What would I do differently If I start my company TODAY?

Today I saw a post on Linkedin.
It says that Turkish Coffee has a history of nearly 505 years but on the other hand, Nescafe only has 83 years of history but its brand value is more than 82 Billion Turkish lira (=11 billion dollars). As said in the article, we all agree that Turkish coffee is our national treasure but why it does not get the attention as it deserves globally?

Simple, we do not know how to create brand value and we do not know to give a product the value it deserves!

In this post, I want to talk about this and give some information about being an entrepreneur in Turkey for those who are thinking about start a company.

First of all, ARE YOU CRAZY?

As a person who tried and failed, I say; if you want to be successful, get the hell out of here! Okay, maybe it sounds harsh but, I do not believe the “Turkey is a great market! First, try to show your product here, then go to global” nonsense. Turkey is not a great market, it has a bad economy, bloodsucker companies, idea thieves, and other things that will felt you like you are trapped in a Supernatural episode. And not a good one, like the ones with the God episodes (what the hell was that?) Being an entrepreneur is no joke, you will fail and fail and fail. Your idea will get stolen, companies not gonna give your money at least not on time!

And especially in Turkey, companies thinking like “hey, these kids have a project! Let give them nothing and tell them to let us use their project! Because we are a big company and they don’t! We let’s screw them over!” Okay maybe these are not the exact world (some of them are, trust me) But the important thing is, most of them do not see you as a company owner, they call your product a project and if you are young enough, school project!

I did not try the global market myself, but every accelerator, entrepreneur I talked agree with me! In Turkey you have less chance than the USA or Europe.

What would I do differently If I start my company TODAY?

• I would run my business anywhere but Turkey; The USA or Europe has more investors, more companies which want to collaborate with start-ups. If your idea is not “Turkey Specific” go there, do not waste your time here.
• If I can not go then I would not legally start the company until I am sure about my product and my customer. Until someone really ready to buy my product, I would not start the company.
• Okay, Turkey is not like hell. Of course, there are great investors, accelerators and etc. in here but they are not enough for a start-up. You will need customers. Investors only help you until a certain point. After that, you are on your own and you will need clients. And the customer base of Turkey is nothing compared with other countries. Because big companies just try to steal your idea and do that by themself! This is reality, not a joke! And they are killing the start-up ecosystem. I really blame them. Have you notice, we did not hear any news about “A Big Turkish company just bought the start-up”? NO! Because most of them just try to steal your idea! Sorry for the cold truth.
• Of course, these thief companies just not in Turkey, but they are a lot in here. My advice to fresh entrepreneurs, be careful.
• I would not go public until my product is ready to use. Creating a custom made service is not good for a start-up, you will fail with that kind of ideas. Trust me, we did.
• Try to build a product “plug-and-play”
• Try to show it “sexy”
• Your presentation will steal the investor’s hearts, it is important but it will not work for customers.
• Try to spend your money on the team, not yourself, or not for the founder team.
• One of our mentors said that “business development is everything” I did not get what he means then, but I get it now. Without it, whatever genius thing you developed, it is garbage.
• And last but not least, try to stay connected with your network and your customer base. Try to understand their problems and try to analyze what they need to hear! This will be your key to success.
• As I said at the beginning, unfortunately, we are, Turkish people, do not know to give a brand value. This will break your courage. And motivation and courage, oh you will need them A LOT! Try to stay positive but not fool around. Do not believe your pink dreams but do not fall to your dark nightmares either.
• Finding a customer in the USA or Europe, I heard that it is easier than in Turkey, but do not forget, you will be an outsider. You will need to hustle more than a citizen.
• But if you are starting a business, you will need to take risks and I advise you that, get that risk in another place, not here. If you are going down, down hard, down better! Because if not, you will win more in there.
• Most importantly, try to have fun and learn.

I think I am feeling depressed today, and this affected my writing of course. But do not get sad, if you have an idea and if you are believing that will change the world, go for it! It will be the best experience you will ever have. Just try to analyze the ecosystem, economy, and customer base of yours.

I hope you can nail it. Until the next post, farewell!