The Top Ten Ways to Make your Startup an Immediate Success

Although there's one new startup created every three seconds, one recent Small Business Administration report stated: "About half of all new establishments in the U.S. survive only the first five years..." Nevertheless, the desire to create, launch and grow a business enterprise has never been greater. That being said, let's examine in our article below the top ten ways to make your startup an immediate success. 1- Develop a Plan, and Stick with It: This entails more than the average business plan that one takes to a financier to obtain funding. Essentially, this is the detailed blueprint you'll be using on a day-by-day basis. 2- Have Clear Pricing/Rate Guidelines: When you get your first client is not the time to develop pricing guidelines. Knowing your break-even point and profit line is a must for startups. Likewise, recognize that your rates should reflect the value of your service and not just what it costs to produce your products. 3- Picking the Right Name and Right Domain: In today's Internet environment, having an undistinguished name like Yahoo and Rotten Tomatoes is an advantage. Likewise, knowing how to choose a domain name that adheres to SEO strategies is equally important. 4- Start Your Own Buzz: Thinking up ways to get people to talk about your enterprise, services or products is of utmost importance. Start spinning your own identity, and keep your firm up front. 5- Familiarize Yourself With Social Media: Along with knowing how to "buzz," you'll also need to know social media. You'll soon learn that being a social media marketer is somewhat different from simply posting on Facebook and Twitter. 6- Get Mobility-Minded: Today, having a web site is not enough unless it can be viewed on a hand-held device. This calls for different marketing and development strategies. 7- Don't Be A Giant-Slayer--Just Yet: Keeping your eyes on the big players in your industry is not a good strategy; however, focusing on your own resources, goals and funding is the way to go. 8-Listen to Feed-Back from Your Customer Base: According to recent marketing studies, 93 percent of all business customers named a lack of customer service as being the number one reason they don't return to a business. 9- Phone System Capabilities: In today's world of startups, having reliable and viable phone systems such as provided by superior communication firms like Facet Corp, is a must. 10- Don't Minimize the Global Market: Being global-minded is mandatory for recognition, funding and growing your customer base in today's global economy. Exploring the Asian, European, Latin and Middle Eastern markets can catapult your startup faster than you ever imagined. Having said all this, let's be mindful that the best strategy for any startup has proved to be word-of-mouth advertising, great products and services and a client base that appreciates these virtues.