Episodi 2
Pandora's box and the mistakes when starting up
The myth
According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman in history. She had everything: beauty, virtue, and wisdom, but also a great curiosity that led her to do the only thing the gods had forbidden her to do: open the box. By opening it, Pandora freed all the evils of the world. The only thing that remained inside was hope. From this story arises the expression, "Hope is the last thing you lose." Entrepreneurship also has its Pandora's Boxes and you need to be aware of them. Because, to triumph, you have to fail and know how to make mistakes in order to succeed.
The guest
Pedro Olivares, founder of Salto con Red, coach and facilitator specialising in entrepreneurs, investors and start-ups. He also organised the FailConSpain, a conference for entrepreneurs, SMEs, institutions and investors who want to learn from mistakes and prepare for success. He talks with Itziar Blasco, responsible of the Barcelona Activa Start-up Programs, to discuss what resources, raised by Pedro Olivares, we offer from the agency.
Pedro Olivares, founder of Salto con Red, coach and facilitator specialising in entrepreneurs, investors and start-ups. He also organised the FailConSpain, a conference for entrepreneurs, SMEs, institutions and investors who want to learn from mistakes and prepare for success. He talks with Itziar Blasco, responsible of the Barcelona Activa Start-up Programs, to discuss what resources, raised by Pedro Olivares, we offer from the agency.
'We only know the speech of the successful person.'
'Entrepreneurship is like falling in love. People fall in love with their idea and, at some point, they start to not want to see what's going on. '
"Starting-up means entering into a process of uncertainty, and one of the options is that this process doesn’t work."
'When it comes to putting together a project, there are conversations that aren't talked about because they're not pleasant, like talking about what we're going to do when things don't work out. Having these conversations about project expectations is fundamental.'
The most common mistakes when starting up
According to the CB Insights, the main mistakes are:
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The product/service is not needed by the market. First, problems are detected and then solutions are sought.
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Running out of funding. It’s necessary to think carefully about what we are focusing on.
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Not having a suitable team. It is crucial, because it’s those who you make all the decisions with.
Another common mistake is to skip the Product Market Fit. It consists of adjusting the product to make it fit the market, analysing its profitability and target customers.