Why Every Entrepreneur Needs Perspective
Understanding the business basics of your start-up is tough … and that’s the easy part. Trust me, while rewarding and potentially lucrative, the road to a successful start-up is littered with good intentions.
Today, the onslaught of new technologies makes everything more complicated. Because your customers lead digital lifestyles, almost every start-up (regardless of what you’re selling) is going to need an “app” or some kind custom software. Like it or not, that makes you directly dependent on technology and how it works within your business.
Now while some people might think having app makes things easier, and in some cases it does, it’s usually the opposite. Apps, and everything that goes along with them, are wonderful but complex creatures with the power to surprise, challenge and amaze you. Even if you have the people in place to develop the app, you still will need to have a product roadmap, a go-to-market strategy, and a plan to service and support your users. This is going to stretch your already small staff in ways you may not even realize.
While all this can sound daunting, it’s really a good thing. Stretching you team, bumps in the road, feeling uncomfortable all lead to productive growth. Almost everything I bring to the table today comes from what I learned from my own entrepreneurial ventures … particularly the importance of building perspective.
It’s All About Perspective
The influx of new technologies we see today causes constant changes in customer behavior and needs. Without foresight and perspective, you will never be able to correctly anticipate these needs and respond to them in a timeframe that makes sense for your business.
Most entrepreneurs get too involved in their own ideas. We need external influences to take our blinders off and bring us down from the clouds. From the earliest days of running my company, I was always researching, talking and collaborating with my peers. I was hungry for mentors and eager to get advice from people smarter than myself.
Another way to gain perspective and stay grounded is to surround yourself with others more experienced than you – particularly if their insight and expertise is from diverse and unrelated fields. While there is much to consider when selecting and defining the role of Advisory Board members, the right board can play an instrumental role in lowering your risk and increasing your chances of success by adding another layer of skill, experience and perspective when you need it most.
Ask Stupid Questions
For entrepreneurs, there’s never a shortage of advice and suggestions. When Creatix was in start-up mode, we pretty much heard it all and got quite skilled at asking those stupid questions as well as the difficult ones. I always found the most valuable questions were those that required someone to actually say what they think …not just want they know. These were the answers that gave us the perspective to identify problems and give our bright ideas the necessary reality checks.
Today, every business is a tech business. Although you might not even realize it, in one way or another your new company is a technology company. Within a year after your product gets out the door, you will be using software to differentiate it, fix a customer problem, retain customers, find new ways to generate revenue, build new revenue, and keep that competitive edge. In other words, to innovate!
Take the extra time to now to keep asking questions -- even stupid ones – and build perspective. Few things are important for growing your business and your mind.
For more of my perspectives on starting and growing start-ups, visit my blog at Creatix.
