Having tried-failed-tried, small success & lot still to do, I know how hard an entrepreneur's life. I have been helped by many people who loved what we @ my startup tried, some questioned, some ignored, some laughed, some scolded, some suggested and some cheated. But that is part of life no matter what we do.

I got excellent support from few people and at the same time was surprised to find many simply avoiding to support. When I spoke to many fellow entrepreneurs, the feedback is same. Hence this blog post is based on my experiences and aims to influence more to be supportive to other entrepreneurs & startups.

This blog post is influenced by Mukund Mohan's http://www.pluggd.in/an-investors-promise-297/ 

I promise the following

Open network

I will continue to keep my network open i.e. connect friends, contacts, (ex)colleagues, other entrepreneurs, mentors, advisers to you. 

Participate

I will continue to participate in hearing your idea/ concept / evaluating your early prototype / try beta apps.

Communicate

I will continue to respond your queries/mails.

Endeavours First, Friends Later

I will respect your endeavours without getting biased whether you are my friend/contact/an associate. If your product is good, I will recommend and use your product even if it is built using my competitors product!

Don't cheat

I will continue to treat you fairly well but never cheat.

No location bias

I will continue not to be biased whether your startup belongs to one city/another. I will respect you as an entrepreneur, your endeavours & your hard work

My Mantra of being an entrepreneur : "woh entrepreneur hi kya jo aur entrepreneurs ki kaam na aaye" ( He/she is not an entrepreneur if (s)he is not supportive to other entrepreneurs). 

(I am hopeful you have seen this image of Vettel-Schumacher)

Any comments/suggestions, most wlecome to share? You can follow me on https://twitter.com/santoshpanda and/or my startup https://www.facebook.com/ayojak

Your Startup vision is so large & bright, it will cut you off from social engagements. For you everything has to be measured, time well spent and productive. But social engagements are not about productivity, its about life. However there is no time for you apart from rushing to get things organized, orchestrated, and executed. 

This will make you non-social. You are no more that guy/gal who used to join up for parties-movies-sports. You will be the last person to arrive for your brother-in-law/sister's marriage, even after arriving you open up your phone/notebook etc to see if you missed some important info wrt your Startup :) Forget about Holi-Eid-Christmas-NewYear, all is same 'another day for you'. People will start questioning your addictive Startup nature and may feel you are least interested in relationships. You will be hardly in touch with your friends,ex-colleagues and be seen as a nerd doing something. You have earned your 'non-social' status.

Started-up is very non-social stage, everybody is now non-social for you! By now everybody would have known how hard your life has become, they see you pitching door to door/friend to friend for raising money, having lost the glory of your 'high income-job life/savings'. You will share your mistakes which will be used as a yardstick to measure and early-assume that 'you shouldn't have done a Startup'. Your social circle will think 'can I rely this person? will I invest in his Startup? let me not show my face for sometime-till (s)has some money, its high risk to keep in touch now...etc,etc. Your family circle would criticize you as you haven't visited them for years, haven't checked how well are they doing, you don't know whose son & daughter these new born babies are :P

Startup+ is social. This is a stage where you have stepped up +factors. You are making bit of money, name, visual proofs, social proofs, and some free time. You are back in friend,ex-colleague, and family circle. Now they are thinking about you and querying how well you & your Startup doing. They are helping you to build connections, write you open cheques if you need money, giving you confidence that you are on right track, telling you that you have worked/fought hard. You are now the new man/woman who has transformed to a new avatar. 

Welcome to the Startup world. Go through the stages and balance your 'non-social to social to non-social' status.

To follow what I do, my startup https://www.facebook.com/ayojak & https://twitter.com/santoshpanda 

If you are starting up/started up, the common confusion a first time entrepreneur goes through is 'validation of everything (s)he does' like

1. Will this work?

2. Is there enough customers to buy my service?

3. How is the industry prospects?

4. Who are the big players?

5. Am I fundable/is my company fundable?

..............

........

With a conventional approach, we search for experts i.e. somebody who has been successful/ seen as intelligent, or somebody who claims to know or startup gurus. Nothing wrong in it but loads of time gets wasted by trying to reach experts /getting enough 'practical' inputs from them or worst getting time from them. 

