My advice for start-ups

My advice for start-ups.

My first point is "no handshake, no business". Draft something on paper. Don't be naive, words don't mean anything, human beings are not coherent creatures, they are full of deception, they will lie if it serves their best interests. Create a third entity, contribute terms and shake on it. Without this, the partnership is doomed from the start.

Second, don't work for/with/under someone you do not admire and respect. You won't give your best under those circumstances and you won't grow. Don't settle! Collaborate with the best people you can find. Keep in mind that if your partner lies to you once, it will happen again and again. They don't respect you enough to think you warrant the truth. Be careful, they might make deals that lead to your downfall. Work with someone with integrity. Know who you are working with.

Third, prioritize serving people and work to perfect that model. When you have perfected that, concentrate on scaling and serving large quantities at a time. Really want to help and care enough. Understand your customers and meet all their needs. Making money is secondary, your service/product should be impactful and satisfy the customer.

Forth, love what you do. As an entrepreneur you are going to experience hellish days that will make you want to quit. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. There is a lot of suffering. There is no escaping failure. You are going to fail, make peace with that. Failure is not the problem, it is how you react that will dictate success. You will probably change business models multiple times as you go along. Keep learning, have enthusiasm, adapt and adopt, be positive, innovate and keep going. Never stop.

Fifth, concentrate on you and your enterprise instead of the competition. Focus on growth and retaining your current customers. Delight your customers.

And lucky number 6, elevate your perspective, see your business way into the future. Think 10 years or even 100 years if you are that ambitious. Have clear and concise goals and plan thoroughly.