Helping startups get further, faster.

One of the privileges of our role as a marketing consultancy for new ventures is that we get to meet great  and passionate people. Emerging and proven entrepreneurs with bold ideas and visions for their latest project.

At the other end of the scale, there’s the aspirational entrepreneurs too. The ones that are almost there, the ones that with a bit of confidence, a refinement of their value proposition and long-term marketing efforts could find their niche and begin to realize their potential.

However, like any aspiring new business person we urge our clients to tread carefully in the early days and to focus on six key elements of their new business; explored below.

It’s not rocket science, often it’s simple commen sense but in business common sense isn’t always common practice, particularly when the excitement of a new idea kicks in.

1) Credibility and authenticity: Is this person and their product or service credible and deliverable? What steps can we take to develop a more credible offering?
2) Customer need: Is this there a genuine niche, gap or opportunity in the market that can be penetrated? How large is it, what stage of the lifecycle is it in? Growth, maturing, decline?
3) Return on Investment: Will this venture give the person adequate ROI on their investment and time?
4) Common sense: Is this product or service grounded in the real world? Do people like it? How many competitors are there? Is it simple enough for the market to understand? What are people prepared to pay for it? How can we reach these people? What media do they consume? What are their purchase habits?
5) Skill sets and attitude: Does the person have the time, energy, skills, resources, networks, patience, work ethic, focus and capabilities to bring this venture to fruition?
6) Creativity, synergy and execution: What value can we add and what partners, resources, ideas or partnerships can we establish to strengthen the value proposition and the likelihood of success?

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and it’s a continual and sometimes gradual process.

Internally, we work on these elements within our own businesses. Increasing the credibility, creativity and skill sets within Start Up Marketing is a major focus of our internal activities and we urge our clients to work on these elements within each of their businesses.