本文讲述了Filipp Egorov从公关经理转型为科技创业者的故事。他于2021年推出了Oumua，一款AI驱动的呼吸训练器。文章详细介绍了Egorov在创业过程中克服冒名顶替综合症、学习新技能、应对失败以及最终取得成功的经历。他分享了从公关行业获得的经验、创业准备、团队建设以及产品研发的心得，为读者提供了宝贵的创业启示。

🧠 **转型契机：** Filipp Egorov在COVID-19疫情期间，从公关领域转向科技创业，推出了Oumua，一款AI驱动的呼吸训练器，旨在帮助人们改善呼吸健康。

📚 **克服挑战：** Egorov通过学习新技能、组建团队和委托任务来克服冒名顶替综合症。他通过在线课程、书籍和行业经验，学习了JSX、React等编程技术，以及硬件行业的知识。

⚠️ **创业经验：** 在首次创业失败后，Egorov总结经验教训，认识到硬件产品对错误的容忍度极低。他建议创业者在辞职前储蓄足够的资金，并重视产品原型开发。

💡 **成功之道：** Egorov强调了设定现实期望、专注于自身优势、接受不确定性以及从失败中学习的重要性。他通过不断学习和实践，最终将Oumua发展成为一家成功的企业。

🚀 **未来展望：** Oumua现已发展成为一家七位数公司，Egorov还计划研发更多非侵入性医疗设备，致力于改善人们的健康和生活质量。

Filipp Egorov launched Oumua, an AI-powered breathing trainer, in 2021.Egorov transitioned from PR to tech entrepreneurship during the COVID-19 pandemic.To overcome impostor syndrome, he delegated areas he wasn't as strong in and studied diligently.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Filipp Egorov, the 34-year-old CEO & founder of Oumua Inc. It has been edited for length and clarity.

I began my career as a high-tech and public communications manager. From brand image to landing customers to resuscitating operations to elevating presence, I was a multifaceted professional.

As much as I loved working for founders and bringing their ideas to life, I gradually realized that my real passion was piloting my own business. I wanted to serve myself, and I dreamed of building my own consumer tech gadgets.

The COVID-19 pandemic pushed me even more to launch Blanc, a full-face anti-COVID-19 mask with adjustable front panels and visors. I left my last PR job and dove into the world of consumer tech with no experience.

My degree doesn't correlate with my work

I received a degree in hi-tech management that focused on finance, marketing, business operations, HR, and IT. I never studied engineering, physics, programming, or medicine.

My first job was as a PR manager for an IT company while I was still a student. I graduated from university in 2013 and continued working in PR.

For the next few years, I started researching the engineering field but had impostor syndrome. I was considering a pivot but didn't make any moves yet.

While still experiencing these negative emotions, the COVID-19 pandemic began

I started working on a new business idea on the side, which made me feel alive and bold. I took it as a sign that these uncomfortable emotions were needed to drive me forward.

I had no expertise whatsoever in product conceptualization, design, prototyping, or manufacturing. I only had a promising idea and a lot of optimism.

I quit my last PR job in 2020 to start a business

I built a small squad of people, including several engineers, PCB architects, and sourcing specialists. We had to learn everything on the job without any guidance, and we failed in manufacturing.

We were novice first-time hardware founders, and hardware has extremely little tolerance for errors of any kind. Additionally, since we were working through a pandemic, global logistics collapsed, and our first batch of masks was undeliverable.

We lacked the funding necessary to address the numerous product defects and move on to the next iteration. I wasn't motivated enough to attempt again after the first failure, which put me close to personal bankruptcy.

After a difficult year of trying to save money and finally letting it go, I was prepared to give up and never develop a physical product again.

In 2021, I came up with the concept of a smart breathing trainer

As a lifelong asthmatic, no tool, pill, exercise, or equipment worked well for me. After trying many things to soothe my symptoms, I determined the best way was respiratory muscle training, also known as RMT.

I tried and tested many "breathing trainer" devices. I found all of them to be bulky without changeable resistance, aesthetically unpleasing, and lacking features for breathing instructions and progress.

I created a blueprint of all the refinements and enhancements an ideal breathing trainer must have and started Oumua in 2021. It's an AI-powered breathing trainer that assists people with living longer, happier, and better lives.

Oumua is now a successful 7-figure company.

Learning the fundamentals of a field you're trying to get into is undoubtedly important

Knowledge also helps increase confidence when you're struggling with impostor syndrome. I had to learn almost everything to create tangible products that people would want to purchase.

Through Coursera, I taught myself the JSX, React, JavaScript, and CSS programming stack, engineering design (CAD and other tools), and UX/UI. I took one-on-one classes from Preply.

Among the many books I read were "Fundamentals" by Samer Buna and "Beginner's Guide to React" by Kent Dodds. I watched instructional videos on YouTube and learned about LLMs.

I gained knowledge about the hardware industry from Carl Pei of Nothing, Frank Wang of DJI, Pavlo Zhovner, founder of Flipper, and Andrey Manirko, founder of Playtronica.

I also tackled my impostor syndrome by setting realistic expectations

Learning new skills that take time has taught me to extend grace to myself when needed. It's OK if you aren't naturally brilliant at everything. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and don't judge yourself for having weaknesses, but prepare a plan to address them.

I hired a team and delegated tasks I didn't excel in. I focused on refining my competence in the areas I was already good at.

There are some mental mantras that I repeated to myself throughout this journey to shift my perspective in a direction that was expansion-oriented:

You don't have to take feedback from everyone. Pick the field-accoladed experts who have a track record of success and regard their feedback. Ignore the haters.Try not to overanalyze tasks that appear too complicated or unachievable. Fake it until you make it doesn't work when you're new at a craft. You can only make it by not being overconfident and overestimating your abilities but by adapting to a beginner's mindset.Learn to be comfortable when things are uncomfortable, have a high risk tolerance, and move forward even when circumstances and outcomes are uncertain.

My PR background definitely helped me as I became a founder

My experience built my business intuition and served as the catalyst for my own metamorphosis into a hardware creator.

I'd advise against leaving your job unless you've saved enough to take this action. Before I quit my PR job, I had about six months' worth of my salary to develop my concept into a practical prototype.

Because I intended to create a medical device that could diagnose, prevent, and even cure, this second tech gadget was twice as difficult to construct. Oumua has five more noninvasive medical devices in the research and development and prototyping stages.

"Who do you think you are?" is the first question you ask yourself every morning when you don't have the highly specialized degree needed for a certain product. The key is to disregard this question for a year or two.