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Ayush Jangra ✦

What advice would you give someone who is starting their own company?

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I wish someone had told me how much time it would take. I was so naive when I started my company, thinking that it would be easy to get off the ground and make a name for myself. What I didn't realize until later is that there's so much work involved in building a business and so many things that can go wrong. I'm grateful for my experience now, but if I could go back and tell myself something about starting a company, it would be: "Don't expect things to go smoothly. And if you had to pivot... PIVOT!"
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Valentine Osnovyanenko
Look for quick growth, not the good enough revenue
Ayush Jangra ✦
@osnovyanenko I've been in startups before, and while the amount of money you can make is definitely important, it's also important to look at how fast you're growing. If you aren't growing quickly enough, you'll run out of gas before you really get started!
Aphelia T.
@osnovyanenko @ayushjangra this is so true
Vishal Patel
When starting a company, it is important to have a clear vision and a well-defined business plan. Research your market and competition, and be prepared to adapt as necessary. Surround yourself with a strong team and make sure to have a solid financial plan in place. It's also essential to maintain a positive attitude and stay persistent, as starting a company can be challenging. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for help and seek out mentors who can guide you along the way.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@vishal_patel15 Agreed!! Take it one step at a time and not get overwhelmed by the process. Once you start, it's important to keep moving forward and stay focused on your goals. I would also say that it's important to be prepared for the challenges that come along with starting a new business, but don't let them overwhelm you. You'll learn as you go!
Aphelia T.
@vishal_patel15 a strong team is incredibly important! It's best sharing the experience with people you can trust and rely on.
Andjela Milojevic
I would say, prepare for the uncertainty, have some savings just in case and prepare to endure a lot of work hours and extra time especially in the early stages.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@andjela_milojevic1 That's good advice! I think it's also important to try to stay focused on the end goal of your business. The journey is going to be tough, but if you keep your eye on the prize, it will all be worth it in the end!
John Stephen Aïmond Banson
If there's one thing I can tell anyone starting their own company, it's to fail better. To build consistently without fear and without restrictions. It's hard to get started, and harder to keep going, but you get used to it. Forget the 2-5 year range that's used as a benchmark standard to measure the success of most startups. It could take years before you make your first $1. Since you're doing it you might as well go all in and do it for the long haul. The more time you spend on your company the more you learn about your customers and how you can serve them better. Solve problems and not trends. Trends grow quickly and die, but problems never end. Do what's needed before doing what's wanted. It's easy to get lost in the goal of building a $B company but you'll only get there by building great products/services and acquiring loyal users who would choose you over your biggest competitors. Count your failures as learning milestones, not as evidence that it doesn't work. Failures help you shape ideas into perfection. And if the startup idea isn't working you can always change the plan and pivot. But if possible, please don't give up on your company. There are enough failed startups to overflow the Pacific. I think it's better that your company was counted as a not-so-successful company than an abandoned idea in a sea of abandoned ideas. ...okay that's more than one thing 😅😅😅.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@blarckat I love your advice! I'm a big believer in the power of failing, and I think it's important to not be afraid to do so. It's also important to know when you're failing because you're going in the wrong direction and need to change course, versus just failing because it's a hard thing to do. I think you've hit on something really key here... 💯
Aamir Virani
Make sure you understand your users and what they are trying to accomplish. And if you don't have any yet, then write down your hypothesis on who they are and track them down to ask what they are trying to accomplish.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@aamir Get to know your users and their needs, and then build your product around those needs. I've seen a lot of companies fail because they didn't do this, they created something cool and then just thought about how much money they could make off it. That's not enough. People don't buy products; they buy solutions that solve their problems. If your product doesn't solve someone's problem, it won't last long enough for you to make any money off it.
Raju Singh
Wisemen say you can't do everything in your startup: So Delegate. But whatever makes money for your business, be your first hardest-working Employee. Whatever makes money, learn that Art, Master, and then only Delegate!
Ayush Jangra ✦
@imraju I think what you're saying can be summed up in the fact that if you have a vision for your business, you need to know how to execute that vision. As long as you can do that, then delegate everything else!
Raju Singh
@ayushjangra You should know how to execute and should have executed. Skin in the game is so underrated but its most critical while you are early in your startup journey.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@imraju I'm with you. It's important to have a lot of skin in the game..
Aphelia T.
@imraju this is such an amazing piece of advice. Delegating is a skill by itself :)
SpencerZ
The core of the company is its personnel, and we need to find some like-minded friends. And find some people who have experience in this field as a consultant.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@zheng_changsong Thanks for sharing Spencer! 😊
Tobias Enholm
Be compassionate. Both to yourself, your co-founder(s) and your team. It's hard to perform if you build up long term stress around performance, stepping outside of yourself and "advice" from a compassionate mindset has helped me a lot.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@tobias_enholm This is really soo true. I think we can all be a little hard on ourselves and each other, especially when we're not getting results. But if you can keep your eye on the prize and remember what's really important, none of us will ever feel like they need to step outside of themselves. Thanks Tobias for sharing this. 🙏
Tobias Enholm
@ayushjangra great topic you brought up, a lot of good advice in here :)
Aju G
The journey of an entrepreneur will be challenging, but if you don't enjoy the process, the end goals will ultimately leave you feeling unsatisfied.
Ayush Jangra ✦
@aju_g_nair I love this! I think it's so important to enjoy the journey, and to focus on the process. Too often people get caught up in the end goal and forget that there are a lot of amazing things along the way.
Aju G
@ayushjangra Had to learn it the hard way!
Ruben Lozano
Hey! Launch value MVPs, get feedback and pivot. Take your first draft persona and create an MVP and ask (and measure with analytics tools) what else they need to get the job done. And repeat. Add value, add value, add value. How do you add value?
Ayush Jangra ✦
@rubenlozanome It's so important to focus on the customer and their needs, rather than just your own idea of what they might need. I'm glad you brought up the concept of MVPs. I think it's important for new companies to start small and grow from there. Thanks for sharing this!
Ruben Lozano
@ayushjangra yes, I agree with you. Imagine you develop the whole product with a bunch of features that a few see some value. I totally agree, MVP and test it, get feedback qualitative and quantitative and pivot. Thanks for asking. This question makes me organise the ideas. :)
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