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minutes, new rules for startups.

mahesh@seedfund.in@maheshmurthy

15

15

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Learnings from brands managed

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Learnings from brands created

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Geography is history1

You can design your business to start from

anywhere.

Even Yeshwantpur.

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The trend means the end.2

Prepare to be a trend-setter than a trend-

follower.

Toil a few years in anonymity.

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The winner takes it all.3

No room for complacence.

Be no.1 or no.2. Or don’t bother.

Big rewards for success.

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Hard to enter a pre-existing

sector. Easier to create a new one.

4

Forget billion-dollar market size.

Discover how big it is as you go along.

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Biggest determinant of success is

insane customer delight and resulting

word-of-mouth.

5

Will your friend rave about your product or

service to a stranger in a bar, unbidden?

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Your marketing IQ needs to be

inversely proportional to your

marketing budget

6

Are you remark-worthy to your TG?

If not, start again.

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Digital is not just cheaper than TV

as a marketing medium. It’s bigger.

7

Can you get digital word-of-mouth

working? Facebook = 2 X IPL match,

Google = 10 x ToI

+ >

> +

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Don’t think just 360. Think 360 by 3658

It’s not just about talking.

But listening, responding, analysing, then

talking Doing so 24 by 7. Restructure.

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Most important technical skill you

need: recruitment & retention.

9

Have charisma & vision to recruit for less or free?

Can you stave off “market salaries”?

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World’s most successful VC’s: customers10

Vast majority of Indian and global Fortune

500 never got VC money to start.

We’re the second-best option.

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Before getting a VC in, think

about getting them out.

11

Can you IPO? Really?

Can you be acquired? Do you want to?

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Forget about “team”. Here it

starts with one person.

12

VCs may parrot the Silicon Valley line. But

it’s different here. One’s a good start.

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Hereditary brilliance isn’t

bankable. Institutionalised brilliance

is.

13

Can your firm survive without you?

Do you get richer over the weekend?

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Be eco-friendly with money.

Break even burning as little as

possible

14

Downturns can happen at any time.

Survival is 80% of winning.

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The pot of gold is the

rainbow. The payout is an

awesome life.

15

Nobody dies of entrepreneurship.

It’s the best kind of life there is.

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Thanks, I’m mahesh@seedfund.in@

@maheshmurthy

+91 98922 49969