Per Aspera Ad Astra

2022-08-30 17:42:33 Open / Comment

2022-08-28 12:01:56 Cold Calling/Emailing - Is It Necessary For Your Startup?

Since I started applying for Business/Sales Development Representative (BDR/SDR), I suddenly found myself watching YouTube videos and reading articles on sales and how it can be useful for startups.

In a nutshell, what I understood from the past week of research is that BD and Sales are incredibly hard and important at the same time. What do I mean by that? Well, there are obviously thousands of sources where you can find any info about Sales and BD (btw. please don't take my words for granted - I am neither an expert nor an authority). It is hard to just pick up the phone and start dialing (hats off to The Wolf of Wall Street).

Recently I was describing the cold email outreach process and how hard it is after hundreds of either unanswered emails or "no's" to continue doing that. Same with Cold Calling - but this time you are basically on the front line. People will be mad at you and irritated since they assume you are another "snake oil salesman" who is gonna sell them things they don't need and waste their time.

And fair enough. If we had to hear out every single salesman on the phone, we wouldn't have any mental capacities and energy to do stuff. People build up this barrier in order to distance themselves from potential scammers and fraudsters - I mean, why would you want to talk to them, right? Partially that's why Cold Calling is such a challenging way to acquire new clients. You have to deal with rejection and prejudice almost all the time.

Btw. if you guys want me to share insights that I gathered while I was preparing for my BDR interviews, let's get 20 " " under this post (comments are also MOST WELCOME - e.g. sharing your experience and asking questions ).

What I understood is, however, that when done properly, Cold Calling is actually an incredible tool to acquire new customers and (not less important) learn their pains and needs.
It becomes valuable and pleasant for you and your clients at the same time.

So yeah, I guess the only way to start is to PICK UP THE PHONE AND START DIALING

Stay tuned Open / Comment

2022-08-26 13:13:01 Damn, there are 300 of us here already!

I know, it's a small number, but it is certainly a HUGE victory for all of us .

Big thanks to every single one of you who reads, shares and reacts to my content - such a pleasure and honor to be able to write for you, truly .

We will grow together.
Stay hungry Open / Comment

2022-08-24 17:55:07 Open / Comment

2022-08-23 13:01:08 Unpopular Opinion - Elon Musk

Time recently wrote a controversial article on Ilon Musk's futuristic vision. It asks pretty tough questions and raises harsh truths. Definitelly a must-read! Open / Comment

2022-08-21 19:05:28 My Unemployment Update

So, it has been a while since last time I updated you guys on the stage I am on in my job search in Berlin

I had a lot of interviews over these 2-3 weeks - I havent found a job YET, but I am pretty close to it (I hope so ) Funny enough, while sending out applications for Marketing Manager, for no apparent reason I received an email inviting me for an interview for Business Development Respresentative (BDR).

I was a bit confused at first (I did hear some things about BDR but certainly not enough) since I almost don't have any experience in BDR. Anyway, I took a shot and at the time I am writing this I am preparing for my last interview - mock call with "client" whom I shoud sell Freshwork's software. Freshwork is the employer. So yeah, that's pretty much a saleman position . And I know it is a bit off the marketing course that I wanted to follow through. Nevertheless, I am curious where this leads me and what the future holds for me

For another position, this time a Marketing Manager, I recently had the final step - 1:1 with the Co-Founder. That was the so-called "Value-Fit Interview" - never had such a thing but I totally liked it! In a nutshell that was an informal (but incredibly deep) conversation about me, my personality, and my life choices. They even asked me to do the personality test beforehand - here is the link, curious about what kind of people we have here XD, so share your personality type in the comments! .

Here I should mention what actually this company does. It's called Femtasy and they are an audio-only streaming platform for female-centric erotica. They are liberating female pleasure so to speak. I know, an extraordinary product which also makes it stand out and gather attention. Let me know what you think

So, to wrap it up, this is what the journey looked like for the past several weeks and I am truly excited about how it all gonna play out. Will obviously keep you all up to date .

P.S. Since I am a non-EU citizen I would also need to obtain a work visa for Germany as soon as I sign the contract + find accommodation in Berlin . Long path ahead!

Stay strong Open / Comment

2022-08-20 13:31:57 Paul Graham's Wisdom

From his article Speed, not Money

In that short fragment, he answers the question "Why speed is more important than money in life". Enjoy

"The way I've described it, starting a startup sounds pretty stressful. It is. When I talk to the founders of the companies we've funded, they all say the same thing: I knew it would be hard, but I didn't realize it would be this hard.

So why do it? It would be worth enduring a lot of pain and stress to do something grand or heroic, but just to make money? Is making money really that important?

No, not really. It seems ridiculous to me when people take business too seriously. I regard making money as a boring errand to be got out of the way as soon as possible. There is nothing grand or heroic about starting a startup per se.

So why do I spend so much time thinking about startups? I'll tell you why. Economically, a startup is best seen not as a way to get rich, but as a way to work faster. You have to make a living, and a startup is a way to get that done quickly, instead of letting it drag on through your whole life.

We take it for granted most of the time, but human life is fairly miraculous. It is also palpably short. You're given this marvellous thing, and then poof, it's taken away. You can see why people invent gods to explain it. But even to people who don't believe in gods, life commands respect. There are times in most of our lives when the days go by in a blur, and almost everyone has a sense, when this happens, of wasting something precious. As Ben Franklin said, if you love life, don't waste time, because time is what life is made of.

So no, there's nothing particularly grand about making money. That's not what makes startups worth the trouble. What's important about startups is the speed. By compressing the dull but necessary task of making a living into the smallest possible time, you show respect for life, and there is something grand about that." Open / Comment

2022-08-18 13:09:06 Advice For Young Entrepreneurs - Michael Seibel

I collected some highlights from Michael's talk for you guys. It is not gonna be long this time - enjoy

1. Bad ideas don’t kill startups. But losing faith does.

2. Safe way to check whether you want to be a startup founder or not is to work in a startup. I know it's obvious but it's true.

3. Co-founders are more important than ideas. Same applies to commitment and passion - regardless of the idea.

4. There are tons of information for post-market product fit companies (well-established ones). Ironically, most startups die before they build something someone really wants.

5. Most business schools are not training entrepreneurs/founders - they are training managers. Therefore most business schools' advice is not applicable to startups.

6. When investors ask about your “secret souse” or competitive advantage, here is what they actually want to know:
- How are you gonna disrupt the industry?
- What knowledge or a specific aspect of the problem do you know that others are missing out on?
- What approach will differentiate your company/idea/way of solving problems from existing players on the market?

Peace Open / Comment

2022-08-16 13:30:28 Your Company is Not a Family - Netflix

Here is an interersting read I came across during the weekend and it covers the firing and working culture at Netflix.
Sharing with you guys Open / Comment

2022-08-14 12:43:31 UPD: Here is the picture that I forgot to add to the previous post. My bad Open / Comment