Experts might be good in what they do but they are equally confused to validate what you are proposing. Oops sounds wrong? No,its not. If experts were the only people who knew or could predict things, then Facebook wouldn't have arrived or Sony should have done iPod/phone. Ask the common man, the connectors. Who are those, how do you find them?

Connectors are those 

--who knows bit of things across industry, 

--connected to variety of people/executives, 

--they are like migratory birds having info on several things,

--they know some of your customers/prospective customers,

--you see them in events, real life busy networking or helping others,

--they might have started up & failed(better) or succeeded(better too)

--those whom you think why the heck this guy not starting up(IMHO (s)he is the real connector)

Whether you are thinking of an idea, want to showcase your first prototype, looking for somebody to trial, or looking for an investor? ask the connectors. 

Customer acquisition and development is critical task for a Startup. With limited budget-time-resource, it is almost impossible to let go even 1 single customer. As a Startup you have hardly any room to say no to a customer such as when they ask for new features, additional services, reduced pricing and many such things. As customer is God and Startup is your life's precious ambition, so you think your Startup shouldn't say 'No' to a customer, isn't ? Go ahead, you should say 'No', not for the sake of saying but certainly 'say no' if you think your customer will move on if you don't fulfill their suggestion. 

Rome wasn't built in a day

If you think your customer will run away just because you couldn't hear & serve their need, then you are missing big picture of your own Startup. It takes time, none of the super Startups were built in a day, they were build over years by bringing on the most valuable solution for customers. Your customer knows it, tell them 'No'. Don't burn yourself, stay focused.

Everything is ordinary on day one

It is a fact that when a Startup is launched (whether you build it or incubate in Y-Combinator, StartupWeekend, Seedcamp etc), it is the basic 'minimum viable product', ordinary to most customer's eye. Hence during first few months, customer may puzzle you asking for anything & everything they think you should be doing or your Startup product is lacking. Go ahead listen to them (note what makes sense) and say 'No' politely.

Each Customer's Like is different 

One customer may like what you have built, but several others might not need that. So should you be cooking product for 1 customer or cook for 'common problem' ? Say 'No' to such 1 specific customer by helping them to understand their need and find a way how they could do without it. At same time, reach out to your other customers and verify if your thought makes sense.  If your customer is asking for Vitamin, you can certain say 'No' as long as your product is solving their pain. Pluggd.in has a nice post, read it  http://www.pluggd.in/building-product-strategy-vitamins-or-pain-killer-297/

Your competitor(s) are not running on 'free' oil

It is a common fear for a Startup that if they don't hear customer, customer will go to competitor. The fact is your competitor is equally challenged and have their own schedule and roadmap. Even if your competitor does fulfil what your customer asked, it is impossible that they can do so every time. Say 'No' if you have this thought bothering you.

Relationship works

Whether you said 'No' to a customer for their new requirements or not, at the end of the day, your customer is your customer if you have built/can build relationship with them. It is the relationship which brings you customer who stays with you for longer time. Say 'No' to new requirement but build relationship. Tough! in't ?

Having said all the above, you shouldn't miss the point : your customer care about their problem and not about your solution. Hence apply GTD principles like Do-Delay-Delete-Delegate.

• Do it if it solves pain, part of your solution area
• Delay it if you are not sure and want to cross check with more customers.
• Delete it if it is absolutely not related to what you offer
• Delegate it to other who could fulfil the need (such as other Startups who is doing what your customer is asking for and unrelated to your solution)

Your thoughts & suggestions are most welcome. Love to stay connected? 

follow me on http://twitter.com/santoshpanda ,  http://www.linkedin.com/in/santoshpanda 

follow my startup http://twitter.com/ayojak, https://www.facebook.com/ayojak

Paras Chopra of "Visual Website Optimizer" wrote a top-kick blog post recently on whats-wrong-with-indian-startup-scene, go read that here http://paraschopra.com/blog/personal/whats-wrong-with-indian-startup-scene.htm 

This blog post got inspired by reading what Paras wrote + my as usual frustration with Payment gateways in India. Note :- Current payment gateways are 'oookkk' but Indian Startups need better/world class service and more PG solution.

