6 Things Young Entrepreneurs Should Know Before Starting Up
A successful entrepreneur not only satisfies his creative ideas but also contributes to society
An entrepreneur is someone who attempts to dream with a strong vision and finds ways to actualize it through innovative ideas and hard work. As Walt Disney said, “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Beginning with courage followed by hard work, strategic planning and ways to execute them systematically is the foundation for business success. Striving hard and not surrendering to failures but instead learning from them should be the motto that every entrepreneur should follow. A successful entrepreneur not only satisfies his creative ideas but also contributes to society at large.
If you are young entrepreneur venturing into a new business and are looking at what you should know before putting yourself out there, here are five things you ought to keep in mind
1) Know your market and your product :
If you are truly passionate about an idea, the first step is to spend time on market research. Understand your target audience, their needs, and challenges. Interact with potential customers to know more about how your idea can help solve a problem. Take the time to understand if your product will stand out in a crowded market. If there are too many competitors, find your niche. Work towards creating a product or solving a problem that’s unique.
2) Find a mentor :
When you are starting out young, it’s easy to get carried away with your idea and lose focus from the larger picture. Find a mentor who can guide you with business strategies, crunch numbers, connect you to the right group of people and provide insights about the market. An experienced mentor can play a key role in the success of your business.
3) Network, network, network :
Networking is a must if you want more people to know about your company or generate business leads. Identify networking events that are specific to your industry and make it a point to attend these events regularly. Participating in these events will help you build connections, identify new trends in your industry, help you hire the right talent and build visibility for your business.
4) Transparency :
Maintain transparency across all the stakeholders involved in the business especially customers. Don’t fool your customers just to satisfy sales. Be transparent about what your product is good for and what it is not good for. It’s not easy to maintain transparency across all aspects but once you start practicing it, positive results are bound to follow. Additionally, it also helps to build a great brand image.
5) Perseverance :
Perseverance is an important trait for an entrepreneur. Never give up on the idea that you are passionate about. When you start out young, you have the advantage of time. If Plan A does not work, be ready with a contingency plan. The concept of overnight success rarely works in business. There might be multiple rough moments in your entrepreneurial journey, dust it off and keep working towards your goal.
6) Outreach and Marketing :
While running the day to day operations, it’s easy to ignore the other aspects such as marketing and branding. A great idea is just an idea if no one knows about it. People are only familiar with a brand if they’re made familiar with it. Marketing is an important and essential tool for reaching out to the desired market. It’s important to effectively explain why people must buy your product or invest in your idea.