Congratulations! You’ve founded your very own start-up! That’s a dream that only the best entrepreneurs can turn into a reality. While there is no shortage of information out there for startups, here’s some advice that you MUST have to lead your business to success. Read on for five tips that your startup needs.
1. Find Your Fans
This is true for any business that is successful. When you find your loyal customers and the people who truly trust and believe in your product(s), then you can have great success if you focus on pleasing them. Take time to thank your loyal customers and to listen to them. Find out what they expect and need out of your product. Your products and services should always be changing and getting better when you’re a start-up. All new startups should invest in a virtual phone number for their customer service line. It takes up minimal start-up cost, and you can find a plan that fits your specific needs and budget very quickly. Plus, with a virtual phone number, you can create a top-notch customer service line that will allow you and your customers to stay in touch, enabling you to nurture a prosperous, mutually-beneficial business relationship.
2. Create Your Own Product Category
When you don’t have any competition, it’s easy to be number 1. Take Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram for example. They all began as social media sites whose biggest comparison was to that of Facebook. But what actually made them so strong and so unique was that they were nothing like Facebook. Twitter offers an outlet to find news and express your opinions on current events and pop culture topics, or even share what you had for lunch that day. As long as it was stated in 140 characters, or now 280 or less, you could write it and post it up for all to see.
3. Efficiency is Key
It is better to start out with a smaller staff, especially, if your start-up is on a budget. It might seem like you need to begin hiring people right away as your business starts to grow, but sometimes it’s better to look inward and find out what is working within your industry and what isn’t. Instead of expanding right away, think about dispersing the people you have onto projects that are pressing right away. Eventually, you will have to hire as your business grows, but in the first year or so, it is better to get a flow for what works for your company and what doesn’t before adding on additional people just to have to let them go when you can’t find the funding.
4. Offer a Better Product, and Price it That Way
A great thing about having a start-up business and working on one great product or a core-set of great products means that you can price your product above that of your competition. That might not sound like the best idea right off the bat, but think about it; bigger businesses can slash their prices more easily to compete with the smaller guys with no problem. When you dedicate your business solely to creating the best, for example, soap, you can market it and price it as a handmade and one-of-a-kind product that is good for you, the environment, pets, whatever. Use your niche to your advantage.
5. Marketing
Impress your customers with an eye-catching logo, an easy-to-navigate homepage, and a thorough and professional website. All of your marketing pieces should be the highest quality so you can make a great first impression. If you can’t afford an in-house graphic designer, try to hire a freelancer, or if you are really low on cash, you can check out Canva, where anyone can create beautiful visual design pieces from professional templates.
Once you have created your perfect website, built a winning team, put your best product forward with the right price, and raised your customer service game, you will be well on your way to having a successful startup.