With the proliferation of start-ups globally comes a deluge of advice couched under ingredients guaranteed for business success.
The 3 Essential Ingredients for [Business] Success
5 Ingredients [You Must Blend} Perfectly for Start-up Success
7 Key Ingredients for a Successful Start-up
These articles are aptly directed. They are well-meaning, good-intentioned. Because Lord knows that, in Africa, the path to start-up success is paved with mishaps, trial and error, and upheavals. Founders can do with all the assistance and guidance that they can get. And these articles seem to shine a light in the right start-up direction.
Unfortunately, helpful as they are in one breath, they can also present overwhelming and confusing data in the very next. This can cause founders to second guess some steps in their entrepreneurial paths.
Therefore, this article aims to achieve neither of these two goals. Admittedly, it will add to the mass of supportive information about this topic on the web, but it is hoped that at the end of it, founders can settle on one, two or three on the list, put them to work, and watch their businesses flourish.
Additionally, this list is by no means exhaustive but will go a long way in creating sweet-smelling start-ups of success.
A bowl of people: The single, most valuable resource of any start-up. People with the right attitude, passion and skills are instrumental to growth. All units working individually, and collectively, when necessary, to achieve specific business goals, contribute immensely to the success of the start-up.
A tablespoon of timing: Timing, according to experts, might be the most important ingredient for start-up success. Sadly, it can be subjective and difficult to navigate. Founders, introducing your product to the market too soon may tank it. Introducing it too late and an opportunity might have been lost. Before launching, ask: are customers ready for this?
A large helping of passion: Because there will be tough and demanding times. Challenges and obstacles will rock your start-ups, dear founders. And sometimes all you want to do is quit. But your passion and love for what you do will not only keep you grounded and motivated but will also ripple through your team to boost morale.
Handfuls of planning: Every start-up needs a business plan; it is the starting point of the business – one of the living things of the enterprise and usually shows that you, the founder, have gathered your thoughts about the business in an orderly fashion (financials, swot analysis, projections, etc.) and should be taken seriously. Doing this before launching the business saves a lot of headaches, time, and money.
Several packets of support: No person is an island. This also rings true for founders. Going it alone can be one hard and lonely journey that no one should undertake. Every start-up (and founder) needs support, and this can be found within the family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow founders – both online and physically – who either understand the challenges plaguing founders and can proffer the necessary aid or can function as a required listening ear.
