Design Inc. was a startup that linked clients to talented designers. Clients would post on the site the projects they needed to get done. Design Inc. allowed designers to autonomously send proposals for the projects they would like to work on while charging a small fee for it. The platform helped designers all over the world to find their dream projects and companies were happy to be able to choose from a talented pool of designers.
Design Inc. reached market saturation after some time. The number of projects and companies were not increasing and the startup could not make enough revenue to cover operation costs. This put the company in a low cash situation and they founder took the decision to close it down.
Design Inc. CEO identified a number of reasons that he believed contributed to the failure of his company. He stated that he should have been more focused on the essentials of business, which is getting more leads and profit. He also mentioned that a startup founder should also test his assumptions and keep on optimizing the product in every little way. Team members should also be encouraged to experiment without fear.
Another broader issue that is not exclusively linked to Design Inc. may be with the business model itself since the design field is considered a top-end market where job posts are scarce by nature. Too many designers compete for only a limited number of design jobs, thus causing the market to saturate too soon. Another reason why the company might have not witnessed a growth in its network could have been due to the fact that although designers are introduced to the clients by Design Inc. platform, in the end, they might decide to continue their business transactions independently from the marketplace.
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