3 Simple Mistakes Every Startup Should Avoid Early On
Crystal Davies l November 22, 2015
With competition becoming fiercer than
ever, launching a successful startup is getting trickier. Competition is part
of the reason that 90%
of startups fail. Despite this bleak statistic, there are still simple ways
to get ahead of the competition; but it means taking advantage of EVERY opportunity
early on as they are the most crucial.
Three simple mistakes to avoid:
1. Ignoring your weaknesses
You
know you have an awesome service to sell – you’re an expert at it. People have
told you and maybe they’ve even suggested that you start your own business. So
here you are - you’ve decided you’re going to do it - you’re going to start
your own business…now what? If you don’t have a clue where to start, don’t
pretend you do. Get help, do your research, and invest, to get the
plan you need to succeed. If you’re not confident with your business model or
business processes, your potential new customers will sense it. Why should they
have confidence in your services if your business model is shaky? The hard truth is,
they won’t and they’ll go elsewhere. Making sure you have a sound business
model puts you ahead of other startups offering the same services because you
communicate your company message with confidence.
2. Buying cheap business cards
There,
I said it. It’s often the elephant in the room when it comes to making a first
impression. You talked a great game and now it’s time to hand over that tiny
piece of marketing collateral that makes a bigger impression than most people
realize. You had that potential client sold until they saw your business card. Its
cheap paper from one of those “we print a billion cards a day for next to
nothing” vendors and the client knows it. Don’t get me wrong, those cards have
a time and a place, but when your business depends on every impression, this is
one you definitely need to make the most of.
3. Being cheap when setting up essential contact information
This
goes hand-in-hand with point number two. Maybe your business card is of decent
stock, but the details (or lack of details) have your prospects cringing.
Again, you had them sold on your services, but then they saw the @xmail freebie
email address. So they look for your website and maybe they see the same thing
or maybe it’s not there at all. This is an opportunity lost because there’s
another business right around the corner, just
like yours that has a professional business email, professional business
website, and awesome services just like
yours.
Launching a startup is difficult. It
requires time, energy, motivation, investment, and juggling many hats to be
successful. Ensuring you have a sound business model and accompanying marketing
plan early on, and before promoting
your business, will save you the added effort of having to reach twice as many
people to make up for shaky first impressions.
We want to hear from you…
Are you launching a startup? If you are, congratulations! This is an exciting time! Have you run into any issues or do you have any questions? Share your thoughts and recommendations; we want to hear from you!
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Crystal Davies is a strategic marketing consultant specializing in branding, marketing, strategy, and business solutions. Her passion is seeing how pieces of the marketing strategy puzzle come together to turn her clients dreams of business success into reality. Contact Crystal at crystal@daviesdesigns.net or visit her company website at www.daviesdesigns.net.
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