edudo - the national work-based learning provider - marks its 3rd birthday since incorporation today with the launch of a new format website to celebrate and communicate what it does!
building a startup takes a long time: it's three years today since I first came up with the idea for a startup called edudo. along the way, I've learned a lot about running a business, from hiring our first team members to building a set of learning programmes that our learners tell us continually that they value.After lots of successes and our fair share of the expected failures; five of the biggest lessons I've learned in the past three years, since founding edudo are:
1. solve a real problem
The most important thing for any startup, I guess, is to solve a real problem. Find something that is truly significant - a problem faced by lots of people. With edudo, the problem opportunity was to build a learning provider that would focus its energies, first and always, on improving life chances for its learners, if nothing else.
2. start somewhere
There's no way I would be doing what I'm doing now or that edudo would exist, if I hadn't taken that first step three years ago and if key others like Steve had not been prepared to join edudo and me for the journey. Despite prior experience, I was naive on so many levels about so many things start-up, but that certainly didn't stop edudo being born! The first step is to start somewhere. The road most definitely becomes a lot clearer as you go.
3. focus on the team
Building a team of great people who believe in and are willing to share your vision is essential to building a great company. It has taken a very long time to build the edudo team, but I am proud to declare we now have some of the best people in the sector and there would just be no edudo without them.
4. just don't listen to the naysayers
There are people who will tell you your idea or ambition is too big, or that it won't work or that you should get out when the going gets tough as it does sometimes in any start-up - as it has many a time in edudo! Just ignore them. Solving a big problem that we care about has keep us focused. If you have the vision and drive to make it happen, then just keep plugging away. Starting a company is a very journey. No one else will really care about your idea unless you can show them why you do.
5. build momentum
Whether it's with investors, press, or customers, don't spend your time trying to create a buzz around what you're doing. The real buzz will come naturally from just focusing on your customer and for edudo - it's our learners successes on a daily basis that get us out of bed, morning after morning.
thank you to all - our learners, employers, colleagues and most of all, our families (who have sacrificed time again & again) - that have made edudo what it is today!
at edudo, learning is, first and always, about improving life-chances. It's what people do when they want to make sense of the world!
