Yesterday an interview with Hannes was published on Killerblog, News and Tips for Entrepreneurs (Killerstartups.com).
Interview by Fred Imparatta
Fred: We had a chat with Hannes Walter, of Fluid Forms. A must-read for any entrepreneur looking for some inspiration:
Fred: 1. When did your site officially launch?
Hannes: Beta 2007, Launch 2009
F: 2. What does it offer its visitors? Tell us briefly about your product or service.
H: Fluid Forms enables inspired individuals to integrate their personal touches into real and unique objects such as furniture, jewelry, lamps or accessories, by offering easy to use Online-Design-Tools. With these Design-Tools (developed with professional designers) anyone can create and commission unique products within seconds and without any special knowledge. Especially for people interested in art and design but also for gift buyers Fluid Forms is an exciting offer. Within two weeks each unique fluid form gets produced by digital fabrication methods (such as laser-cutting, 3D-printing and CNC-milling) and directly shipped to the customer.
F: 3. How did you develop the idea for your site? Briefly tell us the story of how you thought this product or service would work, and how and when you decided to start working on it.
H:I had already worked with digital production methods like laser- cutting and 3D printing as well as with 3D CAD software in my former jobs. The initial idea came up during the diploma thesis for my Master of Media Design in 2004. We started to develop first design templates and prototypes in 2005. Those where very 3D-printed vases and lamps, but back then 3D-print was still too expensive for the consumer market.
F: 4. Did you need to look for outside investment in order to finance your project? If you had an investor for your project, tell us who that person or company was.
H: Fluid Forms started in an start-up incubator financed by the Government of Austria. It was ideal to start with a quite futuristic start-up idea without taking high risk.
Especially, because Angel’s investment is still not very common in Austria.
F: 5. How many people work on your team? Tell us their names and position so we can include them on your profile. (You can send us pictures of the people working on your team if you like)
H: 3 people: Hannes Walter CEO, Stephen Williams CTO, Andreas Jaritz CCO
Beside that about 10 freelancers are completing the team with their very special skills.
F: 6. Tell us about any motivational activities you put into practice with your team. How do you prepare your staff in order to gain the skills required?
H: We strongly foster intrapreneurial behavior. Every member of our team gets the confidence of acting like a mini-company inside of Fluid Forms.
F: 7. Are they freelancers, part-time workers, or do they work full-time?
H: We have a full-time model as well as a part-time model, depending on the needs of Fluid Forms and our staff.
F: 8. Where is your company located?
H: We are located in the city of Graz, Austria
F: 9. Does your team work at the office with you or do they work from home?
H: Both in the office and at home. We are very flexible on working hours.
F: 10. How many visitors do you have on a daily basis?
H: We like to ask you for some understanding that we prefer to keep this information closed at the moment.
F: 11. Tell us briefly about some of your strategies and expectations for the near future.
H: Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing are already huge trends. Fluid Forms is going to play a major role when it comes to personal product customization.
F: 12. Do you have any other parallel projects?
H: The whole team is focused on different aspects concerning user-co-creation and generative design. If other companies need easy-to-use design interfaces, like the one on Fluid Forms, we provide them with our know-how and technology. Some of these client projects will get launched during 2009.
F: 13. Do you have any other upcoming projects?
H:Of course some new products will get launched on Fluid Forms during 2009. These days we are launching the QR Belt Buckle. It is the world’s first design-your-own jewelry created from QR Codes.
We are also coming up with another platform for individually designed products in 2009.
F: 14. Based on your own experience, what can you tell us about internet jobs and working online that people may not know about?
H: Don’t let you distract from every new Web 2.0 tool which might be useful. The Internet is developing with lightspeed. You have to realize that you CAN’T keep pace with all developments. Try to figure out which tools work well for your company and your personal workflow and which don’t (even if everyone says that it’s the new killer-app)
F: 15. What tips can you give new internet entrepreneurs who are thinking of starting their first venture?
H: First, don’t develop product features – develop solutions for your customer’s problems! Often people think they do so, but they don’t. They get caught by technical details and can’t see the big picture any more.
Second, stick, or at least try to stick to your plan. After a while you’ll get the feeling for what’s realistic and what’s not and what’s worth to try out and what’s not. With that knowledge, re-adjust your plan as often as necessary and keep on going.
Third, stay focused and don’t let anybody distract you from your vision. You will make a lot of mistakes. Try to see them as an opportunity and not as a completely personal failure.
F: 16. What strategies have worked for you in terms of getting your business up and running?
H: Bootstrapping, bootstrapping, bootstrapping. Try to need almost no money until you already get a steady flow of money back. I know, easy said, but there are certainly ways to do so.
If you want to come up with a high-tech innovative venture, European governments do offer all kinds of grants and tax breaks.
Have confidence in your ideas, hire only the best people and have trust in their abilities.
F: 17. Have you been influenced or inspired by anyone?
H: Of course people do influence me somehow whenever I’m communicating with them. If you are aware of that, friends, family and the team are getting even more important. My father for instance is for me like a rock in terms of placidness. On the opposite my mother’s blood running through my veins is responsible for my drive and my energy.
There are many designers, artists and entrepreneurs I’m fascinated of as well. One example is James Dyson, because of his obstinacy to follow his visions. Anish Kapoor’s oeuvre is subtle and monumental at the same time. This equilibrium is always very difficult to achieve. The Eames are a class of it’s own in terms of ageless, great design.
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