By ,
Published May 03, 2016
Starting a new business venture from scratch can sometimes feel like jumping out of an airplane and assembling the parachute on the way down. That's because, as is often the case, business success happens largely through trial and error. And that's where a road map comes in handy -- yours should help you so you don’t get stuck.
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If your path is like most people's, here’s how it will proceed:
Don’t be afraid to aim high. Google wasn’t built in a day, and you won't reach your primary goal in a short time, either. In your business, production, marketing, sales and other departments will have to establish their responsibilities. Budgets will need to be created and adjusted. Products and services will need to be developed. Sales will need to be made, and orders fulfilled.
All these incremental activities are necessary to reach your goal. You’ll want to focus on the pieces of the journey as you build your road map, not just the end goal or the quickest way to get from point A to B.
Of course, not all incremental steps will go as planned. That won't be the end of the world or necessarily a major failure. Instead, the next thing on the horizon will be where you can refocus your attention, within the scheme of the larger goal of building and running a successful company. Each new incremental goal will become your next mountain to climb as you travel the road to your final goal.
So, start by defining your passions and goals, and you’ll already have the makings of a definitive plan. And don’t be afraid to give it 100 percent. Once you have set an intention and a goal, don’t just dream about it, attack it.
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Startups have to be nimble and open to change, especially in the first few years. Groupon started off as an online collective action and fund-raising platform before pivoting into the social commerce space. There’s a fine balance between retaining products that fit your market and stubbornly trying to hold on to ideas, products or marketing strategies that are not attracting a significant target market.
Sometimes you can pound a market, but the product will still not work. It’s the old square pegs-into-round holes scenario, and of course that does not work. Consider these stories of well-known pivots in which companies changed in order to grow:
Here, then, is a (broad) step-by-step list of how to get where you're going in business. It's worked well for me:
Also, don’t forget to always be flexible. There's no straight line from point A to point B. And success is never linear.
Related: Robert Herjavec: Listen to Your Mentors, But Go Your Own Way
https://www.foxnews.com/us/creating-a-road-map-to-business-success