You're aiming for startup growth. How can you cultivate a strategic mindset for success?

The vision for a startup company, in healthtech, deeptech, neurotech, or any space for that matter, as well as a large, global, multibillion revenue enterprise, should start from the same twin foci: 1) a desire to serve a community in need and 2) a passion to solve for pressing problems whose existence makes life intolerable for those who can benefit from the solution. When a firm begins by clearly articulating its vision, innovation, culture, people, product and success are sure to follow. When a firm is unduly focused on maximizing revenue and loses sight of the pragmatic challenges faced by those who are stakeholders in the broader sense, they risk diluting the vision and weakening the constituent elements of the business.

1. Obsession 2. Ambition 3. Quality to attract great talent 4. Conversational skills and the ability to sell 5. Iterations / mini pivots

It all starts with a clear vision of the problem your product or service is there to solve. The landscape gets murky quickly after launching, and you must constantly adjust back to "why you exist" or risk taking a path that leads nowhere. Keep your ego in check. Be willing to listen, adjust your strategy, and be a funnel for feedback from your customers and staff. Things change, and your business must change with your customers' needs. Don't try to force a strategy that is not working. Remember the problem you are there to solve, listen to feedback, and PIVOT accordingly. It's stressful and tiring sometimes, but remember to enjoy the ride! You're the hero of your adventure, and heroes don't accept failure.

Here's how to cultivate a winning mindset: 1. Obsess over your customer problem, not your solution. Talk to real users, understand their pain points deeply. Your product is just a means to an end, so validate its true value before scaling. 2. Become a master of "what-if." Regularly brainstorm worst-case scenarios and contingency plans. This mental agility will help you navigate inevitable challenges. 3. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) that directly tie to your customer problem and growth goals. Measure progress and adjust your strategy as needed. 4. Embrace the MVP mentality, launch a stripped-down version quickly to gather feedback and iterate rapidly. Don't wait for perfection. Follow me for more such content :)

Treat everyone in the organization as part of the sales team - from entry-level positions to the CEO. Create a culture that understands client/customer needs, the importance of satisfying them, and how important that is to growing top-line revenue. Offer training in sales and customer service and then acknowledge contributions to revenue growth – small or large. Set up a two-way system in which employees can share their insights and suggestions - you might be surprised at how powerful those observations can be. Communicate openly and honestly to everyone about what's needed so they all experience having a place on that team. Every employee represents the company and the brand make sure you empower them.

When you speak to one, you speak to all. When you speak to all, you speak to none. Your right-fit audience should feel singled out, individual, and a priority. - Identify those your process has truly helped - Study them - From this narrowed selection, choose the client you would welcome having 1000 more just like them - Create a message that speaks directly to "what keeps them awake at night" - Show them what is possible - Demonstrate the "bridge" you offer that gets them from where they are to where they want to be Once your audience sees that you fully understand who they are, their confidence in your ability to serve them at a high level becomes a powerful premium-client magnet.

So much easier said than done. Knowing your market comes down to talking to your customers. Get a deep understanding on why they use your product and/or service and IF they churn figure out why. Keeping an eye on competitors is not that important in my opinion. Don't just copy what your competitors are doing and worry about what they are doing - worry about what you are doing and how you, your product, and your company are going to get better 1% everyday.

I'm in the process of doing customer discovery work on how founders and founding teams plan and execute their business launches. It appears that most just 'wing it' and operate off to-do lists. I'd love to hear more from people who are about to launch or recently launched their business as I feel their is an opportunity to improve this space and create more investment into business launches. Please lets me know your thoughts in the comments and like this post.

Success never "just happens." It it the result of Intentional planning and action. For the greatest ROE [Return on Effort], pay careful attention to order and cadence. It matters what actions come first and how quickly the next action should follow. To this, add consistency and you are sure to "strike gold!"

I believe that embracing iterative mindset, both in product development and team building is so important for startup growth. Founders who can pivot quickly, test new hypotheses, and refine their approach are the ones who thrive. And this mindset applies just as much to people as it does to ideas. Building a strong, cohesive team is fundamental, and sometimes that means making hard choices to let go of those who aren't aligned with the company's vision.

The more deeply you understand your "who"s, the more accelerated you will scale. When your audience feel understood and "heard," they are much more likely to believe you have a solution that will effectively help them reach their goals. Invest intentional time in diving deeper into "who" you are [archetype], who your perfect-fit-person is [those you most powerfully help and who benefits most from your solutions]. Couple that with a transformation promise they care about, and your scaled success becomes inevitable!