Startups are known to have unprofessional systems and overworked employees. Yet, the startup culture has bolstered a fragile economy that heavily depended on a few big business families. Entrepreneurs, today, are truly calling the shots and giving the market great products, great services and greater profits!
But with big ideas, come big responsibilities and entrepreneurs need to sign up for them wholeheartedly.
One of the main reasons for startups getting the ‘unprofessional’ tag is the founder’s inability to treat his passion like a business.
One must realise that once the idea that germinated in the basement of a house becomes big enough for an office, one’s approach too needs to become big.
Here’s how entrepreneurs can stop treating their business like a hobby:
- Be busy for a reason: If you’re still flitting between emails and calls or struggling to make time for things that really need your attention, you’re not planning your day as well as you should be. Start your day with a basic to-do list and do everything you can to stick to it. This way you get to focus on business goals that matter rather than menial administrative tasks which can be taken care of by someone else.
- If you like flying solo, you gotta stop! A business professional will probably move towards building a dependable, efficient team, a hobbyist will take off alone! If you consider your business a business, then it’s time to tag those that think the same. When you know you can afford to hire someone, do it ASAP. Don’t forget you need them as much as they need you! The extra oomph that the employee can bring to brainpower, creativity and legwork will surely be worth it.
- Keep your online presence in check: One of the biggest reflections of professionalism is your online presence. To begin with, your website needs to be updated and needs to have quality, relevant content at all times. This way you drive more traffic and your brand is more visible online. Being active online indicates that you’re on business owner mode. Once you have your website ready, create a robust content plan to drive traffic.
- Let logic, numbers & practicality drive your business decisions: You may have started out with passion but let not passion alone drive your decisions. Numbers are everything in the business world. They tell you the truth. Hobbyists let their feelings take over but business owners let the numbers decide. Numerical goals also give more clarity and bring the precision that business owners are expected to bring.