Opening a bank account used to be a big favour by Banks during 1990s or earlier. Later part of 90's changed that when several private banks opened, then they started chasing 'please open a savings/current account sir'. Consumer got the best deals, small business got best deals and scenario changed big time.

Now switch back to your attention to current payment gateway providers in India. They are the old banks of 80's,90's. Opening a merchant account is big deal, takes 45 days for approval, several mail communications (thank God they dint ask to visit personally :p , they know only few top level PG players in market, they take big margin from your business (5% / 6% ...) and still behave as if they are doing a favour to you. That dreaded word 'favour', which most hates. But we are helpless in front of the almighty payment gateways.

This scenario must change, this is a big market, even if you win 0.1% of market share (oops so low..), you will make more money that you ever would make by trying to be the next Naukri, I mean 'trying' not 'being'. Also note : 1 person applies for a job once in a year or two but 1 person can buy several times in a month itself, so you have more chances to become the next 'Sanjeev Bikhchandani' without ever-able-to-copy his 'Naukri' :) 

If you are building payment gateways (Zaakpay building fresh, any body else?), here is what I think you should do:

Engage Startups early: They are your brand ambdassdors, engage them, hear their need and let them try early. All the big current PG companies are happy in their cash kingdom, you build your own by engaging this bunch of startup-who-will-wow-spread-words and push you up there.

Innovative Pricing: Why price on each transaction, may be you can do volume pricing? I suggest break that entry barrier for your merchants integrating your gateway.

Be everywhere: Don't just be online processing, break that pattern. There are several Startups doing cash on delivery, make that part of your payment solution. Do card, mobile, cash, retail...be everywhere. Yes few existing players have card, mobile, while some other has mobile & cash. You need to be all, reduce the pain of merchants.

Go global: India is huge, growing but have your platform ready for expanding to South Asia, Middle east to start with ? Allow Indian Startups to offer solutions to global market.

API, API & API: yes for developers, developers & developers :) 

Customer support your mom will love: Yes, do whatever you could but take care of your customers and give yourself a sweet spot vs the BAD customer support that current payment gateway providers have.

Note : I have nothing against current payment gateway providers in India but I am passionate that this market MUST be disrupted, so this is more to motivate wannabe Startups than to criticize current players.

When everybody would have left you alone while you keep ideating/iterating/pivoting/trying/winning/loosing your startup, only one person would stand for you : Your Mother :) You can proudly say 'mere paas maa hai' and keep your spirit high.

Though I don't have too many data to substantiate this thought such as in Richard Branson's autobiography, you would have come across his mother's support and guidance from early stage, also hope you remember AR Rehman's said 'Mere paas maa hai' during Oscars for the Best Original Score "Slumdog Millionaire". Ok who needs proof of a mother's role :) This blog post thought came from a recent experience while talking to few Startup friends of mine. When we sat down for a coffee and started discussion, it was becoming clear that in each case their mother has been the pillar of strength. That inspired me to write this up.

Call me biased :) but I think mother's role for your Startup is equally can't be done by your father/brother/wife/sisters....etc. No, when days are hard and things are going wrong, a mother will listen to you without judging you, without making you feel to be blamed. That love, care of a mother which makes each of us unique will power you back and you will feel 'I am ready again'. Lets be positive  to other family members, they may do care you too :) However as an Startup entrepreneur, your family members are your big investors so they are bound to be give you tough questions & time. Is that bad? not at all. Who doesn't love a bit of care, affection and believe in your strength. A mother does that more than anybody, at times she is also your biggest critic and when everybody is gone, she will stand for you.

Love you mom.

Note : All family members are duly respected and their roles are hugely appreciated :)

[Note : Posting back in this new blog site as I dumped own wordpress hosting and moved to posterous, oops me geek nomad. This was also posted on pluggd.in ]

Payment gateway is backbone to India’s e-commerce but if you are a startup and observe the current situation (which is improving steadily), you will hear inner voice ‘what the heck why no body is doing something about it’. This inner and expressed voice you will see in almost all blogs in India. But then life goes on, each startup has a problem to solve.

