Although a large number of people in Serbia are opting for entrepreneurial waters, the path from the idea to the realization of the project, ie starting their own business, seems too long and full of doubts to many.
Based on his entrepreneurial experience, Nemanja Žunić has created a special application that aims to facilitate and simplify the project implementation process for future entrepreneurs.
Our interlocutor says that the idea of starting a business was born to him when he was employed by his employer.
“Although I have spent my career mostly in corporations, I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit, so so far I have several projects behind me that I have developed from the sidelines. About three years ago, while working on another idea, I tried to find a tool that would help me work out that idea in detail, make financial projections, and test the concept of the idea to see if it would work or not. During the search, I realized that there is nothing similar, except for a template for creating a business plan, and “ideation” tools with notes, which have a more general approach than offering specific value to a person who wants to start a particular business. After consulting with other people with a similar profile and market research, I realized that there was a need for something like that and I decided to make IdeaBuddy “, explains Žunić in an interview for Biznis.rs.
Millions of people have great ideas, but they often lack the knowledge and support to turn them into reality.
According to Nemanja Žunić, it turned out that many business schools, incubators, and product managers are looking for online tools that they would use for their online programs, as well as for product planning.
“IdeaBuddy” is an innovative business planning tool that guides users through the entire idea development process, from the initial “AHA! moment ”, until the realization. Our customers can easily collaborate with colleagues or mentors, and build a business model together, develop an idea in detail, make financial projections, test the whole concept, and get a modern business plan or presentation to help them come up with an investment. One of the advantages of our platform is that for every idea there are guides for that industry (eg for a restaurant, gym, marketing agency, etc.), as well as ready-made templates that the user can design, which makes the whole thing much easier “, says Žunić.
The platform is made so that it is very easy and fun to use, so the whole planning process seems interesting and exciting.
In addition to a good idea, entrepreneurs must also take into account the financial aspect, which is the biggest problem for many.
“IdeaBuddy is financed from personal funds, which is not at all simple, given the scope and ambitions of the project. Last year, we received assistance from the Innovation Fund, in the form of a non-refundable loan under the Early Development Program. These funds mean a lot to us, as well as the support of our country, which we represented in October in Dubai, with six other young startups, within the delegation to Expo 2020, “said Zunic.
IdeaBuddy is designed so that it can be used by various user profiles. The platform is mostly used by people who want to start a small business or startup, and who do not have any business knowledge, but need a tool that will guide them through the whole process. In addition, it is used in business schools and universities around the world for entrepreneurship and business classes.
“It has also found application in business incubators and accelerators, which offer our tools to their students in order to learn to develop their idea into a profitable business. The next goal we have is for IdeaBuddy to start being used in corporations when planning new products and services, given that the process of developing ideas is universal, and our platform covers all these steps “, says Nemanja Žunić.
What are the biggest problems that can be solved in an easier way with the help of the application?
“The biggest problem for people who have business ideas is the desire to predict whether their idea will succeed or not. We offer two types of verification – the first in the form of a test that the user goes through after fully developing the idea, where in the end you get a grade, with recommendations regarding areas that need further work. We also plan to include testing the idea by sending the business concept to other people, who would send their opinions, ideas, assessments and recommendations on how it can be improved, “explains Žunić.
Our interlocutor recommends future entrepreneurs to dare and start the realization if they have a good idea, no matter how discouraging the conditions may seem in some cases.
The market can almost always be “touched” first by starting with relatively small investments, so if it turns out that there are people who are willing to pay for your products and services, there are options to find funds that would help to the whole business scales and raises to a higher level “, concludes Nemanja Žunić, Biznis writes.
