We have had to work extremely hard to grow our business, below are some key pieces of start-up advice we’ve collected over the years that have made a dramatic impact on our business growth.
As a start-up you will make mistakes but this well help you eliminate common errors and grow your business much quicker.
1) You Need To Focus On Two Key Things
2) Build Relationships with smart people they will save you time and money
3) Try to ensure your product is a commodity
4) Communicate effectively with your customers bring them on your journey
5) Invest in services that give you more time
6) Define what success looks like for you
7) Learn how to sell your dream to others
1) You Need To Focus On Two Key Things
“There are only two things your business needs to do in order to be successful: find a passionate customer base and create a great product or service.” – Steve Blank, Co-founder of the Startup Institute.
It can be difficult to know how passionate your target market is. There are a few ways to research this:
-Look at customer reviews and testimonials. This will give you an idea of what people think of the product or service.
-Talk to potential customers or clients who have already used the product or service. Ask them what they liked and didn’t like about it. This will help you understand your target market’s needs and wants.
-Check out social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to see what people are saying about the product or service. This will give you a snapshot of how interested people are in it.
2) Build Relationships with smart people they will save you time and money
Building relationships with smart people can save you time and money. Here are seven no-nonsense pieces of startup advice you must know to make the most of this opportunity:
1. Start by reaching out to people who are influential in your industry. Not only will they be able to provide valuable feedback, but they may also be willing to help you connect with other smart people in your field.
2. Be willing to give and take advice. When talking to smart people, it’s important not to come across as arrogant or unwilling to learn from others. Remember: They’re here for a reason—to help you succeed.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes it’s hard enough starting a new business without having to search for every piece of information you need for hours when a friend can assist in seconds, as a start-up you will be time poor work smart use every resource and tool that increases the time you have available.
4. When you are having a tough day, it can be hard to get out of your own head. Having friends you can reach out to can be a great way to take some of the pressure off and refocus on what is important. Friends can also offer their perspective and advice on how to deal with the current situation. Having friends nearby who you can turn to for support is essential in times of stress.
5. One of the best ways to get started in a new field is to network with people who have similar skills. This can help you learn about different industries and find potential mentors or co-workers. It’s also important to keep in mind that not all skills are transferable, so it’s important to research which ones are relevant to your industry. Additionally, it’s helpful to be proactive and reach out to people you don’t know well, as this can lead to valuable connections.
6. When it comes to starting a business, there is no one right way to do it. What works for one person may not work for another. That’s why it’s important to be open to learning from others and never feel like you have all the answers.
Some of the most important things to remember when starting a business are: 1) be humble and don’t assume that you know everything; 2) always ask for advice from others; and 3) be patient – it can take a while for your business to grow and evolve.
7. Working on a start-up can be a grind. It can be difficult to find time to relax and enjoy your hobbies or interests. However, it’s important to find something that takes you away from the office from time to time. This can help you recharge and stay focused on your goals.
3) Try to ensure your product is a commodity
When it comes to starting a business, many entrepreneurs believe that their product is the key to success. However, there are other factors that must be considered if your business is going to be successful. One of these factors is making sure your product is a commodity.
Commodity means that your product can be easily reproduced and sold at a low price. If your product cannot be easily reproduced or sold at a low price, then you will likely have difficulty finding customers and making money.
I fully appreciate that this initially sounds crazy as you want everyone who could possibly need your item to purchase it from you, but for most start-ups it is impossible to gain traction to get your product moving on your own, now if there are several businesses creating interest, desire and awareness you will actually have more sales than if you are on your own. This when you need to focus on key differentiators to ensure you maximise the market share you can achieve.
4) Communicate effectively with your customers bring them on your journey
When starting a business, it’s important to communicate effectively with your customers. This means understanding what they want and giving them what they need in a timely manner. It can also mean building a relationship with your customers and keeping them updated on your progress. Bringing your customers on your journey is important, as it helps them feel like they’re a part of your success.
In a recent study, it was found that the more valuable a customer is to a business, the more likely they are to tell others about their experience. This means that businesses who focus on creating and maintaining valuable customers will be in a better position to succeed than those who do not.
There are a few different social media channels that can be used to communicate with customers.
