The first three months of starting a business are the toughest. There are days when you’ll want to give up. You’ll be making decisions every moment. You’ll end up alone and scared.
Starting a business is a form of self-punishment that people dare to thrive in, and in which few succeed at. Here are some lessons you should keep in mind during the first three months of entrepreneurship. They should help your business thrive and succeed.
Create Short-Term Goals
Before you attempt anything, you need to create short-term goals and stick to them. One of the best qualities of entrepreneurs is their uncanny ability to set long-term goals. While vision is a powerful trait to have, it’s just as important to have short-term goals.
Use the scrum methodology when creating your short-term goals. One easy approach is to create a small goal for all seven days of the work. As soon as possible, cross off the short-term goals that lead you to your long-term goal.
Recruit Supporters
It’s important to have a team of supporters rooting for you along the way. There are going to be times when you’re burnt out and can’t go on anymore. One of the ways you can recover from burnout is to have a solid support group. Every time you enter your business every morning, you should feel energized and motivated by the people who are on your side.
If you’re going at it alone, then you’re going to hit rock bottom. Form your group by having your best friends, church friends, classmates, colleagues, high school friends, family, and friends by your side. Ask them for ongoing support and encouragement. You’re going to need it during the lowest points of the next three months.
Get Organized
Most entrepreneurs get hit with chaos syndrome at the beginning stages of their business. Everything is happening so fast that you don’t know how to slow down. You can’t find anything that you need. This is an important time to get organized.
Find an organization system and stick with it. There are plenty of organization systems on the internet. Don’t worry about which one is the right one to use. Just choose one and use it to your advantage.
Don’t be afraid to hire something to help you out. If your business isn’t getting the support it needs, don’t worry about it. Hire someone who can help you figure out the task at hand. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, which brings us to the next…
Ask for Help Before You Need It
One big mistake that most entrepreneurs make is not asking for help. You’ll need help at some point in your business. You may have it all together, but you can’t build a business without some sort of help. You’ll need to hire people to help you out before you know it.
Hire the right people for the job as soon as possible. You’ll be surprised at how long it takes to build a team for your startup. This process will involve posting jobs, onboarding, and recruiting candidates, all of which are expensive and time-consuming. The sooner you can get help, the faster you’ll be able to launch your business.
Make Fast Decisions
You don’t have time to waste when launching a business. There’s no need to go through a long decision-making process when deadlines need to be met. Make quick decisions as soon as possible. You’re going to make the wrong decisions, but it’s better than making no decision.
Fast decisions are the right decisions because they feel right at the moment. If your decision-making process is fast and efficient, then you can accelerate your startup to growth. Sitting on a decision will slow down your business and cause it to crumble. If you make the occasional wrong decision, you’ll learn from it and move on.
Don’t Listen to Your Critics
If you listen to your critics, then you’re not going to succeed. There are going to be people who will hate on your business for no reason. Most of these people don’t have a life and want to make someone else miserable because they’re not happy with their lives. If you listen to them, you’re never going to get anywhere with your business. Let them hate your business as you focus on your continued success.
Pivot Your Business
To pivot is similar to making fast decisions. It involves going with the flow as you hold onto what you learned. Small businesses that pivot are more likely to survive. In order to pivot, you’ll need a business model, market research platform, product, target customer, and vision. Your business will change a lot in the next three months and it’s up to you to keep up with it.
Starting a new business is tough. Most business owners don’t make it within the first year. If you have the commitment, the right knowledge, and the stamina, then you can make it through the next three months.
