Building Analyco: The Raw Truth About My Startup Journey
The Beginning ๐ฑ
"Hey, what if we actually did something with all this data knowledge we're learning?" ๐ก
It all started with a simple conversation in our university's AI Lab. While working on our MBA assignments, my friend and I had a realization: if we as students found data analysis challenging, imagine how small business owners must feel.
During our internship search, we noticed something interesting. While big companies had entire teams for data analysis, small businesses and startups were struggling with basic spreadsheets. Many didn't even know how to make sense of their customer data.
This got us thinking - what if we could help these businesses? We were learning all these advanced techniques in our MBA program, but maybe what businesses really needed was someone to help them with the basics.
Taking the First Step ๐
On Sunday, March 12, 2023, we decided to go for it. We created a LinkedIn page for Analyco. We didn't register as a company yet - we were just two MBA students with an idea and the willingness to help.
Our first client meeting was over Google Meet. I remember how nervous we were, wondering if anyone would take two students seriously. The client asked us straightforwardly: "Can you help me understand why I should care about all these numbers?"
After two hours of walking through their data, showing them patterns they'd never noticed before, we saw their excitement. That's when we knew we were onto something real.
Dividing the Work โ๏ธ
Being a two-person team meant we each had to do a bit of everything. I focused on data analysis while my friend handled the coding and presentations. We spent many nights working on projects after our classes, learning as we went along.
The Biggest Challenge ๐๏ธ
Our biggest worry wasn't about our technical skills - it was about being taken seriously as students. But we found that honesty worked best. We were upfront with clients: "We're still learning, but we're good with data and we'll work hard to help your business grow."
What We Offered ๐
We kept our services simple and focused:
- Cleaning up messy spreadsheets ๐งน
- Creating clear visualizations ๐
- Finding patterns in their data ๐
- Giving actionable recommendations according to the market ๐ก
Our Successes and Setbacks ๐ข
The best moments were when clients saw real results. One business owner called to tell us they'd made their first data-driven decision using our analysis, and it worked perfectly. That felt amazing. ๐
Of course, there were tough times too. Some businesses weren't ready for what we offered, and learning to accept that was hard. But each setback taught us something valuable.
Where We Are Now ๐
Today, Analyco is still just the two of us, and we're okay with that. We're finishing our MBA while helping small businesses understand their data. Our client base is small, but we give each project our full attention.
What We've Learned ๐
For other students thinking about starting something:
- Start with what you know ๐ง
- Be honest about being students - most clients appreciate it ๐ค
- Use your coursework to help your business ๐
- Two people can achieve a lot if they work together ๐ค๐ค
P.S. We still look at our first client's spreadsheet sometimes. It reminds us why we started: to help small businesses make better decisions using their data. ๐ช