Jumpstart Your Startup with These Tips
We are living in a startup era, when company development became easier than ever, with support of advanced technology and internet guidelines that can turn any person into successful entrepreneur.
Purpose of this article is to provide great insights for future entrepreneurs and equip them with helpful advice that will help them to make their company competitive and successful on the market. It deals with four main areas of startup development: funding, hiring, marketing and tech.
Funding
Make a Great Business Plan
Finding investors is one of the hardest things in initial phase of company development. Purpose of business plan is to present company’s business in the best possible way and attract people to invest their money into the venture. Entrepreneurs that are not good in writing should definitely hire somebody for this task.
Launch Crowdfunding Campaign
Introduction of crowd or soft funding is one of the major breakthroughs, when it comes to finding money for initial phases of company’s development. Crowd funding campaign needs to be original, have positive tone and be likable to the (internet) masses, which are not the same as regular business funders.
Human Resources
Find the Right Team
Company is as efficient as its employees, and finding great talents, retaining and motivating them to give their best is the number one challenge for most entrepreneurs. Other than being experts in their industries, employees also need to believe in company’s mission, and be motivated to work hard and learn and grow together with their employer.
Motivate Employees
Even the most talented and dedicated employees need to be motivated to give the best possible results. This can be done in many different ways, including:
- Giving bonuses;
- Organizing team building events;
- Creating advance opportunities;
- Give employees a percentage of company’s earnings
- Handing out company’s stocks to employees;
Hire Freelancers
Freelance industry is currently booming around the world. Hiring freelancers is the way to save money on tasks that are not part of company’s core business. Freelancers on the other hand are people who want to earn some extra cash and set their own hours, which means they need to put an extra effort and produce results that will satisfy their clients and create trustful relationship. These are some of the best websites for finding freelancers:
- Upwork.com;
- Fiverr.com;
- Freelancer.com;
Marketing
Make an app
More and more companies and businesses are making apps for smartphones from which they can market their products or services. Mobile apps are a great way for potential customers to get to know the company and easily order what they like through an in-app ecommerce shop.
Use Facebook Ads
Facebook advertising is one of the most efficient ways to promote a product or service, company is offering. Ads on this platform offer enhanced audience targeting possibilities, and entrepreneurs can target people according to their age, gender, residence and interests. Facebook power editor gives even more diverse targeting criteria that includes: marital status, political views, employment status, etc. Other than that Facebook ads are also customized for mobile viewers and offers great insights and A/B testing capabilities.
Add Live Chat Feature to Company’s Website
With the invention of internet marketing, people’s needs became hyper-individualistic. They don’t want to deal with cold and distant corporate entities anymore, but with people with whom they can discuss their problems and concerns. Live chat feature makes customers feel secure and drastically increases their loyalty.
Brand Company’s Offices and Make Them Comfortable
Many big companies are going the extra mile to make their employees satisfied, and introduce amazing office designs that come with: landslides, pinball machines foosball and drum sets. Companies that care about their employees are seen as stable and trustworthy and that’s why investing in office comfort and branding is the ultimate marketing tool.
Tech
Purchase Legal and Useful Software
Great software solutions make company’s business more efficient and support its growth. Many entrepreneurs decide to use illegal or cheap software, which is can cause loss of important data, or bugging problems that can put company’s business and reputation in danger. It’s always advisable to purchase the best software solutions. This can be costly sometimes, so entrepreneurs can use software coupons and wait for special discounts.
Use Advanced Website Analytics
Company’s websites became the number one promotional spot and that’s why the use of advanced website analytics is so important. Google Analytics is top free software for this purpose and it enables web administrators to track visitors and improve their conversion rates.
Developing a startup has never been easier, but it still requires plenty of knowledge and effort. It also requires plenty of creativity, and although we are living in the age where hundreds of effective business strategies have already been defined, there’s still some room for improvisation and innovation.
Posted by Nate Vickery
Nate Vickery is a business consultant focused mostly on SMB marketing and management. Nate is the editor-in-chief at one business blog - Bizzmarkblog.com. You can follow Nate @NateMVickery
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