What are the waves startups go through?

I was asked : 

What are the waves startups go through, how to notice them, and what to do?

SELF KNOWLEDGE: 

A period where you are measuring your strengths against the markets weaknesses. Markets have waves, they always seem unpredictable. Your ability to stay connected to your market will allow you to feel them.

The questions your market is asking is a lead. What causes your market to ask those questions is your prospect. Always analyse questions not cries.

KEEPING AN OPEN MIND

Allowing yourself the space; not trying to capture a big market at once stops you from wasting too much money on unnecessary equipment, letting creativity kick in when money isn't available.

PROCRASTINATION

Doubting that you are heading in the right direction is always on the minds of startups.

There is a difference between an entrepreneur and a business person.

An entrepreneur is still searching, while a business person is building while growing. There is a difference between a sugarcane seller and a sugar producer; Trading isn't business.

What you should remember is the fact that there are no bad ideas only bad implementation.

CONVICTIONS AND VALUES

You don't have to look like everyone, your style is dictated by the market you are trying to attract, in time you can create a transition "brand management". The financial, legal, Medical types of organisations need to look like they are in a straight jacket they belong to the safety level type of business groups however maybe you wish to service the gypsies or the rouges; do you need to dress to their party?. Style is better than fashion.

Constant improvement of your skills, tactics "brand management"; you don't owe your market your recipe but you owe them the dish. Create a broad menu list that have similar components but different methods of consumption. Can your customers do takeaways, eat in, have home delivery?

Just a vantage point; did our creator make different planets before he made the earth? He also experimented and never discarded any even if we may think the other planets arnt useful to us. Is there life on Mars? Remember you are building a universe within a universe. Nothing is ever useless even if it isn't yet used.

How You enter the market.

There is never enough money for advertising but you will always find money to implement. Look at the example of BlackBerry or any other major product developers. They advertise 3years before they produce or lunch their product. This way they are advertising not just to consumers but also to collaborative partners and investors.

After advertising, during the process of development they have a focus group (clients) that sit and evaluate the initial design, the collaborative partners add their skills to the product, investors put money into the product, contracts and revenue share agreements are signed and collaboratives again advertise but now the finished product.

This is why the phrase THINK BIG come's in handy.

If you are in business for making money, you will hesitate to make a commitment but if you believe in the product you will tie the ends of the intellectual property after your  concept is designed. Advertising a product that is not yet completed is a sign of commitment and puts you in a position to further implement it so not to fall on your face.

When your  concept is big then it can embrace a variety of partnerships and investments as everyone thinks differently and investments are made for different reasons.

No one will ever give money for advertising, people will only invest in assets. When marketers tell you you need to make marketing research It means advertise to draw in interested parties. Banks will give loans to a potential structure.

So the process is: Design- promote - build - advertise - sell.

This way you are also giving the market the opportunity to prepare for your product as the main hurdle is the markets fear for buying what they think they don't need often because they need to budget for it as they have prior commitments. This also allows you to define the right price or command it not talking of removing your competitors out of the way for starts.

Resistance is normal.

Resistance is normal. Whenever you try to introduce something new, you will get resistance. Just as a salesperson meets and overcomes objections so should the creative person learn to twick their creativity into overcoming the resistance to new ideas. Nevertheless it is still annoying.

Many startups need to follow the principle of welcoming. You are not to expect that everyone would embrace you from start, especially when you are unique. Often times you need to wait the time before you become part of the house furniture. Dealing with this means you make appearances, get to know your market see what they like or don't.

Your market is the babe\guy you like, make sure you have the principles to marry or she/he will turn bitter on you. There isnt much of a difference between business and building relationships however you must as a solution provider have principles you stand by.

A client business is a car and he requires a solution for his business to move. You need to look at all vantage points and bring all needed parties together. A client usually identifies a visible to him issue but the cause of his problems have variables.

A specific problem fixin can or most times result in chain reaction! As a startup that provides products, you must partner with management, social based solution providers that align in mission i.e specific industry focus teams.

If you are providing gadgets then its an off the shelf solution that the client is responsible for his choice, if it is effect 'service' based request you need to explore before making the offer of service and implementation timelines. This is why many startups get bad rep cos they rush to make a buck that eventually never gets paid off, you've wasted your time and the clients time; too expansive not just expensive a loss for both parties. Image is reputation!

What helps the WILL to win!

What helps the WILL to win!

step 1. Power "interest, value, experiences",

step 2. Scope: skill required, 

step 3. Personal SWOT, 

step 4. Goal SWOT, 

step 5. Action bridging step 3-4, 

step 6. Result Measuring to tweak, 

step 7. Rectify to complete.

Starting A Small Business -

Choose Something That Fits Your Personality Type

Opportunity is what they call creativity. Creativity depends on your personality. If you put a painting in front of 10 people most will give you different interpretations. The value is in what the artist wanted to convey. How others see it is a matter of perspective.

