Carl Bergman – Cloudcom
Carl Bergman - Cloudcom #1
Describe yourself and your project. How did you get the idea?
My name is Carl Bergman and I am working on a communications platform called Cloudcom. We make it possible for anyone to connect with co-workers or customers via sms. Sms may not be the “next big thing” but it is a wonderful communications system that “just works”. People still read and respond to text messages! We got the idea when we were part of Lundakarnevalen.
Who are you? Previous education/jobs/ experiences etc.
I study Industrial Engineering and Management at LTH. I have been involved in several student associations and before going to university I worked as a programmer in Stockholm, Malmö and Barcelona. I love building and tweaking digital products, especially when users tell us how much they appreciate what we do.
What will you do during these three months? How will you spend the time?
Most of my time will be spent programming. We have some interesting projects for the summer, namely a dynamic pricing model and some platform improvements. The programming I will do will be aimed at both improving the user experience, but also to grow the business. For example, the dynamic pricing model will make text messages cheaper in some countries, and therefore increase the availability of our service.
What do you expect to achieve during Leapfrogs?
I am looking forward to learning a lot about business and technology, both by working on our company, but also from the others in the Leapfrogs program. The most important goal for the summer is to increase our conversion rates, and I hope we will achieve that. No matter what, it will be a great experience!
Carl Bergman - Cloudcom #2
Tell us what you have done on your project so far during the Leapfrogs time.
So far we have done both small and big improvements on the platform. For example, we have solved a number of bugs and changed some content in the app. We have also exchanged our website backend for a CMS, allowing for quicker and more frequent updates. We have also implemented a real time VAT number lookup, so that customers can’t provide invalid VAT information (this is to comply with EU law). Also, we have collected data and carried out some analysis to learn more about conversion in our system.
Has everything gone according to the plan? Has anything unexpected occurred? Has something been easier/harder than expected?
Most of the things have gone according to plan. The hardest part has been to work actively on improving conversion rates, since the process takes a long time. It can take weeks to see the effect of small changes on the platform, and it is not certain that we can see any effect at all. Since we provide SMS messages to our customers, we also continuously have to make sure that we have high delivery quality all over the world, which sometimes takes more time than desirable.
What will you focus on during the remaining time? Will you follow your original plan or has anything changed along the way?
We are aiming to increase both our conversion rates, but also to improve our outbound sales process. We need better prospecting, engagement and closing of new customers. This is necessary for us to become a sustainable long-term business. We have also been talking to some customers and we have gotten some feature requests that we are evaluating. Also, we are still working on introducing a better pricing model.
Carl Bergman - Cloudcom #3
How did you experience the three months?
The three months have been a great learning opportunity. I am thankful for the people I have met and who have helped and challenged me to make the most of the summer. I am happy for the trust invested in me by the Leapfrogs admissions jury.
What has been hardest/most enjoyable?
The most enjoyable has been to see the project grow. We have a better product, more customers and more revenue now. Happy and engaged customers give a boost of confidence, but it can be hard to stay positive when customers are unhappy. At times it is hard to stay motivated, and I believe it would be even harder without a team.
Did it go as expected? Will you continue working on your project in the future?
Both my colleague Marcus and I will continue to work on the business. I think most things went as expected. We planned a few weeks ahead and had enough flexibility to change course if something unexpected happened. We had a clear plan for the summer before we started and we stuck to it throughout the three months.
What would you say is the most important lesson learnt while working on your project?
To motivate and get motivated by your team is very important in order to get the energy you need to get through every day. There are so many things that you encounter when running a business, so you need to be focused and disciplined or else you won’t get anything important done. To constantly learn and listen to other people, to customers, and to yourself.
Do you have any tips to other ”new” entrepreneurs?
Just do it. The worst thing that can happen is that you will learn a lot about yourself. Thanks to initiatives like Leapfrogs you can get a lot done on a limited budget. Use the support systems your university offers if you are a student. They have the knowledge and contacts you need to take your idea out of your head and into the world.