25 Tips to Make Sure Your Startup Doesn't Fail

Never stop networking- In the startup world, networking is everything. You come into contact with hundreds (if not thousands) of people during your career as an entrepreneur, and the majority of them won't be meaningful contacts - but a few will be invaluable. 

Never stop learning- A culture of learning is one of the most important things inside of a startup. Learning constantly is not just valuable for employees, but it's also very good for the company as well. 

Be willing to fail- No one ever said starting a startup was easy. And it's certainly not easy to fail for a lot of entrepreneurs, but it's part of the game- and you have to be willing to fail if you want your startup to even thrive.

Don't be afraid to take risks- Starting a business is one thing, but taking risks is something entirely different- if you want to build a successful business, and a business that actually has a chance at taking off and becoming big, you have to be willing to take risks.

Always market your products- If you want your business to thrive, you must market your product. The idea that "if you build it, they will come," doesn't apply to startups- not anymore, if it ever did.

Put the right team together- Building a strong and lasting startup requires a lot of hard work. But one of the most important things to having a great startup is putting together the right team in the first place for the particular business. 

Secure appropriate funding- It's one thing to start a startup. It's another thing to get it to thrive and to get where you really want it to be, but it takes funding. And if you're doing it right, you're not going to have funding right out of the gate, so plan ahead.

Be a consummate student- As an entrepreneur/ founder, you have to become a consummate student. You must not only learn the craft (web design, coding, writing, etc) but also understand how people interact with one another and what has worked and hasn't worked in the past. If you want your startup to grow and thrive, then don't settle for being mediocre or just okay. Step it up. Become a student.

Prepare for anything- Being prepared for anything means not expecting every problem to be planned for. Adapting to change means expecting the unexpected. 

Don’t rely on serendipity- I think we all have a tendency to rely on serendipity when it comes to things that are going to shape the fate of our businesses. But do not rely only on that chance. While you may very well end up at another successful company, you won't get there by accident.

Don't complicate the idea- Startups are complicated - there are lots of moving parts, and many people don't understand what the business does immediately. The key to remember is that you're building a business, not a product - and in order to be successful, you need to simplify things.

Know the processes- Running a startup is hard. If you don't know what you're doing, it's super easy to make mistakes, which will cost you time, money and ultimately make your efforts a waste of energy. You need to know two things well when you're running a startup if you want to succeed. 

Share the responsibilities- If your startup is a cake, each person involved in the team shares responsibilities and tasks. It's not like in the movies where there's always one person carrying the startup on his shoulders. Startups are all about teamwork. 

Get organized- From doing the morning routine and making a to-do list each night, to writing down your ideas, to tracking metrics - there's one common denominator: you won't get anything done until you get organized. 

Keep detailed records- Keeping detailed records sounds like a really boring task, but it's important because there are a lot of things you may want to look at again later - so it's best to track everything now so that you don't have to go back and try to put the pieces of the puzzle together later on.

Understand the risks and rewards- There is a significant risk that comes with founding and growing a business. And understanding how to manage that risk is an important part of your role as an entrepreneur. If you're going to embark on such an endeavor, you need to understand the risks and the rewards associated with it.

Be creative- Building a startup is hard. Creating something new is always hard. But there's a secret that you may not know. Getting creative with how you solve problems doesn't just make your life easier, it can actually unlock massive opportunities for success.

Prepare to make sacrifices- Most people would love to start a company - and they'll even do it for the sheer love of the idea but there are many stages of a startup. If you want to build something that lasts long-term, there will be sacrifices along the way.

Provide great service- Your startup's success or failure hinges on how well you serve others. When you provide as much value as possible to your customers, team members, and partners, your dream will blossom. Your startup won't live unless it takes care of others and adds more value than it takes.

Stay focused- It's easy to get distracted when you're starting a company - there are so many things to do that can pull your focus away and lead you in a different direction. But if you want your startup to succeed, you need to focus on it.

Be Consistent- New startups are exciting and you want to keep the buzz going for as long as humanly possible. But the most important thing for a startup to do is have a plan, and execute on that plan every day - consistently. Part of being successful as an entrepreneur means being consistent. If we want to win, we need to be at the top of our game all the time.

Give value to your prospects- Never lose a lead: value your prospects by giving them something valuable. Give a free pdf, audiobook, free consultation, or whatever it is that will give them tangible and valuable information to help solve their problem.

Engage with your audience- A lot of people get caught up in growth, but how do you really grow your startup? Engagement is one of the biggest reasons that people decide to subscribe to your content and spend more time with you.

Get feedback- The answer to incremental improvement lies in getting feedback consistently from users or customers. If you want your startup to grow, figure out ways to ask for feedback on a regular basis, from as many people as possible. Then use different tools and strategies to collect that feedback.

Know when to pivot - Sometimes you get so caught up in the idea that when it doesn't grow, you stop putting time and effort into making it better, and then it dies. But there's a smarter way to take care of your idea; pivot until you find something that will grow.