Lessons learned from my last startup: Oops!booking Tried to keep it simple.

1. LESSONS LEARNED
Pedro Carmo Oliveira
www.pcbo.me

2. INDEPENDENCY
Licenses can be hard to get
Your startup velocity is 10x
faster than everyone else
Never bet on strong signals and
gut feeling

3. BOOTSTRAP
Reduce costs and save money
Don’t start implementing right away
Use your own skills and resources

4. CUSTOMER DEV
Never assume anything
Friends and family can mislead you
Techniques: A.Maurya, E.Ries,
P.Vlaskovits, S.Blank, R.Fitzpatrick
Create a very simplistic mvp to test
your most critical assumption(s)

5. SOFTWARE DEV
“You pay for peanuts you get monkeys”
Lots of average coders vs few awesome
coders
Bet on yourself
Prioritize

6. CONTACTS
Don't be afraid to use your contacts
aka "cunhas"
Going by-the-book sucks
Incorporate a "nothing to lose"
mentality
People like to help

7. MANAGE EXPECTATIONS
Be transparent, direct and honest
Keep everyone updated
Don't be afraid to expose personal
concerns

8. INVESTORS
Everything must be written down
Gentleman agreements can lead to
misunderstandings later on
Trust is key

9. Always be on time
Test your partners
Trust is key
PARTNERS

10. COMMUNICATION
Don't create buzz around you and your
startup
Pitching all the time is exhaustive
Be careful when you tell family & friends
It's an exciting world but chances of
success are very low

11. Roaming
Travel growth
Online booking
TRENDS
Booking apps

12. Last-minute travelers without hotel
reservation
B2B2C
Partnership dependency too high
BUSINESS MODEL
Hardware costs too high
Complex integrations with other engines

13. Awesome experience
Great learning experience
What you give is what you get
INTERNSHIPS
Design, social media, finances,
management, etc.

14. Be kind and pay in equity
Ask for advice before making
difficult decisions
Get a hand-full of mentors
MENTORS

15. BUREAUCRACY
Pay attention to details
Avoid unnecessary fines
State is a killing-machine when it comes
to handing over a "speeding ticket"
Hire an accountant who understands what
a startup actually is

16. Hustler + Techie (+ UXer)
Test your partners
Trust is key
TEAM

17. Pedro Carmo Oliveira
www.pcbo.me
THE F* END
@pcbo