7 Tips That Will Help Maintain Your Startup Project’s Momentum

Startups offer possibly the coolest working environments. They are organizations where individual creativity is usually credited as the single most important contributing factor. As digital natives, we see many successful startup projects hitting big and procuring VC funding in a short span of time, and in my experience as a marketer, I had few opportunities to meet some notable entrepreneurs (mostly through their biographies). Their fiery spirit and appetite for growth was magnetic, and I thought it’d be a great idea to share their wisdom with the world. So, here are 7 tips, which I believe would help every entrepreneur step closer to their dreams.

1. Swag is important

Nobody could put this better than Richard Branson. Starting a project and being entirely responsible for its success could take its toll, but that doesn’t mean one couldn’t pull it off in style. There is no better satisfaction than taking the road less travelled by, and improving its look and feel. If you intend to do something awesome, then do it different from others.



Source:virgin.com

2. Take setbacks with elan

There’s always a flipside to success and failure. When its failure, know that you haven’t pulled off all the stops and some work is left, and if it’s early success and went too smooth, not worth it. Success comes at a price; and if it came for free, then feel assured that you haven’t paid your dues yet. This will help in maintaining that fiery spirit alive like it was when you started your startup company.

I’d like to quote Steve Jobs here about his terminal ailment.

“Living with a disease like this, and all the pain, constantly reminds you of your own mortality, and that can do strange things to your brain if you’re not careful.”

“You don’t make plans more than a year out, and that’s bad. You need to force yourself to plan as if you will live for many years.”

Also, one must take on failures with a Pantera-like attitude, and nail the problem in style. It is probably the coolest secret recipe that successful startups have been using since medieval times.

3. Make sports your thing

I understand successful startups are no one-day wonder, and plenty of action takes place during the client-sales calls, development and production floors, but that is your job. What about your life? It needs a little action for its own well-being. Playing sports induce agility in your system, and I know many brilliant entrepreneurs who play for stress release bouts. It’s all in our biochemistry, and we need Serotonin and Oxytocin, which in Simon Sinek’s words are the “unselfish” hormones that make strong leaders.

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” Amelia Earhart

With your system agility on upswing, your startup project and teams would never miss action.

4. Indulge in your favorite hobby

Work is important, but is it more important than you? The sound of leading a team towards one common objective of creating some paradigm shifting systems is truly inspirational, but the pressure is equally challenging as well. If you’re a tech buff and love trying new stuff, then exploring new innovations like the latest GoPro devices, the new 4K devices in the market or the Victorinox Expedition Kit will definitely sound compelling.

Revitalise your spirits, and get back to action and become a force to reckon with. Startup businesses aren’t corporations, which is why their office floors are always full of excitement. Instill that vigor in your project and employees while keeping yourself motivated.

5.Socialize like a boss

Running a business has several perks (not sure if many would agree), such as social recognition and influential power, besides the monetary benefits, of course. However, many social entrepreneurs, I had the pleasure of speaking with, told me that they knew many contemporaries that drew inspiration for their startups projects via verbal jousts. The point is, you never know when and where your startup idea resides, and it’s up to you whether you want to latch upon it or not.

Also, socializing is a great way of meeting new people, and therefore new ideas. Here's Steve Jobs talking about a Microsoft employee he knew in his autobiography:

"This guy badgered me about how Microsoft was going to completely change the world with this tablet PC software and eliminate all notebook computers, and Apple ought to license his Microsoft software. But he was doing the device all wrong. It had a stylus. As soon as you have a stylus, you’re dead. This dinner was like the tenth time he talked to me about it, and I was so sick of it that I came home and said, 'F@$% this, let’s show him what a tablet can really be.”

6. Stay hungry, stay foolish & keep learning

In her aptly titled book Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish, author Rashmi Bansal compiled the stories of 25 MBAs from IIM Ahmedabad, the premier Indian business school, who left lucrative jobs to follow the rough road of entrepreneurship. Each of the stories filtered light on a different and incredible entrepreneur story, many of whom galvanized their hunger for knowledge into successful business setups. The trick is to never hang up on your lab equipment and keep experimenting. Success and failure are subjective, but the experience is precious than both.

7. Unwind every weekend

When you love what you do, then work becomes your sport and office your playground, which indeed is a true blessing. I have always admired the great Confucius saying, “Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” For most startup entrepreneurs, their projects are among the most important things in life, which they emphatically call their primary love interest. Still catching a break every other weekend from hectic daily schedule gets a tad too difficult, which affects both mind and health. Therefore, it is advisable that you should spend some “me time”, and indulge in relaxation techniques, such as swimming, gaming, spa or workouts.

Take my word that when you visit office back, you’ll enjoy a fresh new outlook towards work, new ideas will keep pouring in, and thus will resonate a positive flux of energy amid your team.

(About the author: The article is written by Utkarsh Sahu. Digital marketing, social media & content sum up his current beat.)