Crucial Stages of Startup Development

Startups are developed for entrepreneurs to search for profitable, sustainable and scalable business replicas. Startups will eventually lead to success or complete failure. Some believe that a startup is a smaller version of an established business, but that’s just not the case. There must be a great deal of flexibility on your part to deal with high-end changes and risks that lay ahead. That’s why only a small percentage of these businesses survive.

With so many businesses on the internet, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find a niche that isn’t already saturated. The more saturated a niche becomes, the harder it will be to break in and actually build a targeted audience. Another major problem with startup businesses is the financial support whether through self-financing, loans or investments.

Another problem entrepreneurs run into is creating a technical team of experts. It’s difficult to assemble qualified people if you do not have the resources. It takes months to pull together a good team which can slow down the progression of their products.

Building a startup is about solving problems

The bottom line, you must have a product that customers want and are willing to pay for. Here are some suggestions to help your startup business become successful:

Many startups will target commercial products but do not take the time to research to see if a given product is compatible to their business. You need to be in contact with potential customers to understand what they are looking for and need. Ask yourself if a potential customer has a specific problem and can you offer a solution?

Branding is a critical stage for startup development. Understanding customers through the engagement of a brand should be taken into consideration. Customers, as a general rule, will purchase branded products over what might be best for them. You must find the right name and the right concept behind your product. This stage falls under what is referred to as “intellectual property”. You must make sure your product is secure through copyrights and trademarks. That includes your domain name and your marketing materials.

Think very carefully about incorporating your business. Incorporating makes a business a legal entity and you need to decide which form your business should fall under. The majority of startups incorporate as an LLC, C Corporation or S Corporation. An LLC and S Corporation are given tax exemptions while S Corporations are taxable. Again, do your homework before making a decision because it will affect your business.

The Importance of Building Credibility as a Startup

Another crucial step for success is getting a team of co-founders. As much as you might not want to, many startups will fail if they do not have a team of co-founders. Many investors will look at a business’ team before deciding whether it’s worth investing in or not. It is very ill-advised that you include relatives or friends on your team. Due to overall stress in starting your business, you could lose friends and relatives along the way.

Develop a business plan that will lay out your goals, methodologies, anticipated expenditures, and income. It is highly advisable that you get with professional managers and/or consultants to help you write a solid plan. Finding the best location for your business can depend on whether you need a specific facility or environment. It can be very expensive to rent space, so you might want to get a co-working space instead.

At this stage, you need to consider how and where you are going to the get funds you will need, including your overall expenses. You could opt for a fundraising, an investor or with a traditional VC firm. Just keep in mind, whatever money you borrow on loans or investments, at some point they must be paid back or share in the profits. Think about this stage before jumping in head first.

Mentors can play a very important role in developing your startup business. They can bring in a strong understanding of a given industry and will offer a great deal of wisdom. You need mentors to help you get through the challenges that may lay ahead. Also, they can teach you how to be a leader, not become the leader. Mentors can accelerate your development, help to speed up your business’ growth, provide expert networking and, in some cases, make small investments. A mentor or accelerator program might help you achieve the business success you’re aiming for.

Main Image: #WOCinTech Chat

About Binariks: Binariks has been building software products for more than 10 years. SCRUM is their most popular framework for complex outsourcing projects.