May
21
Software Start Up on a Tight Budget
Part 1 of 5
Recently I went to a talk by a highly successful entrepreneur here in the Kansas City area, Jon Darbyshire. One of the things he said was that what makes the US great is the freedom and opportunity we have. We have the freedom to pursue the life and career we want and the opportunity to make something new. This gives entrepreneurs a huge advantage in the US and is a reason there are so many great companies started in the US.
With this freedom and opportunity, it is important to also educate yourself so you can make the most of that opportunity. This is a big part of why I blog - to help others start and grow their own business. In light of this, I wanted to impart some hard earned wisdom I have received through others and, more often, through painful and costly mistakes.
For the last 6 years I have had the opportunity to not only start a small business but also work with a number of entrepreneurs who are also starting small businesses. We have worked closely with these other start ups helping them determine how to get their business up and going on a really tight budget. With the help of these enterprising individuals we have learned a lot about what does and does not work.
It has surprised me that a lot of the conventional wisdom thrown about is not good for these start ups. A big revelation to me came about a year or so ago when I read the book Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson. Big, medium and small businesses do not operate the same way and what works for one often does NOT work for the other. What's worse is that so many business books tell you how to run your business but do not tell you whether the advice is geared for the small, medium or large business.
I found that many of the things I was doing in my business, which stemmed from my experience working in large corporations, just did not apply and was holding my business back or causing unnecessary overhead. This fact, now obvious to me, was never something I considered. My intention was to build a large business so why not start with a big business mentality. I now know better and hope to impart my hard earned wisdom to help others not make the same mistake.
I have broken this article into several parts which represent the different main stages to getting your business up and running. Of course this is not everything you need to know so I have includes some great books to read at the end. After all, continuing education is part of personal growth which is critical when also growing your own company.
With this freedom and opportunity, it is important to also educate yourself so you can make the most of that opportunity. This is a big part of why I blog - to help others start and grow their own business. In light of this, I wanted to impart some hard earned wisdom I have received through others and, more often, through painful and costly mistakes.
For the last 6 years I have had the opportunity to not only start a small business but also work with a number of entrepreneurs who are also starting small businesses. We have worked closely with these other start ups helping them determine how to get their business up and going on a really tight budget. With the help of these enterprising individuals we have learned a lot about what does and does not work.
It has surprised me that a lot of the conventional wisdom thrown about is not good for these start ups. A big revelation to me came about a year or so ago when I read the book Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson. Big, medium and small businesses do not operate the same way and what works for one often does NOT work for the other. What's worse is that so many business books tell you how to run your business but do not tell you whether the advice is geared for the small, medium or large business.
I found that many of the things I was doing in my business, which stemmed from my experience working in large corporations, just did not apply and was holding my business back or causing unnecessary overhead. This fact, now obvious to me, was never something I considered. My intention was to build a large business so why not start with a big business mentality. I now know better and hope to impart my hard earned wisdom to help others not make the same mistake.
I have broken this article into several parts which represent the different main stages to getting your business up and running. Of course this is not everything you need to know so I have includes some great books to read at the end. After all, continuing education is part of personal growth which is critical when also growing your own company.
Posted By Aaron Bono
