New Year resolution for startups:
- Plan how to grow the business, especially the money part.
We will not mistake our feature as a product, and product as a business.
Business is combination of BD/Sales/partnerships/PR etc and will work across all of these dimensions.
Maybe, we will rely less on online advertising for monetization. - We will not avoid VC money, just because everybody says so.
- Raising funds is a function of business plan + dad’s money (+ our own savings) : we will decide based on several parameters, and not by what gurus preach.
- Release Early – Release often.
We will define the balance between perfection and speed. - Get more ‘offline’ business ideas, i.e. businesses that impact ‘normal’ lives (and not just the geeky ones)
- Will not spend time (and money) on hype - i.e. if we have a mobile solution for Indian market, we will not at all build an iPhone app. We will ensure that our app runs even on Nokia 1100 (and the likes) – Ditto with browser support (IE vs. FF’s latest version vs. Chrome)
- Will not attend useless events.
We will learn how to manage our precious time between the same kind of networking events, where we end up meeting the same old page3 fellas. - We will not shy away from marketing our product/service.
Will not be hit by ‘viral marketing’ bug (i.e. somebody somewhere will sow the viral seed for us using ‘share this/add this widgets’ or tweet about us) – we will market the product on our own. To start off, see us striptease @ the nearest club (with our co. tattos embedded here and there). - Will wear a thick skin jacket and do not give critics a chance. Take feedback, but implement only those that make sense.
[When you start getting traction, whole lot of people will try to bring you down - keep that in mind] - Think different ways to reach out to consumers.
We will not shy away from email campaigns (even though folks in barcamp tells us that it’s a spam and they hate it). At the same time, we will ensure that we have a ‘certain style’ in what we do. - Kick ass. Get aggressive – do not give mediocrity a chance. Even though it means taking one of the biggies, we will do it (and do it publicly)
- For the wannabees/working on their startup – We will work on only 1 startup idea at a time. Have seen enough examples of entrepreneurs working on multiple ideas and landing nowhere.
- Last, but not the least – strike some balance between work-life (and wife, if you are married!
)
Enjoy something beyond the work – helps to ease stress.
If you are an entrepreneur, what are your new year resolutions?
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gr8 ideass.. quite a few i can and need to implement
)
you are doing good anyways… congratulations
HI do we kno each other
Not really… I am impressed by what you guys are doing at caclubindia.com
- Yes we CAN is not enough! “Yes we WILL” have to be the motto
- Time of ME 2 is gone…lets say “WE 2″ can build great ideas and enterprise
- Collaboration is the key…find synergies and strike right partnerships
- Stand on your own feet first…put the customer first…rest will follow
- Never re invent the wheel…but do “Re design” it, to deliver higher value
Yes, recession will find true entrepreneurs
Nice one!
Thanks for posting!
Add a few more:
* Will not be deterred by “What if Google decides to do it tomorrow?”
* Will mingle beyond the “same folks” at the “same startup events”
* Will go through atleast one book in the first half of this year
and finally
* Start looking for that donkey to kick
Hi,
Good new year’s advice.
I’ve heard the comment before about a “whole lot of people will try to bring you down.” Is this a perception or are people really being negative or deliberately deceptive?
When I started a company, the VC’s were focused on .com and weren’t interested…. except for a couple, one of which eventually provided funding. (If you’re wondering…Financially, everything worked well for all, including the VC).
My experience is that almost everyone encouraged us to push forward and some actually helped. We were doing something clearly unique, so maybe the situation was different. Do you really have people trashing your effort?
Yep! Definitely for pluggd.in – I have seen several efforts (by some known names) to bring us down..
and similarly, there are few startups who did suffer from VCs (and their ignorance about the industry)..
Infact, there are few seed funds in India who are known for offering tech entrepreneurs to ditch their job and join their companies (notion that your startup is not going anywhere..u just do not have traction etc)..
In general, startups are friendly to other startups..but its the biggies and the ‘been there/done that’ guys who try to bring you down..
- just some of my experiences..