Adobe acquires InterAKT: a dream comes true

Posted on September 8, 2006

I have more than 100 posts talking about part time entrepreneurship, start-ups and sales in the last one and a half year. Good news for my readers, I’ve now got the chance to also talk about an entrepreneurship success story from my own experience.

You might not know, but before starting my own part time entrepreneurship journey, I used to be a Project Manager at InterAKT - a company doing extensions for Dreamweaver. I was with them since the early stages when we were struggling with outsourcing projects and up to maturity stage, when, being kind of start-up junkie I’ve decided to go on my own path.

Looking back, it seems that entrepreneurship really gives people the people stand out from the crowd, build something meaningful in life and of course have a big fat bank account.

The InterAKT story is truly a real life story about a bootstrap IT start-up after the dot com crash. Started with only 2000 Eur from personal savings it took 6 years of hard work and dedication to get where it is now. There are some things I should tell you about building a great business using the InterAKT example:

  • It took like forever to get it started

I remember my first days at InterAKT. I think the company was a year and a half old when I got there as a Sales. In the first weeks I didn’t even had a computer and I was using my personal car to get things done. The budget was so tight that we had a second hand printer. We were working long hours and still it took at least one more year to get some kind of budget. We took a Governmental non-refundable loan to get to the first conference.

  • It’s about building value in the most efficient way

I think that one of the things that really meant something was that InterAKT created real value. Real products to solve “The pain” using time and human resources at their best. Even the smallest detail was put on paper, analyzed and done the most efficient way. I’m still amazed of the level of management effort we had to put in place to make thing go the “InterAKT” way.

  • People

After almost 2 years since leaving InterAKT I’m still in contact with most of the InterAKT guys. Hell, I just went to one of their Teambuilding holidays last month. They are all great developers, great testers great technical writers but what’s most important they are a team, a team that was willing to make their dream come true.

  • Flexibility

They started with a business model and they ended up doing something that they never expected. It was a path of trial and error. Some things died before even get born, some things were killed on purpose for doing better something else. I don’t have a clear formula for this and most likely nobody will tell you the right path, you’ll have to find your own way. Even if you don’t know the path, you should at least know where you want to go. They did it, so could you.

  • Customers

Create a genuine and strong horde of happy customers. Yep, all the above is useless if you don’t do it for your customers. Happy customers, lots of customers it’s the ultimate goal.

Oh. I think there is one more thing. Luck. You can’t do it without luck.

Read the original story from one of the InterAKT founders

PS: taking the opportunity to wish all the best to the InterAKT guys

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