Six Helps for Putting Your Startup on the Path to Success

You can improve your odds of startup success by putting in place the right goals, processes, and plans early on. Here are six things you should look at if you want to put your startup on the path to success.

Identify Your Main Goal
Startups burn through funding and lose market opportunities when they are unable to focus. Be clear about what you want to bring to market first. Identify the heart of your product, the key feature or solution it will provide, and focus on getting that built.

Decide Your Market Focus
It's important to think about who your product is for. Is it for enterprise customers, small business, soccer moms, or tweens? Deciding your market focus will allow you to prioritize development and can also help narrow focus with branding efforts.

Get Your Papers in Order

Consult with a lawyer to make sure you have everything squared away when it comes to ownership, intellectual property, and other issues that could lead to lawsuits down the road. Having a trusted advisor can help as well. Make sure you are prepared and have everything in order before moving forward. You can find help with a Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas or your own local area.

Build a Roadmap
You know what you want to build and who you want to build it for. Now, you need to make it happen. Create a roadmap that plots all the steps you need to take from your current situation to reach a minimum viable product (MVP). Be as thorough as you can with regard to what needs to be built, what order things should happen in, and what ready looks like.

Identify the Key Skills You Need
Make a list of the skills you'll need to get your startup off the ground. You might be able to build a prototype yourself, but you'll likely need help to refine the product and get it out there. Don't underestimate the value of business or operations skills.

Create a Go-to-Market Plan

Start planning your go-to-market strategy before your product is ready. Figure out who you might pitch a story to, conferences you should attend, and any other ways to get the word out about your startup, products, or services.

It's okay if you're are not ready to take all the steps mentioned above. The key thing is, you start thinking about how to build and grow your startup. These steps are just some of the many ways you can approach it. Think ahead and plan accordingly, and you'll be on the path to success.

About the author

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan

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