From A Code Passion To Leading Projects In IT Development and Digital Production, A Founder’s Story with Maxim Panfilov

Maxim Panfilov is an entrepreneur, founder of panfilov.group, a leading digital production company, and an expert in IT development and managing online teams with 20 years of experience and 500 successful projects.

Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up

I was born and spent my childhood in Moscow, Russia. When I was 10 years old, my parents gifted me my first PC, which was only dial-up. I started experimenting with computers, from gaming and online chats to blind typing. That was also the time I discovered my passion for technology. During my school years, I got on the side of the geek crowd, learned how to program in PHP and HTML, and understood Photoshop’s basics. My curiosity about coding was unlimited, so I decided to self-taught myself online coding with the help of free resources and online publications and by leveraging support from peers in the local network. I also attended various classes in sports and education, thanks to my parents, who made it possible. On top of that, we traveled a lot around the globe so that I could see everything from my perspective—different cultures, traditions, and so on.

How did you get started as an entrepreneur?

My career as an entrepreneur began when I launched a couple of personal yet simple website projects that helped me advance my skills and allowed me to sell my abilities to a local internet provider. I performed various tasks for this company, including programming and designing the portal with forums, a comprehensive eBook library, and even a movie database. This experience became extremely valuable for me in the future, as it provided me with real-life understanding and the possibility to expand my network in the industry. With the help of such a diversified grid, I secured my first independent business client, and this was achievable only because of the network connections that saw my potential and started recommending me as a programmer. Word of mouth worked wonders, and I was able to land a significant number of clients. It would be impossible for me to do this all on my own. This also motivated me to gather a team of freelancers while studying. Even though I knew nothing about team building or business processes, it did not stop me. I learned from my experience and mistakes, as there were few courses on this topic back then. I quickly transitioned from programmer to manager, managing projects without a team but with freelancers. When I graduated from university, there was a new challenge: learning and understanding how to build a successful business as an entrepreneur. After deep research into the educational programs, my choice fell on EAE in Barcelona, where I acquired a Master’s in International Business within a year. Thanks to this program, I could start a business from scratch and make it successful. In 2010, I enrolled at MIB in Barcelona, where I was studying and, at the same time, working with Russian clients to make a living in Europe. Being immersed in another culture grew me as a person. We still have a great relationship with some of my Spanish friends, and they even came to the 2018 football championship.

What is one business lesson you would tell a startup founder?

Most startups fall apart because of a lack of audience. I worked with more than 50 ambitious founders, most of whom failed because they couldn’t solve a people’s problem and achieve product-market fit. Creating and investing in a product that solves your problems and needs may mean something else. So, before hiring programmers to do the most complicated parts of the job, make sure you know where to find potential customers and users. It is a great practice to seek the targeted audience before starting, whether on social media channels or in another business. Moreover, you need to double-check if you solved the problem of your target audience. The best way to do it is by talking to potential customers and doing user research. For instance, asking open questions and analyzing user experiences in user interviews could determine the “jobs they want to hire your product for”. The JTBD framework will help you reduce unnecessary costs for product development and allow you to make PIVOT and adapt it to the product’s users’ needs. This is a “must-have” step before investing and developing.