Starting your business is like planting a seed. First, you have to invest your time and money. Then, you must take care of it while expecting nothing in return. But when your startup starts to grow, it makes all the patience and hard work worthwhile.
However, like seed, many startups fail to grow and many die one-to-three years after launch. While there are many factors leading to the failure of a startup, one of the reasons is the lack of expert advice founders may need to receive.
Here are 10 pieces of startup advice from seasoned entrepreneurs to help you propel your businesses in the right direction and stay motivated when you need it the most.
- “You have to see failure as the beginning and the middle, but never entertain it as an end.”-Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO of Stella & Dot
2. “Don’t get distracted. Never tell yourself that you need to be the biggest brand in the whole world. Start by working on what you need at the present moment and then what you need to do tomorrow. So, set yourself manageable targets.” -Jas Bagniewski, Co-Founder of Eve Sleep
3. “If we tried to think of a good idea, we wouldn’t have been able to think of a good idea. You just have to find the solution for a problem in your own life.” -Brian Chesky, Co-founder of Airbnb
4. “Selling is not a pushy, winner-takes-all, macho act. It is an empathy-led, process-driven, and knowledge-intensive discipline. Because, in the end, people buy from people.” -Subroto Bagchi, Co-founder of Mindtree
5. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”– Albert Schweitzer
6. “The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself—the invisible, inevitable battles inside all of us—that’s where it’s at.”
— Jesse Owens
7. “Ignore the hype of the startups that you see in the press. Mostly, it’s a pack of lies. Half of these startups will be dead in a year. So, focus on building your business so you can be the one left standing.” -Jules Pieri, Co-founder and CEO of The Grommet
8. “It’s important to realize that brand is much more than a logo and slogan. A brand is who your company is: how you function and make decisions.” -Joanna McFarland, Co-founder of HopSkipDrive
9. Don’t assume that borrowing lots of money can make your startup fly. There are many things to the business other than investors, and it’s possible to succeed with your startup without breaking the bank.” -Barnaby Lashbrooke, Founder of Time Etc.
10. “Don’t try to do everything by yourself, but try to connect with people and resources. Having that discipline and perseverance is really important.” -Chieu Cao, Co-founder of Perkbox