Let me explain how & why I think Payment gateway solution providers are pushing Startups in India to few years backward!

1. Time to Market

 If you are developing an e-commerce app and want to release it in few week’s time, it is impossible that you will get payment gateway approved.They take lot longer. They don’t have a ‘sandbox’ environment where you can at least experiment your payment process and solution and fast forward your time to market.

When we first asked for a payment gateway solution during June 2008, one of India’s top solution providers didn’t respond for several weeks. We had few customer waiting to use our service but we were waiting for PG solution to respond to our query.

Hopefully PG providers will respond to market need and move things faster. We are talking about online payment not trunk call as it used be in 70?s.

2. Usability

Usability for me is simple as Jakob Nielsen’s following paragraph.

Jakob Nielsen defines usability : Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use.

Usability is defined by five quality components:
Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?

Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks?

Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency?

Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors?

Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design?

Let me share some of bad usability I have encountered

2.1. Payment gateway only shows ‘bank names for credit card’ but doesn’t show ‘bank names with VISA credit card or Bank Names with Mastercard credit card’, so a user proceeds all the way to payment page and while entering ‘card number’, they realise that it only allows 16 digit!! Little they have idea that this payment gateway is only supporting VISA !! User will be pretty mad about it and first reaction is ‘why this ‘e-commerce portal’ didn’t inform me’.

2.2. All  payment gateways have a set of steps to go through for a user’s payment processing. Most of of them doesn’t show a simple flow diagram image on their payment landing page or ‘how it works’ link. User has absolutely no idea where he is being led to. Note : Payment gateway takes ~70% of transaction fees and they do a sloppy job.

2.3. Payment gateway asks same question several times!! Take ‘Billing info’ for instance, when payment gateway provider can ask user to submit their billing info on their payment page than why do Payment gateway insist ‘e-commerce portal’ to collect on their web page.

2.4. Payment gateway never inform user on  their payment page about unavailability of a bank due to maintenance. They let user proceed to payment and transaction is bound to fail.

Note : Some payment gateways have informed maintenance information just 1 hour before the scheduled maintenance!! Ok, but why can’t their solution make it automated? Simply show a message on payment page, so buyer is informed and doesn’t do a transaction for that bank!

3. Customer Relationship Management

A basic CRM solution/process from Payment gateway will help ‘e-commerce portals’ in a big way to manage their customers. For instance,

3.1. Every transaction request that reaches to a payment gateway page should be tracked and saved. Merchants invest heavily to win every customer, hence having every customer (who attempted to buy services and dropped off) info will build towards successful relationship management. Lot of analytics depends on this.

3.2. If there is a transaction that gets failed due to ‘payment gateway and Bank’ , such transaction should be communicated to Merchant in real-time. NOTE – currently all the payment gateway that we have come across miss this point.

3.3. They could provide an API at least to pull this real time transaction and customer info and allow e-commerce merchant to integrate with their backend CRM. Or  basic ‘transaction feed’ will enable ‘e-commerce portal’ to do the backend CRM job.

There are several such scenario where ‘e-commerce merchant’ lives at the mercy of payment gateway.

4. Cost of Support

Due to poor integration between the ‘Payment Gateway’ and ‘Bank’, several support requests get generated to the ‘e-commerce portal’. For the ‘e-commerce portal’, these payment failed/issues are uncalled support, they have better things to do such as their service & product support. The cost of support due to bad payment gateway increases as volume of transaction increases!!

5. Payment Gateway helping your Competitor

Your ‘e-commerce portal’ Startup might be first to market, innovative and steadily building up but watch out : your payment gateway partner may be helping your competitor to win your customers!! Because customer had bad experience with your payment gateway partner, so customer will jump the ship i.e. to your competitor.

This is based on our experience and learning. As they say ‘when you are young if few mistakes happens, quickly learn from it’. After learning from these mistakes, we did take few strong actions like having own better CRM solutions for payment handling,  support tickets are getting managed by apps like www.zendesk.com , real-time updates getting generated for each transaction request that goes via our ‘e-commerce portal’ and thanks to our payment gateway partner: at Ayojak, we have 99.99% transactions successfully handled,.