How To Master The Art Of Running a Startup

Running a startup is a challenging task. From setting up milestones, meeting tricky deadlines, understanding the market shift, to keeping a check on your competitor’s moves, a startup just has too much on its plate.

No wonder, the stats coming out of the startup arena don’t really inspire confidence. Almost 90% of the startups fail. But at the same time, one has to acknowledge the fact that most of the billion-dollar multinationals in the Silicon Valley once began as startups.

It clearly indicates that although running a startup is no walk in the park, there is a success to be had if you get your act right.

So what does it take to keep your startup going in the right direction and overcome the bumps and slides that come along the way? Following points should be of help if you’re running a startup and need some guidance:

Never Let The Goal Off Your Sight

As a startup, nobody is really expecting anything extraordinary out of you. Instead of assuming a relaxed approach, go for a proactive one. Take this as an opportunity to shine and make a name for yourself.

In a startup world, the challenges you encounter prove to be like nothing of the sort you’ve experienced before. So it’s important you keep a watchful eye on the goal you’re working towards. Believe strongly that you’ll achieve it sooner or later.

Given you’re a beginner, there’ll be plenty to learn from people around you. There’s no point in staying aloof and self-centered. From time to time, take note of how your competitors are performing and what’s their modus operandi to get things done. This way your rivals can act as a source of inspiration for you.

Nothing Strange In Working Overtime

As mentioned earlier, life as a startup is really a hectic one. There’s always a huge backlog of tasks piling up and you consistently find yourself running a race against time Even working overtime or on weekends doesn’t prove enough.

But that’s the startup world for you. You have to accept it and keep the energy levels up as much as possible.Time-utilization becomes quite crucial. Mulling over a task for too long isn’t an option. Since there are always tasks to take care of, spend time on those that can be best handled in a given time-period.

You’re Busy – No Shame Admitting That

It’s easy to forget about your commitments to family and friends when you’re so absorbed in taking care of the startup affairs. Irrespective of the nature of your loved one towards your newfound endeavors, it’s best to communicate your situation to them as soon as possible.

You won’t want the people closest to you beginning to believe that they don’t have a place in your world now. Often in tough circumstances, these are the people we look towards for motivation and support. It’s best to convey your work-schedule to them. That way they’ll know when to reach without disturbing you.

Talk Things Out

Plans, requirements, deadlines, and estimations can change within a short span of time. To ensure that everyone is abreast to the latest info, communicate it often. However, avoid those long and dull discussions where there’s a lot of talking around the bush but no attempt to address the nub of the issues.

In an ideal world, you’d always have someone taking care of a job. But the startup is far from an ideal world. You can’t expect things to work out on their own. If you’re unsure about a task’s status, learn to ring the alarm bells and ask around if anyone is taking care of it. Don’t expect things to work out on their own.

Initiative – A Must Have Quality

When you’re in a startup, one thing that’s got to come naturally to you is the ability to take initiatives. As startups are still trying to figure out the best methods that work for them, it’s a good idea to always be trying and testing things out.

You’d be amazed how this sort of attitude can rub off on your colleagues.These are the values that once instilled in your workspace can go on to define the nature of your company as it starts to mature and gains recognition.

Know When To Stop And Relax

At last, learn to draw a breath of relief when you’ve given everything on the field. From time to time you need to sit down and see where you’re headed. Depending on your progress, revise or follow the plan in motion.

If everything is going as planned, you could hang out with your friends and family whom your busy schedule hasn’t allowed to catch up with. Once you’ve recuperated your strength and got the batteries recharged, it’s time to take another dig and pursue your goals.
The startup journey is always a tricky one. You’re never quite sure what will work out of a given course of action. But if the mindset is right, things tend to work out in your favor more often than not.

Following the aforementioned tips is sure to help any startup stuck in the quagmire of uncertainty and workload achieve stability and get back on track.

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