Roadmap – From Idea to Start-up Business

A great idea is the seed of a good business, but it can only grow to its full potential if it is cultivated properly. Most great ideas remain dormant because people don’t have the courage, resources, time and/or money to take action. And for those who take action, most are unprepared and thus find themselves spending their valuable time and money on a dream that simply goes off track. 

If you follow certain steps, you can turn your vision for a successful new business into a reality. Here’s a start-up roadmap:

• Figure out the problem you will try to solve – You get excited with your idea and focus on the solution it will provide to your customers. But, you have to first focus on the problem which will be solved by your business. Amazon, for instance, solved how e-commerce was, at one time, expensive and inconvenient. Today, it has more customers (and sales) than its brick-and-mortar competition.
• Analyze your idea thoroughly – Evaluate it through all angles – its timing, potential customers, competitors, execution plan, payoff vs. risk involved etc. A rough business plan is a great way to make sure you've covered all your bases. Assess your idea based on SWOT – your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
• Analyze latest trends - If you are looking at a new product or service, does it meet your clients’ needs in new, creative ways? Will it stand out or get lost in the chaos? Explore your idea to see how you can make it different and/or better from the rest.
• Feedback from friends/peers - Ask friends, business colleagues and other strategic people to assess your new idea. Welcome their feedback.
• Find your exact market – You need to actually figure out where exactly will your solution fit into the market and in the lives of people. You may have to relocate to a different place, if it sounds more promising for your new business.
• Prepare financial model – Create a financial model that focuses on how your product or service is created, marketed, and sold to an individual user. Doing this will give you more insight on how your business will function. Your model should also focus on the target sales to earn a profit.
• Find out sources of capital - Possible sources of funding are self-funding, money from friends and family, credit cards, or loans. Depending on the amount you need, a more helpful source can be angel investors and venture capitalists looking to back your mission for a percentage of profits.
• Create a minimum viable product (MVP) - A principle of the lean start-up  method is to create an MVP to determine demand early on and discover what works and what doesn’t. Take your MVP to potential target customers, listen to feedback, and use insights to develop your original model into a successful product or service that fully caters to your customer’s needs.

If you have a bright business idea, register on TheGongzuo.com and bring the idea to us. We will keep all the confidentiality about your idea and will also suggest to improve and groom your idea on the basis of our expertise and experience.

Women Who Rock the Tech World

The tech world is fast-moving, highly competitive and male-dominated. But some of the most prestigious and best-remunerated roles are held by females.  These women are steering in a new era of female tech leadership.

Below are the most powerful women in tech from around the world in 2016.

Sheryl Sandberg – COO, Facebook - In June 2012, Sheryl Sandberg became the first woman to serve on Facebook’s board of directors. That same year, she made Time’s 100 Most Influential People list. She supporting continued growth at Facebook and has also promoted initiatives to address the gender gap within the tech industry and is on the board of Women for Women International. 

Susan Wojcicki – CEO, Youtube - In 1999, she joined Google as their first marketing manager and worked her way up to senior vice president of Advertising and Commerce. After overseeing Google Video for some time, Susan proposed that the company acquire Youtube (which at the time was a small start-up). She later handled two of Google’s largest acquisitions: the $1.65 billion purchase of YouTube in 2006 and the $3.1 billion purchase of DoubleClick in 2007. In February 2014, Susan was appointed CEO of YouTube.

Ginni Rometty – CEO, IBM - Ginni heads IBM, serving in the capacities of Chairman, President, and CEO. She is the first woman to do so. Since 1991, she has held various important roles at the company and was appointed CEO and President in October of 2011. 

Meg Whitman – CEO, Hewlett-Packard - Meg Whitman has a long and varied career, serving as an executive for numerous high-profile companies. During the 1980s, she was vice president of strategic planning at The Walt Disney Company. In the 1990s, she worked for DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro. Then, from 1998 to 2008, she served as president and chief executive officer of eBay.

Marissa Mayer – CEO, Yahoo - Marissa has been the current president and CEO of Yahoo! since 2012. Prior to her employment with Yahoo!, she worked at Google as an executive and spokesperson for over a decade.

Safra Catz – Co-CEO, Oracle - Safra has been with Oracle Corporation since April 1999. In October 2001, she joined the company’s Board of Directors and was named President of Oracle Corporation in early 2004. From November 2005 to September 2008, and from April 2011 to the present, she also served as the company’s CFO. In September of 2014, she became co-CEO, along with colleague Mark Hurd.

Angela Ahrendts – SVP, Retail, Apple - Angela is new to the tech industry, but not new to leadership positions. She served as the CEO of Burberry from 2006 to 2014, before leaving to join Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. In 2014, she was Apple’s highest-paid executive, earning over $70 million. 

Ursula Burns – Chair-CEO, Xerox - In July 2009, Burns became the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She had worked for Xerox since 1980, beginning as an intern and climbing through the ranks for the next three decades. President Obama appointed her vice chair of the President’s Export Council in 2010

Ruth Porat – CFO, Google - After working with Morgan Stanley for decades, serving as their Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President from January 2010 to May 2015, Ruth Porat became CFO of Google on May 26, 2015.

Renee James – President, Intel - Renee James has worked at Intel for over 25 years, serving in a variety of roles. She became President of Intel Corporation in May 2013. Renee is one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent female executives and Intel’s highest-ranking woman ever. 

Technology still has a reputation for being a male-dominated field, but these women and many others are proving that gender is no barrier to success.

7 Ways IT Job Seekers Can Stand Out from the Crowd

In the extremely competitive job market it is important to have an edge among the many candidates in the fray for the coveted position. Doing your homework about what works in the industry and having a strategy to give visibility is need of the hour for IT Job Seekers, especially now since supply is more than demand. Read on to find some practical and easy tips to give you the mileage you need to stand out from the crowd

1.      Sign up with a good online job portal: Choose the best in the industry to help you spot the right position and organization which can take your career goals forward. Signing up with the best online recruitment specialist, such as The Gongzuo, helps with the knowledge of opportunities even before they are advertised due to their rapport with organizations. This is the edge you need to beat competition even before it begins.

2.      Professional media networks: It is the norm in present times for employers to use social media networks to screen job applicants. Professional networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter are now being employed extensively to look for candidates as well as advertise about opportunities. It is important to leverage social media to your advantage by keeping an impressive online profile.

3.      Well-written crisp and concise resume: This is the initial taste the employer gets of you before a face-to face meeting or even a telephonic/video interview. The impression created here has to be the best in order to be remembered or shortlisted for the next round. It is imperative to keep the resume crisp, sharp, current and well-written with skills, achievements outlined. Typos and spelling errors are a put off. You could also present your resume in a unique way to reflect the industry you represent.

4.      Professional dressing: As you walk in to meet your interviewer, you are being judged for your confidence, body language, attire and the way you carry yourself. Wear neat and ironed clothes and dress appropriately for the role you have applied for. It is better to be professionally dressed rather than adopt a casual style.

5.      Do your research: Take time to do an extensive research about the organization and your impending role, its skills and responsibilities to equip you to answer potential queries in an impressive manner. Preparing well before the interview will give you the clarity needed and a great shot in the arm for an advantage over others.

6.      Be prepared with follow up questions: Intelligent follow-up questions show your interest in the company as well as help make a lasting impression. Keep it crisp and positive. Good research about the business itself with questions related to the role and company is crucial to create impact.

Thank you email and follow-up: A crisp and concise but positive thank-you e-mail creates a lasting impression about your interest in the opportunity and ensures you are considered in the shortlist.

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