The Holy Grail of the startup is growth. And with so many companies going from dorm room to billion dollar company, it seems as if the Holy Grail has indeed been found. Google is perhaps the best example of this in action. The business originally started as a Stanford University dorm room challenge between Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
They had an idea for how you might search for content on the Internet using links between pages. The more links to a page a page has, the higher it ranks in the search results. We’ve been using the same basic system ever since. And now that humble dorm room experiment is the world’s largest company.
But whether it’s Page and Brin, Zuckerberg, or any of the other thousands of success stories, it all begins with one person: you. You are the person who has to drive your startup forwards. And you are the one that has to generate new business and take your company from nothing and make it exponential.
But, of course, that can be difficult. There are many dreamers out there. But dreaming can only take you so far. What really matters is your ability to execute your plans. Motivation needs to become action. So what can you do to kickstart your company so that it has an immediate impact?
Remove negative influences
The world for the entrepreneur has changed a lot over the last fifty years. It used to be the case that you could get a college degree and then apply for venture capital. Often you traveled the world looking for business opportunities.
And then you made your case to lenders, asking them to cough up the dough. But today, that rarely, if ever, happens. Global markets have been exploited, and there are few new places to explore.
The cool thing, however, is that most startups today can thrive with a simple domain name and a very good idea. And they’ve got all the tools at their disposal to do it. Digital is mostly free. The problems, however, usually come from the people around you. Most people aren’t entrepreneurial in spirit.
And your desire to be an entrepreneur might actually seem like a threat to them. Of course, you’re just passionate about what you do. But your peers, friends, and family might see it as a slight against their own, boring lives.
The advice right now is to avoid bringing up conversations about business with negative people. It’ll only drag you down, and that’s the last thing you’re looking for when you want advice and help. Some entrepreneurs go as far as cutting ties with people who are negative. Many entrepreneurs find a mentor instead to help them with the tricky technical and emotions aspects of running a business.
Connect with local entrepreneurs
Connecting with local entrepreneurs is a great way to start making waves. You can build relationships with complementary companies. And you can find people to support and challenge you in your journey. But don’t expect to get a call inviting you to dinner parties or meetups. Right now, nobody knows you’re an entrepreneur. So you’re going to have to seek out these opportunities yourself.
The cool thing is that most local areas have community meetups where entrepreneurs share their ideas and businesses. Most established entrepreneurs love to talk about what they’re doing. And so this can be an excellent opportunity to learn something new about your trade.
Look to social media
Social media has become the darling of digital marketing over the last five years or so. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down. Businesses that get a big following on social media tend to be the firms that are the most successful.
Businesses that focus on consumers are particularly impactful when they have a social media presence. Just look at how many companies now use Instagram, from hairdressers to cake makers.
But gathering a following on social media is time-consuming and challenging. And most businesses don’t have enough capital to wait it out and grow their presence organically.
A lot of businesses don’t bother waiting and buy Instagram followers instead. This helps them to make an immediate impact in their chosen area. And it guarantees that they’ll quickly build a social media presence to emphasizes their popularity.
Start a relevant industry blog
Content ranks alongside social media presence as one of the most important things for companies in the digital age. And what’s great about blogging is that just about anybody can do it. Blogging isn’t just about entertaining fans or providing information for clients.
It’s about improving the ranking of your website on search engines and delivering viral marketing. Blogging is the key to getting more people to your site and a higher ranking on search engines.
The good news about blogging is that just about anybody can do it. It’s easy to get started with tools, like WordPress. And these facilities will help you to generate new content on a daily or weekly basis.
Focus on freedom first
Most entrepreneurs have a grand vision for what they would like the world to look like. But to actually make that vision a reality is going to take a lot of capital and a lot of time. At the start, most entrepreneurs don’t have either.
They’re often working just to get the bills paid. Sure, it would be great to have a million dollar business. But the first step is always to provide a sound financial basis for yourself.
Once you’ve got a viable business that pays for itself and you, then you can leave your day job. With that solid foundation, you can then start reaching for the stars.
You’re not a celebrity
One of the problems with the modern world is how it has manipulated our sense of success. We think that success is something that is generated overnight. That’s thanks to manufactured celebrities and viral online content. But the truth is that for most people, even celebs, overnight success means a year or more of hard work.
And the vast majority of people don’t even get close to that. The advice, therefore, is to have patience. And remember, with digital tools, success can now come far quicker than it ever could in the past.