Our Pivots & Course Corrections¶
Every startup changes direction - it's not failure, it's learning! This page captures the times we shifted our approach, what we learned, and how it made Beet better.
What Is a Pivot?¶
A pivot is when we deliberately change our strategy based on what we've learned. It's not giving up - it's being smart about adapting to reality.
Types of pivots we might make: - Product Pivot: Changing what we build - Market Pivot: Changing who we serve - Strategy Pivot: Changing how we grow - Technology Pivot: Changing how we build
Our Story So Far¶
Course Correction #001: Focus on Events First¶
When: June 2025 Status: ✅ Active Shift Impact: High
What We Were Doing Before: Building a general entertainment platform trying to do everything at once - events, movies, restaurants, news.
What We Learned: - Users were confused about what Beet actually does - It's impossible to be great at everything from day one - Event discovery was the strongest user need we could solve - Competitors were weak specifically in Indian diaspora events
What We Changed To: Events-first approach with clear expansion plan: 1. Month 1-3: Cricket & Bollywood events only 2. Month 4-6: Add movie booking integration 3. Month 7-9: Add restaurant partnerships 4. Month 10+: Full super-app experience
Why This Made Sense: - Events have the highest emotional engagement - Clear competitive advantage in our niche - Easier to explain to users and investors - Still sets foundation for super-app vision
Results So Far: 🎯 Too early to measure - just made this decision!
Key Lesson: Better to own one thing completely than to be mediocre at many things.
Course Correction #002: SF Bay Area First¶
When: June 2025 Status: ✅ Active Shift Impact: Medium
What We Were Doing Before: Planning to launch in multiple cities simultaneously (SF, LA, NYC).
What We Learned: - Content curation requires local knowledge and relationships - Marketing is more effective when concentrated - Support and feedback collection easier with focused geography - Network effects stronger when users are in same area
What We Changed To: Deep focus on SF Bay Area for first 6 months: - Manual curation of every single event - Local venue partnerships - Community building in one geography - Perfect the experience before expanding
Why This Made Sense: - SF Bay Area has high concentration of target users - Tech-savvy early adopters - Strong Indian diaspora community - Easier to get press coverage and word-of-mouth
Results So Far: 🎯 Too early to measure - just made this decision!
Key Lesson: Geographic focus creates stronger local network effects than spreading thin.
Future Pivot Monitoring¶
What We're Watching For¶
User Signals That Might Trigger Pivots: - Low engagement with event listings - High demand for features we don't have - Users using the product differently than expected - Strong preference for specific event types
Market Signals: - Major competitor launches in our space - Changes in how people discover events - Economic changes affecting entertainment spending - Platform changes (iOS, Google, social media)
Business Signals: - Revenue not meeting projections - Partnership challenges - Team capacity constraints - Funding or runway concerns
Our Pivot Process¶
When we spot signals that might require a course correction:
- Gather Data (1 week): User research, analytics, team input
- Analyze Options (1 week): What could we change and what would it cost?
- Test Small (2 weeks): Pilot the new approach with subset of users
- Decide Fast (1 week): Go/no-go based on results
- Communicate Clear (ongoing): Tell team, users, partners what's changing
Golden Rule: Pivot quickly when data shows we should, but don't pivot just because something is hard.
Lessons About Changing Direction¶
What We've Learned So Far¶
Good Pivots: - Based on real user data, not just opinions - Address a stronger market need - Play to our team's strengths - Maintain core vision while changing tactics
Pivot Mistakes to Avoid: - Changing direction every month - Pivoting because competitors are doing something - Making changes without understanding why current approach isn't working - Abandoning things that are actually working
Pivot Communication¶
Internal Team: - Explain the data behind the decision - Show how it connects to our long-term vision - Address concerns and questions directly - Celebrate learning, not just success
Users & Community: - Be honest about what's changing and why - Show how it benefits them - Give timeline for transition - Thank them for their feedback that led to improvement
Partners & Investors: - Frame as strategic improvement, not failure - Show data and reasoning - Demonstrate continued momentum - Update on new success metrics
Quick Reference¶
Recent Pivots (Last 3 Months)¶
- Course Correction #001: Events-first approach
- Course Correction #002: SF Bay Area focus
Watching Closely¶
- User engagement with different event types
- Cross-feature usage patterns
- Geographic expansion timing
- Revenue model optimization
Archived Approaches¶
- Multi-city simultaneous launch
- Full-feature super-app from day one
Owner: Ranga Reddy Team Insight: Everyone contributes pivot signals Review Cycle: Monthly pivot signal review, quarterly strategy check
Remember: Pivoting isn't failing - it's learning faster than the competition.