According to statistics, more than half of startups close in the first year of existence, and the rest - over the next five years. In the tough business market, only the strongest survive. To start a project from scratch requires remarkable willpower, a financial background and, of course, confidence in the success of a future enterprise. All this was available from the founders of the used SmartPrice phone exchange service. In just a couple of years of their existence, they managed to attract reputable investors and take the startup to a new level.
Golden youth
So get acquainted. The heroes of our today's history, that is, the founders of a profitable startup, are twenty-five-year-old Alexander Chernyak and twenty-eight-year-old Artyom Bolshakov.
Both do not hide the fact that they come from wealthy families. Alexander's father is the founder of the alcohol holding Global Spirits and has a fortune of $ 350 million. Papa Artyom is the commercial director of the Pavlik gold mining company in Magadan.
Despite the fact that the guys were born "in mink diapers", they thank the parents for the correct upbringing. Fathers did not give them money just like that, but they taught them how to earn money and clearly demonstrated how hard they got. Alexander and Artem recall how often they went with dads to meetings, presentations, business negotiations. This allowed young people from an early age to get acquainted with the world of business.
First project
Alexander and Artem met in America when they studied at Boston University. Both wanted to achieve something in life and gain financial independence. Once Bolshakov was an intern in an auction company selling cars Manheim. He was so impressed with the idea that he persuaded the leadership of an American company to launch the same project in Russia. Perhaps the startup would have expected success, but in 2014 it had to be closed due to sanctions.
Then Artem and Alexander decided to create their own company, working according to the same scheme. This is how the CarPrice project came about. The bottom line is that a person puts up his car for sale, the site loads all the data and bidding begins. Who offers a great price, he buys a car. The seller does not receive money from the buyer, but at the CarPrice office. Intermediaries take their percentage and act as guarantors of the transaction.
New startup
One day, by chance, Artem and Alexander saw a Chinese site selling used smartphones. He worked in the same way as CarPrice. Then the businessmen decided: why should they start such a project? After all, for people, in fact, it is a big problem to sell an old, but work phone, because many people are afraid to buy such goods on hand. Here, intermediaries who will act as guarantors are simply needed.
No sooner said than done. In 2017, the first SmartPrice phone was sold. However, entrepreneurs soon saw that this business was unprofitable. The fact is that the average gadget purchase check does not cover marketing expenses. Then they decided to work according to the trade-in system and began to cooperate with such large magnates as Svyaznoy, MegaFon, and MTS. That is, a person comes to the store, hands over his old phone in exchange for a discount on a new one.
Prospects and Development
Now entrepreneurs want to open their own collection points for equipment that they will repair, and then exchange or sell. Commissioning will bring more income. Artem and Alexander have already managed to attract investors who have invested $ 2.5 million in the development of the project.
Among them are not only Russian, but also foreign partners.The founders of the startup wanted to expand the network in the CIS countries, enter the market of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus. By the way, since the advent of SmartPrice has already attracted investments worth more than five million dollars.