Do you dread Monday mornings? Are you living for the weekend?

If this is the case, the thought of leaving your job and starting a business must have occurred to you several times.

Gone are the days where entrepreneurship was only for risk takers and brave hearted people. Since the start of the 21st century, entrepreneurship has taken the world by storm. And if you take a closer look, every other person you’ve met would have worked for a startup, or is heading one, or planning to launch one.

However, the notion of starting a business will make you feel confused, intimidated and exhilarated at once.

When you’re preparing to march towards the world of entrepreneurship with your profound business ideas, there are some pointers you have to keep in mind.

Knowing about these will help you leverage the highs and sail through the lows of your startup life.

Security

When you’re starting a business, you will have ideas for seeking funds.

A competitor or an employee could snatch the idea and use it as their own, and leave your business with little recourse.

Idea theft is one of the biggest ongoing threats you will face in your startup life.

Even though a majority of people aren’t out to steal your ideas, there is still a possibility.

Some of the few steps you can take to prevent theft when you begin to share your ideas are,

(A) Avoid revealing too much

When pitching to clients, only give the details that will convey the idea. It is not necessary to share every little aspect of how your product or service works.

Although you have to make an exception when pitching to investors as they would want to find out the financial risks involved.

(B)Non-Disclosure Agreement(NDA)

A non-disclosure agreement will protect your idea before you reveal it to workers or associates.

Investors will balk if you ask them to sign an NDA before you speak with them. Since the ball is in their court, you’ll have to give it up.

For potential clients, just include a confidentiality statement on your business plan.

Put whatever you can in writing as having a paper trail will be helpful in legal situations.

2. Digital Marketing

Nothing fuels a startup like sales.

One of the biggest challenges when starting a business is creating a unique identity for your business.

As old conventional ways of marketing are becoming expensive, in today’s scenario, digital marketing is a convenient option as it won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

You must be aware that startup marketing is not a one-and-done task. It not only deserves a prominent spot on your to-do-list but, its own list that is constantly evolving.

However, as a startup, you will have a lot to accomplish with limited resources. So you have to find an alternative way to achieve this.

Remember, when you save dollars, you must make an investment in time.

Many established experts have written free guides specifically for start-up digital marketing. These guides will be helpful to establish and build your brand in the online world. Here’s a list of my favorite guides,

The Beginners Guide To Online Marketing- QuickSprout

The Ultimate Guide To Startup Marketing- Kissmetrics

The Noob Guide to Online Marketing (With Giant INFOGRAPHIC)- Moz

Digital Marketing Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide-Neil Patel

Digital marketing is huge. There are so many different channels and techniques that have to be followed. It can be confusing too.

Rather than worrying about it, another alternative is to get help from a company that provides digital marketing services.

Even though it is a bit expensive, the exposure your startup could get because of this will be priceless.

3. Boost Launch Excitement

One of the most pivotal moments when you’re starting a business is when it launches.

You may have a groundbreaking product or service to offer but, without building anticipation, your business will fall flat.

Prior planning will always prevent poor performance. If you succeed in this phase, your growth will be accelerated once you launch to the public.

Some ways to make a strong pre-start for your business are:

Explain how your product or service will make a change.

What makes your idea innovative?

Make a note on your target market’s mindset.

Find an influencer to make an impact on public perception.

Create a web page with sign-ups.

Hold exciting contests.

As businesses are becoming more data-driven, no matter what you do, track and analyze everything. Capture every element that is necessary to maximize your online efforts.

Launching a business is already stressful. So you must do the proper due diligence to build excitement before your launch. When you make prior preparations, the experience will be exciting and tension-free.

4. Pre Launch Website

An easy way of delivering information about your business to interested parties is by having a pre launch website.

Pre launching a website can be a huge event when starting a small business website. Remember, what you do before your launch can impact your post launch success too.

Even though nothing would make you happier than to get your website out there, you owe it to your business to double check certain aspects.

Make sure your cross verify the below points with your graphic designer and other members involved in your website creation.

Cross-browser functionality

Cross-device functionality

Image Optimization

Link testing

Content editing

If in case you have done SEO maintenance for your website, make sure you conduct an SEO review too.

Additionally, have a countdown towards your launch date to build excitement among your target market.

5. Run Beta Tests

Beta testing is not only for software and project managers. Even products and services require nurturing as they have become community driven.

Many seem to be in denial about the potential hype they can get by beta testing products or services.

With the insights you get from beta testing, you can get things right before your product or service launch.

A beta test is something that is not totally completed. By performing this, you will be able to find out potential bugs in your plans.

Some of the advantages of beta tests are,

Cost effective way to test quality of product or service.

Measurement of acceptance rate.

Helps to prepare for final launch.

Data can be collected from investors.

Formulation of marketing plan.

Determining cost.

We have heard disastrous startup failure stories. It happens because founders fail to deliver what people want and they don’t try hard enough.

Starting a business is just like everything else. The biggest mistake people do when starting a business is putting a half-hearted effort.

The secret to business success is obvious. It’s simple; you must not be in denial that success is not meant for you.

Hope you found the content useful.