7 Essential Steps for a Successful Startup Launch
Uncover the 7 essential steps for a successful startup launch: find your "why", build a strong team, execute, test the market, manage cash, be honest with yourself, and learn from mistakes. Boost your growth and turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality with these expert tips
Tips and Tricks to Avoid Pitfalls and Boost Your Success - Entrepreuneurial Insights #5
Launching a startup can be an exciting and rewarding adventure, but it is also fraught with pitfalls. Here are the 7 keys to successfully launching your startup by drawing on my experience to avoid common mistakes.
Find your "why" and define your vision
The "why" is the reason you are creating your business: what drives you and what major problem you want to solve. Defining your vision and ambition allows you to know where you want to take the company and what horizons you want to reach. Develop a master plan to guide your startup's growth and keep your team focused on the goals to be achieved. The why is also one of the reasons for the inspiration you can create around you. This must go beyond yourself to create the business and allow the project to crystallise.
Build a strong team
A talented and complementary team is crucial for the success of a startup. Choose your team members carefully, ensuring that they possess diverse and complementary skills. As I mentioned in a previous article, it is also important to ensure a good fit between people so that conversations are free and serve the project. Also, ensure collective security; it is crucial within the team that everyone feels good and is motivated by the adventure in the service of the collective project.
Execute, execute, execute!
Execution is essential for the success of a startup. You must deliver, and the business exists only through what it does. Adopt a rigorous approach to planning and execution, with determination and without ever giving up. Formalise what you want to do and do what you have planned! I have often seen startups that live day to day without a precise execution plan. This leads only to disorganisation and team demotivation. The plan must be known to all, and the way to tackle it as well. Of course, within a startup, the plan may change regularly: take stock, return to the vision (the why) and break down an updated implementation plan with rigorous monitoring: execute, it is the most difficult!
Test the market as soon as possible
It is crucial to confront your idea with the market as early as possible by initially developing a prototype and then a minimum viable product (MVP). Collect feedback, identify what works and what doesn't, and adjust accordingly. Prioritise sales and marketing, which are just as important as the product and technology. This last point is often the downfall of tech-founded startups, where selling is not as important. Alas, yes! Without good tech, there is no product to sell, but without marketing/sales teams, there are no customers, so no usage and diffusion of innovation.
Manage the business and monitor cash
Steering the company and managing it is an integral part of the CEO's job. Accounting, cash, forecasts, legal management and all other back-office aspects must be handled and monitored with the utmost seriousness. Implement effective management processes and make sure to regularly track your company's key performance indicators. At the beginning, I encourage you to surround yourself with a few people (externally) who can assist you with financial management and legal matters. Cash monitoring is your compass! Without cash, the business stops; it is to be treated as fuel for creating your innovation. A famous example of poor cash monitoring forced Save to file for bankruptcy...
Be sincere and honest with yourself
Maintain a sincere outlook on your adventure and be transparent, receptive to criticism and ready to adjust your strategy if necessary. Avoid lying to yourself and other team members, and practice introspection to stay aware of the challenges ahead. This is certainly one of the most challenging points to uphold. When you are caught in the whirlwind of launching, how do you keep a cool head? My secret: excellent sparring partners. Trustworthy people who can tell you, "you're messing up" when that's the case and set the record straight. I have encountered startups that were in complete failure, and the leaders refused to admit it, continuing the activity, thinking that things would get better later. Unfortunately, projects that rise from the ashes are very few in number.
Learn from your mistakes and persevere Failure is part of the learning process, and it is essential to draw lessons from mistakes to continually improve the functioning of the startup. Observations must be relentless and as factual as possible to move away from emotions. Finally, it is crucial to persevere: how many calls to contact a client? 10, 20, 100? And what if the 101st gets you the right meeting to allow your company to scale? How many iterations on your product? Its features? And what if the 101st iteration gives your product and innovation a disruptive dimension? Is it easy? Never! It takes a lot of determination for the project to become structured and grow over time. Never give up!
I hope these tips can enlighten you; in summary, here are the 7 keys to successfully launching your startup:
- Find your "why" and define your vision
- Build a strong team
- Execute, execute, execute!
- Test the market as soon as possible
- Manage the business and monitor cash
- Be sincere and honest with yourself
- Learn from your mistakes and persevere
By following these 7 tips, you will avoid some common mistakes, increasing your chances of successfully launching your startup. But you will make others, as I have done too! :) The road to success is full of obstacles, but with perseverance and lots of passion, you can realise your dreams and build a great startup!
Don't hesitate to share your experience with other entrepreneurs and support those who are embarking on this adventure. Peer-to-peer exchanges are a valuable source of information and support, and together, you will be better able to face the challenges ahead.
Good luck in your entrepreneurial journey; keep exploring!