Jul 242013
 

seedling-growth_business

Laurence McCahill from digital product specialists Spook Studio highlights some common early-stage pitfalls, with some guidance on how you can avoid them

1. No clear vision or purpose

This should be the starting point for any startup founder, but it’s often overlooked. Too often people dive straight into their shiny solution ideas without thinking about why they’re doing what they’re doing or considering the change they want to see in the world.

Without a clear purpose, a startup can meander along without much momentum. And when things get tough which they inevitably will, you wont have much to pull you or your team through. Having a clear purpose adds some real meaning to your work, and a cause that people can rally around. It can also give your brand real weight as it has a reason for being, so it’s worth spending time shaping and articulating this. Here are two examples. Notice there’s no mention of a product anywhere:

“To be the pulse of the planet” —Twitter

“To be the earth’s most customer-centric company” —Amazon

MORE10 startup mistakes and how to avoid them | Feature | .net magazine.