How to Start a Business
In a perfect world, a business starts when there is a transaction. As soon as you exchange something you did, or will do, for an agreed upon amount of money, you have a business. You might not have registered it yet, you might not even have a name for it yet, the best thing you can do is focus first on what you will sell, then figure out the technical details.
Usually, a business starts when there is a decision. You decide you want to build something, either by yourself or with some friends. You have a general idea of what you want to offer the world so you spend some time figuring out a name, you register your business somewhere and then like magic, you have a business.
Days turn into weeks. Weeks turn into months as your “business” drains your bank account and your soul in lockstep. You keep building. You keep coming up with new and better ideas of things that can work. You build your idea to 80% completion then throw it in the bin with all your other uncompleted projects.
The more you build, the more you spend, the more anchored you become to the status quo, until one of two things happen: You realize that you need to start selling something, or you quit.
Clarifying what you sell, the value you bring to the world, is one of the most difficult parts of the entrepreneurial journey. First, as you know if you’ve read Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, you need to figure out why you do what you do. Then, how you are going to materialize your why. And finally, a crispy clean definition of what you sell.
Once you know what you sell with the precision of a Swiss watch, you can start to build your Go-to-Market ( GTM ) strategy. Your GTM might include some targeted, well research cold calls facilitated by SalesPort if you know exactly who will benefit from having a conversation with you, or some Run-of-Market SnipeSocial ads if what you have been building has broad audience appeal.
The possibilities of what can work are almost as long as those that wont. To figure out where you’re wasting time, energy and money book a GTM strategy meeting or if you’re feeling spontaneous give us a call at: +1 249-528-0264. If we miss your call, we’ll call you back within one business day.
Save time, money, and energy by figuring out what you sell early so you can start selling. Whatever you start with will probably look different than what you will be doing in five years. There is no such thing as a perfect starting point. The best possible starting point is whatever you have right now. Use that, start with that, that’s all you have, make the most of it.