The Secret Of A Successful Startup

Successful companies start with a great idea that turns into a great product. The key is to find that great product and then start selling it. Everything else is just window dressing.  In the process of selling your products to your first customers, you will learn a lot about what is right and what is wrong.  Those lessons will help you make adjustments to your business before you get too far down the road.

When I work with startups, I’m always amazed at how many things they think they need to do in order to start their business.  I counsel them to just concentrate on selling their product. For example, the time they spend writing a business plan is much better spent creating revenue because most business plans become obsolete the minute a new company opens its doors.

I recently came across a book by Chris Guillebeau called The $100 Startup. His premise is that most of the stuff we do when starting a business isn’t necessary. It’s well worth reading and reinforces the idea that in the startup phase, all you really need is a good product and some customers. Over time, the rest will take care of itself.

- barney