Startups are nothing but professional manifestations of an idea. Thousands of startups are thought about and initiated all around the world every year, but only a few of them really succeed. Others are either bought off or never even start producing what they are supposed to. But have you ever thought about why this is the case?
The answer lies in two concepts – implementation and problem resolution. The implementation of your idea lies at the core of your startup and determines how well it will end up doing. However, even during the implementation of the idea, it is likely that you will come across several problems that might hinder the progress of your startup. Here is a list of these challenges and how you can deal with them.
- The Market
The first and most difficult hurdle that you will face as a startup founder will be the market you are up against. Regardless of how novel your idea is, you will always find companies with the capacity to replicate it in the market. You are a new entrant, and there are several established companies that have a greater number of resources than you currently do.
The best way for budding startups to tackle this issue is to find a niche that other companies can’t enter or might not find immediately profitable to enter. This way, you will be the only player in this niche and can scale up from there.
- Short-Term Approach
Startups are generally based on a small idea that needs to be scaled. A short-term approach will lead to significant challenges down the line. If you only think about the money you can make in the immediate future, your prospects of being a major force in the market will immediately suffer a blow.
It is certainly not wrong to think about your immediate future. But every decision must be made keeping in mind the impact it will have on the long term. This way, you will be able to strike a fine balance between the two approaches.
- Hiring
As a founder, and especially if this is your first startup, you will likely face difficulties in determining the kind of candidates to hire. The expectations that candidates have of their companies can often be just as high as those of companies from their employees. Extremely talented candidates might also cost you a lot more, while more economical options might not provide you the kind of efficiency you need.
Your workforce is the lifeblood of your company. As such, the quality of your employees should be your first priority. Try to cut down on peripheral expenses to ensure that your workforce is the best in the field.
- Financial Management
From incorporating a company to running it, every step requires financial management of some kind. Financial management, including obtaining funding and spending the funds obtained, is one of the most important parts of running a startup. However, both these tasks can cause significant challenges if this is your first startup.
As a startup founder or even a high-ranking employee, it is essential that you educate yourself regarding financial management, especially with regard to entrepreneurial ventures. This can include reading up, talking to other founders, and taking courses on the subject.
- Cybersecurity
If your startup deals with customer data, the security of the data must be at the top of your mind when you begin offering your services. Additionally, all the data that you store concerning the running of your company, employee details, finances, legal documents, and so forth must also be far from the reach of nefarious elements online.
First off, check the data privacy rules of the countries and regions you wish to operate in and make sure that you are within the legal boundaries. Also, make sure that your systems, whether physical or cloud-based, are covered by high-quality cybersecurity apparatus.
- Reaching Out
Among the major challenges you will face as a startup will be reaching out to customers and differentiating yourself from your competition. Customers will automatically gravitate toward a company that gives them the benefits that another company cannot.
To make your way around this challenge, it is essential that you kick off with offers for your first customers and draw them away from the competition. This can be a great way of gaining customers, especially if you don’t have a clear USP – though it might impact your bottom line for a few years.
Closing Thoughts
Being a startup founder is not an easy task, and you are bound to face at least a few challenges in your journey of establishing a new company. However, the success of your company and that of you as a founder depends on how you tackle these obstacles. The above tips will enable you to establish a startup and gain an edge over your competition.