If Michaelangelo was painting for the public he would have created reality but his masterpieces are now priceless.....

Connect to it!

First and foremost if the idea you are looking at has no personal connection to you and you didn't overcome it you wouldn't connect to it however passion for something dosnt guarantee success because many don't know or follow the rules of development process!

One simple question would be to ask "what do you dream about?"In today's reality when you are talking to people you hear one answer " I have no time to Dream, I have to pay bills".

Let me ask; " those things that you are pursuing to possess on the shelf don't they represent someone's dream you are paying for? Why can't you invent something that would meet someone else's need/dream to come through so that you can make your dream come true together.

The main skill to acquire as an entrepreneur is Attitude! Attitude creates your vision towards success and implementation! Business men and women who have the wrong attitude seldom bring good towards the market and attract the backlash! Bad seeds sown never yield good results!
An idea has to transform into concept "ie creating a vision" prototyping "forming the mission" and roll out "formation of objectives" and only then it will start showing the projections of money making. Making money doesn't mean hard cash at start, its investment in the production of "value resources for the market" that you now can sell! We are in a world of resource production!

If you don't partner where will the initial capital come from?
If you don't develop different income streams how can one put a cashflow forecast?
If you don't develop a credit system how can you have continuum for projects and innovation?
If businesses are not branded how can one sustain presence?

Why dont employers employ people based on merit this days?

I was asked a question, why dont employers employ people based on merit these days?

I had to google up the definition of merit: CLAIM TO RESPECT AND PRAISE; EXCELLENCE; WORTH. Now this is not possible to evaluate just from an interview! It is a long process of assessment while working alongside your colleagues and bringing value over time! Merit retains you for the job, it dosnt qualify you for the job! Besides this, we do have gate keepers and many bosses that do not know how to get the right talent, nor do they start the process of employment properly!

Usually the boss doesn’t make the employment decision if the company is big, it is delegated to the HR manager or agent! There are 2 or 3 major flaws to this! First the HR manager will only select someone based on their perspective and we all know that as people we play with who we like not necessarily if they are good for us! Sorry professionalism exists only in the minds of those who have personal ethics and a sound business mind.

Usually HR qualified people from universities should not be practicing hr because many choose to go to uni now a-days just for the paper! Also people are chosen based on personality. The flaw here is that people are very poor judges of character as well as people are influenced by the environment, the true nature of a persons character is distorted due to nerves. Now the HR manager will also use his discretion on recommendation that is based on “who of the interviewed applicants can I manage” if you come across as too clever you may risk not being chosen because too clever people are considered hard to manage” even for the employer who dosnt have enough confidence in himself!

The problem also comes from the applicant, he sends standard cv’s with no personality or strategy! Employment is like talent hunt in soccer. A head hunter must notice you at your job and call you in for a better one! I often as an employer steal people I like and make them an offer its called headhunting after all my staff had been stolen so am i thought how to deal with poachers? There is a lot more to hr that many donot understand. HR is as complicated as life itself. Its about Human beings and bringing out the natural resources within them that can be implemented on the job!

By the way; did you try the abnormal way to stand out in your application for a job? When you follow you cant be a leader, even if someone sees you as crasy atleast you have made a mental note of yourself to be called back in due time. Does a fisherman go to the sea expecting to catch a wale with tiny a rope? When the employer is looking for a super hero why do you present yourself as a puppet?

The strategy i employ is "hire for attitude train for skill". I win all the time because no one knows my business better than me and their attitude shows during the induction training.

Executive ability is prominent in your make-up.

Entrepreneur "Executive" - Exceptional Individuality, you need to have a unique way of solving a problem first. This is gotten from engaging in activities and perfecting a skill in such a way that someone cant catch up with you soon. Always innovating, reinventing, merging with people of diverse minds.

Let me give you a funny example " in your hands you have a huge diamond, you look to your left you see greedy cops "government", on your right mafia "competitors" now you need to get past either of them. What do you do? 

Answer: turn into a mentally ill person, undress and wrap your diamond in your clothes and put it on your head. Yes you have to be crazy to survive as a startup, borderline mental in thought and action but with a mindset on your future image.

Why don't we like to execute? We don't know the principles of Fishing, Hunting and Farming! Which comes first is often the Chicken question, the strategy depends on the task you face!

Study this principle, build your processes and you will never go hungry!

Search, Research what you found and Deliver!

If you are an entrepreneur you are

a fisherman; Ask & you shall receive,

a hunter; Seek and you shall find,

a farmer; Sow and you shall rip!

Market; there is always fish in the waters, animals in the forest or seeds in the burning bush. 

Business; what boat, net, weapons or tools do you have or need to build?