Prior to participating in a big race, athletes will do whatever it takes to adequately prepare themselves and make sure they have what it takes to finish.
This usually includes following a strict workout routine, maintaining a healthy diet and keeping an appropriate mentality beforehand.
Perhaps signing up to run next year’s marathon isn’t very appealing, but you may have an interest in starting your own business…
In a lot of ways, getting a startup off the ground is similar to getting ready for an athletic competition, considering the amount of preparation that’s involved.
NO, you won’t have to take on a new exercise regime or make any drastic changes to what you eat, but the formula for any successful business needs to contain some sort of plan of action.
With that said, here are some basic pointers for starting your business out on the right foot and preparing beforehand to guarantee that you don’t burn all of your energy before you’ve crossed the finish line.
First and foremost, it’s important to pursue something that sparks your interest.
If you’re not passionate about what your business revolves around, then you’re no different from an athlete that’s simply going through the motions and not giving a 100% effort.
You need to have a fire within you that drives your business forward, otherwise the competition will pass you by.
Simply put, find a trade that you truly enjoy. You’ll discover that it’s a lot easier to keep up the pace if you believe in what you’re working towards.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to add a personal touch to your craft.
Do you remember the 2008 Summer Olympics when Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly event by the tip of his fingers… He did so by ignoring the “proper” way to finish and adding an extra stroke, instead of gliding to the wall.
Phelps applied his own style to the sport of swimming and it paid off and I encourage you to do the same for your business.
Applying a unique perspective to your business is what can effectively separate it from the rest.
Billion dollar companies, such as Apple, once started out in a garage with nothing more than an original idea and the promise to deliver a quality product that was different from what was available at the time.
You don’t need to come up with a completely new invention or the next big idea in order to lay the groundwork for your business, but there’s enough reason to put a bit of individuality into it to ensure that customers can differentiate it from others.
The next step in prepping your business for launch is not to let your ego get in the way.
It’s nearly impossible to accomplish everything that’s necessary to run a thriving business by yourself, and trying to do it all on your own can quickly lead to burnout.
You can’t just decide to run a marathon one day and then sprint through the entire thing on the next.
Once your business is up and running, do you really expect to provide customer service, advertise and deliver your product or service?
There’s no shame in asking for help. Almost every athlete has a coach or a teammate to help them along the way.
So, why not do the same for your startup?
Plan accordingly by outsourcing and automating certain tasks to make sure you have the necessary endurance and focus to complete the job.
Fortunately, there are many tools and employees available to help you accomplish this.
Finally, you’ll need to allocate the necessary funds for maintaining your business. Think of this as the fuel that energizes you during the race.
You’re very much limited to the amount of money that you’ve set aside for your startup. This is why it’s important to have enough saved to give yourself some breathing room and cushion you from any mishaps.
Lucky for you, the cost of starting a business has dropped in recent years and your savings may go farther than you expect.
Either way, financing your business is a major factor for its initial growth and you’ll want to ensure that you give yourself a good lead right from the start.
If you haven’t already, you may want to begin developing a plan for funding the expenses of your business, whether it be via loans or personal savings.
Well, there you have it! When the time comes to bring your business to life just remember these basics. Doing so lets you to pace yourself and stand out from the rest of your competition, while successfully finish the race strong.