Some of the most popular social media channels for businesses include:
This can be extremely time consuming so it may well be worthwhile getting a specialist to assist your business.
5) Invest in services that give you more time
When it comes to starting a business, there are a lot of things to consider. But what about the time you spend working on your business? Should you be investing in things that will give you more time or should you be investing in things that will help your business grow?
There are pros and cons to both options. For example, if your goal is to build a successful business, then spending time on things like marketing and branding may be more important than investing in tools that will help you save time (like automation). On the other hand, if your goal is to quickly get your business off the ground and make some money while you figure out the rest of it, then investing in tools that can save you time may be a key differentiator.
1) Development of your website
Effective web design is a difficult and time-consuming process, which is why so many businesses attempt to jump into the field without first investing in proper training. If you’re not a web design business, then you’re wasting valuable time trying to be one. Instead, focus on acquiring the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in your chosen industry.
2) Maximising the potential of social media
The importance of social media cannot be overstated, especially in the age of digital marketing. A recent study by Forrester Research found that social media management services can save hours and better communicate with customers. According to the report, 78 percent of businesses with a social media presence use some form of social media management service to help them manage their accounts, posts, and engagement. Additionally, 87 percent use these services to track their customer sentiment and feedback.
It also important to consider that all forms of social media now have algorithms in place to limit the organic reach of your posts, in order to reach your target audience finely tuned and targeted campaigns will be required or your investment will be wasted.
3) Ensure that your website can be found on google.
Google’s search engine is incredibly powerful and can be used to find information on a vast array of topics. However, if your website isn’t optimised for Google’s natural search results, you may not be getting the exposure you deserve. Optimising your website for Google’s natural search results can be extremely complex and time consuming, but it’s well worth the effort if you want to rank high in searches.
Going back ten to fifteen years you could build a website with a small blog and rank on google, those days are now over with billions of websites to choose from.
The Key is to find a specialist who can work alongside your business to help you achieve this goal so you can focus on driving the business forward.
Google Shopping and Google Search Advertising.
Over the last two years google has been migrating all of its advertising services to its new A.I. which looks to automatically maximise the potential of your paid click resulting in the desired outcome of an email sign-up, sale or meeting request.
This does not mean that specialists are not required, these campaigns need careful monitoring and nurturing to ensure they do not use your investment with no return at all.
We have seen many companies who trust the automated campaign lose control of spending and return on investment and ultimately fail.
Many specialists charge a small amount per day in comparison to even the smallest daily advertising budget.
6) Define what success looks like for you
When it comes to starting a business, there is no one right way to do it. What matters most is what success looks like for you. For some, success may mean making a lot of money quickly. For others, success may mean building a successful company that impacts the world in a positive way.
If you want to be successful in your startup, it’s important to define what success looks like for you. Figure out what makes you happy in your work and what makes you feel fulfilled. Once you know what that is, make sure that everything you do revolves around reaching that goal. Set goals that challenge yourself but are still achievable, and stay focused on getting closer to your ultimate goal every day. Take feedback from others carefully and use it to improve your skillset so that you can reach that goal.
7) Learn how to sell your dream to others
1. Know Your Why. What is the purpose of your business? Why do you want to start it? What makes it unique? Once you know these things, you can start selling yourself and your idea to potential partners, customers, and investors.
2. Be Persistent. Don’t give up on your idea or dream just because it’s hard at first. It took many years for Apple Incorporated to become one of the world’s most successful companies. Persevere through the tough times and don’t give up. Starting a business is hard, but it’s not impossible.
3.) Listen to the feedback you get and be open minded and flexible enough to take it on board. Negative feedback is much more important than positive feedback!
How can I apply this to start-up advice to my business
There are a lot of pieces of start-up advice that can be applied to any business. However, some pieces of advice are more relevant than others depending on the type of business you have.
Some pieces of advice that are particularly relevant to start-ups include: 1) always be hustling and working hard; 2) focus on your customer base and how to improve your relationship with them; 3) always be innovating and thinking outside the box; 4) don’t be afraid to pivot or change course if things aren’t going as planned; 5) never give up on your dreams or goals.
Here at stick-em-up we can reduce the time you invest in key areas such as web design and management, social media management, search engine optimisation and writing blogs that resonate with your target audience.
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