“Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea.” ― Ayn Rand
You want to be an entrepreneur.
You want to be a part of the start-up buzz.
You have an idea but what you really need is a kick-start.
If you identify yourself with one of the lines above, read on.
One doesn’t start a business just because he has an idea and wants to be a part of the new generation of entrepreneurs trying and doing new things and expanding the scope of business. To start with you need an idea, an idea which is feasible. An idea that you believe will change not just your life but others’ as well.
We speak to budding entrepreneurs and have worked with them over their journey from idea to enterprise. These are our views.
Differentiation
To be successful in an ocean of start-ups you need to reap on your “differentiators”. You may be creating a completely new product or category or another approach to convention. You need to get noticed by your differentiator, whether internally in your operations or externally, in terms of your product/ service.
Additional work hours to ensure delivery or goodies and freebies to your customers is like trying to make yourself heard in the noise of the crowd. When everybody in the crowd is shouting to be heard, you need to do more than just shout. You need to whisper that ‘change’.
Conviction
What makes you the next big thing, is conviction. You need to be a convict of your idea. Bound by it, measured by it and breathing it in, day in and day out.
The world around you must buzz about your conviction. People must talk about your conviction like gossip. You must be part renegade and part Rambo. Deep down, you must truly believe that in your idea is that something everyone never knew they wanted so bad till now. And your idea must be radically changing or solving a problem that they never knew they had or persistently had it. Slice of a large market pie, will leave you with just that.
DIY King + Knowhow Master
The world is full of Mr. Tom, Mr. Dick and Mr. Harry, who have an idea that other people also have. You may be Mr. Tom or one of the other two. That’s not a bad thing. As long as you are able to do what others have failed to do and get the right mix of the other things that made the ones before you fall.
BUT, hear us out. There may be no prerequisites to be an entrepreneur. But not everyone will be a good one.
While there is no compulsion for an entrepreneur to have work experience, gaining experience in your field of interest helps. Think of it like a 3 dimensional matrix between work experience, DIY love and sense (common+business). Experience of being a part of an established business or in another startup wormhole teaches you structure and problem solving with faster decision-making. We have seen startup clients redesign their websites within 4 hours from when we have our sessions. A non-startup client made it a 3 month plan to rejig their website!
Drive
2 very important sets of questions to answer before you jump your cushy job up is:
“Where are you going? Don’t you know uncharted territories are always longer than you can imagine and really lonely?”
“Why do I really want to do this? Is it the money you will make? The picture bulbs going off? The hordes of adoration? The jobs you will create? The people you will touch? The big change that’s going to touch a million people?”
The answers to these questions will help you set goals for your company and frame you vision for the next 10 years (anything longer and you’re kidding yourself!). Your vision is what will help you last beyond the 20 employee mark. If you aren’t able to envision it, hang on to your job. If it’s the money, hold onto your job! – You won’t see money till you’re 10 years in and will probably reach bankruptcy many times in your first 2 years. If it’s the fame, hold onto your job! – Only one in Ten thousand will be heard about. If it’s the adoration, hold onto your job! – You may not even get time to maintain your relationships? If it’s the other two, you don’t care about the first 4 anyway.
If you have an idea and are ready to stand by it come what may, do not wait for someone to validate. Take the risk and Jump right in.
