Keep on going! You and your startup matters!

Startups are hard, but worth it!

I can tell you from my own experience, and here are some ideas from StartUp MOMs[1] plus my own ideas to keep your startup business sustainable.

Here they are:

Who are YOUR people?

1.     Find the right network to start with in the first place.  

Who are your clients? Who might know your clients and suggest you?

Also, choose the right mentors carefully. First help is provided by a good mentor who has learned that tomorrow will be another day, and everything will be fine again. An “Eeyore type” is not recommended.

And remember that a supportive family in the background is important as community is really important, and it takes a supportive family as well as some key networks to move forward.

What is YOUR business?

2.     You must work out the right business model and stick to it. Don’t keep changing your “main thing”. I know people who do not do any market research, and then their startup fails. Do your research and stick to what you can do plus what people will pay for.

Where is the MONEY going to come from?

3.     Funding is key for startups, but women hardly have access to it. Perhaps women do not dare to take advantage of development loans to grow.

Start with the 3Fs - Family, Fools and Friends. You don't always have to have “formal” investors.

Funding is also available via other ways like crowdfunding. There is also bootstrapping. There the family can be the ones who support you.

Or maybe going public is too scary. However, you have a chance to invest for the next week in something I believe in: https://about.moyakala.com/crowdinvesting

Who is on YOUR team?

4.     Find the courage to build a team with the right know-how and the courage to outsource tasks that you wither cannot or do not have the time to do.

What do you do yourself and what don't you do?

Where are your weaknesses and strengths?

What will sustain YOUR ups and downs?

5.     Find ways to endure mood swings and have patience, as you will be up one day and down the next, especially as a woman is starting up on her own.  Please read my blog from last week about this file:///Users/patriciajehle/Desktop/next blogs/Translated-I can name it from my own experience.docx .

Stick to your bottom line and know when you absolutely have to change the way you are doing things. Remember it may not be either or- it could be both and that is a solution. Or “none of the above”.

No matter what, keep in mind that anticipation (hope), courage, existential fears, panic, and also vindication that proves your strength… in other words all those emotions and many more will come up. You need to find was to sustain this.

6.    Get a coach if you need one! (I now have room for one or two new clients as of the end of the month). If you want to talk more about happiness and how to fix your life for the better, just give me an email. 

Have a happy  and successful week!

Patricia Jehle               patricia@jehle-coaching.com

[1] Some ideas from: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ekaterina-arlt-kalthoff_fff-startupmom-momaccelerator-activity-7028645459275468800-06sA/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios