The Pillars of a Successful Startup

Startups are known for their rate of failure. A fantastic idea might not have the right financial backing in order to see it fully realised, or perhaps the business owner’s vision didn’t align with the potential of their product. There are many things that will see a startup fail, so here are the pillars of what will make or break your company.

Communication

A successful startup knows how to communicate. Not just with its customers, but also with investors, suppliers, contractors and even employees. With the right software, communication can be very easy to handle, but you also need relevant hardware in order to make the most of it. For instance, Skype is one of the most basic forms of communication that a startup uses. It requires a headset or a microphone to use and it’s cheap, but there isn’t a whole lot more you can praise it for.

In comparison, a hardware phone such as the ones from Commander could be the solution you need. They’re capable of forwarding voice messages to your email and even redirecting calls automatically. This makes them extremely useful tools for a busy startup that relies on remote employees. Communication also means that your company is more than willing to get on social media, answer questions, and even respond to feedback about your products and services.

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Diversity

Diversifying your product has to be done if you want to be more than just a simple startup. If you aren’t changing, upgrading or improving your product in some way, then it’ll be outclassed by competitors sooner or later and you won’t be able to catch up. This is why you need to constantly be reading or listening to customer feedback.

Your product isn’t perfect and it’s unlikely you’ll ever make the perfect product. This means you have to listen to your customers in order to get ideas and advice for how to change it in the future. Your audience is ultimately going to be your motivation for improving or changing your product, so listen to them for advice but take what they say with a grain of salt. Your analytics and market research will show a larger picture than just one angry social media user who doesn’t like a small change you’ve made.

Employee Satisfaction

Something that very few entrepreneurs get right the first time is how to treat their employees. Those mistakes can be categorised into two terms: micromanagement and macromanagement. Some employers take micromanagement far too seriously and they’ll look over the shoulders of their staff, try to manage every single detail and abuse the control they have over their company.

On the other hand, macromanagers tend to focus too much on the big picture. This means they fail to see what’s really going on in their business, and their lust for business growth overshadows their employee’s satisfaction This leads them to overlook the importance of keeping their staff engaged and their well-being and safety. You need to learn how to mix both these concepts in order to balance your role in the workplace and improve your business’s productivity.


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