It’s hard to forget that first buzz you got when you decided to start your company. It could only be surpassed by the moment you appointed your team and lay roots in what would be your first office. Fast forward to now, and things have started to stagnant a little. Nervous energy has been replaced with, well… nerves about the future.
If you’re looking to reinvigorate your growth and once again thrust your flag into that fertile market share, here’s how you can get started.
But first, finances
No one thing has the power to cast your business into legitimacy or crumple it where it stands quite like financing. Without the aid of small business accounting software, entrepreneurs have lost precious hours hunched over a spreadsheet approving spends and administering payments.
Needless to say, a waste of the talent they clearly possess. Placing this responsibility in the hands of leading software providers or a dedicated professional will allow you to get back to innovating, shackle free.
Find a mentor
Good advice is worth every penny, and yet so many promising businesses will only look to engage a mentor when it’s too late. Finding a mentor will allow you to run ideas past an industry leader, with the opportunity to tweak or re-group based on their insights.
Contrary to popular belief, sometimes it’s preferable to seek a mentor outside of your sector so you aren’t inhibited by industry standards and red tape. A key consideration to remember is that just because you have identified the right person to be your mentor, does not mean they have the capacity to take you on. Discuss this opportunity before you are married to the idea.
Prioritise
Start-ups have received a deserved stereotype for trying to do too many things at once. Thriving in a fast-paced state can be the consequence of an under-resourced environment, but sometimes doing everything is the last thing you should do for your business. Hear us out. When you try and master too many things, what happens? They get done, but not with the same attention and detail required to make the impact.
Have a frank discussion with your team (and self) about what is critical, and start by prioritising those crucial items. Prioritising your workload will give you the chance to impart your innovation and wisdom in the way you want, rather than spreading your attention across fifteen other things.
Map your journey
It might seem strange to be considering how far you have come when you should be looking forward to the future. But it’s only in these retrospective moments that we really understand just how much we are doing, and the large strides that have already been taken.
Mapping your start-up journey will allow you to spot the peaks and pits, and work to re-engineer those magic moments. It’s also a great morale booster if you find your team are waning a little bit in those inevitable stagnate moments.
Make room for inspiration
Be honest, are you feeling inspired at every hour of the day? Likely not, which is more common than not. You should be aiming for some daily inspiration however, whatever form that may come in. Perhaps it’s a walk around a local green space, or time to devote to your craft in a non-commercial capacity. Find your inspiration and try and draw upon it each day so that you resist burn out and stay engaged.
Experiencing the highs and lows of start-up land is something you need to go through to understand. And while this lifestyle may be depicted as fast and fabulous, there are quieter moments that require you to seek reinvigoration so give these periods their due.