Starting A Business? Five Critical Tips

Thinking About Starting A Business? Five Critical Tips For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Starting your own business is a goal that many people aspire to. However, it’s not as easy as it initially seems. There are financial risks, not to mention numerous other pitfalls or dead ends that can pose significant issues for the unprepared or unwary.

But despite the risks, without taking concrete action, your goals will remain just dreams or half-formed plans. So how do you decide you’re ready to take on that greater challenge?

1. Stop Waiting For The Perfect Time

If you are waiting for the perfect time to do anything, it will never come. Decide what it is you want to do, commit to it and go. For me, it’s all about the process. The most fun part of a business (as an owner or an employee) is during growth and phases of change, and that’s what I enjoy and live for. If you work hard and get others to share in your vision, everything else will fall into place.

2. Identify What’s Missing

What in your area of expertise, singly or combined with a partner or partners, is missing from the current business landscape? When you’ve effectively answered that question and exactly identified how to plan to fill that need or needs, you’re ready to take the leap.

3. Don’t Be Afraid Of Failure

I wanted to create a next-gen VC firm investing in AI-enabled and frontier tech companies. The time was right to go after the enterprise and security markets and shape a new platform designed to serve founders, portfolio companies and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. My advice is, take the plunge, and pursue the opportunity. If you’re afraid of failing, remember that failure is celebrated in entrepreneurship

4. Meet These Two Conditions

To me, a founder must meet two conditions before graduating an idea to a startup: there is a discrete, testable hypothesis that can validate demand, and there is some proof or validation that demand exists at a scale large enough to support growth. Once a founder has both, it’s a matter of testing the hypothesis as a natural first step, and there is some clarity in initial execution.

5. Take A Leap Of Faith

Starting your own business is always a big decision. It’s not easy to leave the cushion of job security and your current comfortable lifestyle and jump into the chaotic and demanding life of business. No matter how much you research and discuss with family and friends, in the end it’s always the leap of faith that makes you step into the business world. Have faith in yourself and jump aboard!