For entrepreneurs with a new venture, it's easy to get caught up in the many details of trying to get the company off the ground and think only about managing the day-to-day.

But Camilla Velasquez, who works as head of product and marketing at JustWorks, a platform that provides human resources for start-ups, says that isn't enough.

Velasquez, whose job history also include stints at Etsy and American Express, believes that entrepreneurs can do a better job of making diversity and HR initiatives top priorities when starting a business. That way, they won't run into trouble in the future.

She spoke before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last year, calling for better practices by companies to train their employees from the get-go.

Here are three things she recommends budding business owners do to help them succeed:

Don't just focus on staying above water

Velasquez says that entrepreneurs shouldn't only try to stay afloat. Instead, they need to aim high and thrive in their roles by building a strong foundation for their companies.

"During the first few years of a start-up," Velasquez writes in her written testimony to the EEOC, "the company is mostly focused on hiring, and staying alive."