.169 and she was kind enough to come on a Skype[br]call 0:28:35.169,0:28:37.259 and talk to me about the idea, 0:28:37.259,0:28:39.320 and we did this with a few other companies[br]like BooFoo ?? 0:28:39.320,0:28:42.980 and Discuss, and actually a lot of those interviews[br]are now online, 0:28:42.980,0:28:46.159 on our blog. And we have also written more[br]about this process, 0:28:46.159,0:28:49.029 it's still on our blog if you guys are interested[br]in checking it out. 0:28:49.029,0:28:50.990 And so with, in a month, 0:28:50.990,0:28:53.230 a month and a half even then we thought, 0:28:53.230,0:28:59.570 OK, we could do this. I think what Coby said[br]in the morning that, 0:28:59.570,0:29:00.190 you basically found it at least as hard 0:29:00.190,0:29:00.570 as you thought it was going to be, 0:29:00.570,0:29:00.909 in my case it was definitely true. 0:29:00.909,0:29:02.639 So I thought OK, so I just need to 0:29:02.639,0:29:04.009 pass an email and then I can get started. 0:29:04.009,0:29:07.220 And that's it. Passing the email too me a[br]night, 0:29:07.220,0:29:09.590 and then ?? (00:29:12:21) a little bit later, 0:29:09.590,0:29:12.379 it took us a whole year or something, pretty[br]much. 0:29:12.379,0:29:13.100 And so we started coding, 0:29:13.100,0:29:14.360 but getting the product out it took us 0:29:14.360,0:29:16.600 about a good eight months or something. 0:29:16.600,0:29:21.680 And in private ... ?? (00:29:27) 0:29:28.840,0:29:31.320 V.O.: Anymore questions? All right, 0:29:36.720,0:29:40.259 thank you Prateek. 0:29:40.280,0:29:44.320 P.D.: All right, thank you so much.