Have I set your imagination running wild? The question that will be going on in your mind presently is, who is this fella? Could it be Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Warren Buffett, or any of the other multi-billionaires?
You may be correct and at the same time wrong if you pick any of them. They are all very successful men in their different chosen careers but none of them hit the ground running. They had to put in a lot of effort and resources before becoming super rich. They are, however, up there and there isn’t any way you can take it away from them.
But then, why should it be any other person and not you? What could anyone have to hit the ground running that you may be lacking? What competitive advantage has anybody over you?
If you pause to go over the life history of any of the people you first imagined that could have hit the ground running, you will discover that you are better positioned than when they set out. You’ve got the following going for you that they didn’t have.
- You don’t have to be a pacesetter
Take any field you may be interested in, you will discover that though you may be at the startup level, you are, however, not the first to dabble in it. There are people who have brainstormed and weathered the avalanche of fire and brimstones that come with initiating a process.
Elon Musk, for instance, graduated from college and opted for entrepreneurship, today he manages companies and projects that specialize in electric and self-driving cars, private space exploration and Mars colonization, solar energy, and artificial intelligence.
Thousands of role models are out there for you to copy from. Their mistakes and weak points are learning instruments and tools for you. Their strong points are arsenals you can employ to launch your brand into the limelight.
- You’ve got the internet
The IoT has conferred on the world the status of a global village. You can easily access the global market even from the comfort of your room. People are more tech-savvier and it’s quite easy for you to outsource any aspect of the business that can prove difficult.
You have an unlimited access to the best professionals in the globe. Outsourcing was seen as a strategy reserved for big businesses, but technology has made it an accessible tool for small businesses as well. Even as a startup you can’t get it wrong with outsourcing.
- The availability of the social media
The marketing campaign is one area that has always proved to be a herculean task for startups but the social media has drastically reduced the burden you may have to face from this angle. All you need is a little bit of research to get home safe and dry.
The Statista reports that the number of worldwide monthly active social media users is expected to reach some 3.02 billion by 2021. All you require to be making a very good ROI is to focus on the media that has more daily visits by the group your product appeals to the most.
- Access to funding
There are a host of venture capitalists (VCs) and angel investors who are ready and willing to release funds to startups. You don’t have to go cap in hand, begging for funding from banks and other financial institutions, with their very stringent conditions.
Apart from releasing the funds you seek for, the VCs are also on hand with their technocrats to help ensure you don’t hit rock bottom since they won’t want to lose their investment. Most of the time, they get involved in the running of the business until they have been able to recoup the amount they invested by which time, your brand must have secured a sound footing in the market.
- A better understanding of cybersecurity
As a result of the increasing cyber threats and attacks, more resources have been sunk into countering the menace. The media for most of the attacks launched on businesses and individuals are vulnerabilities in the information structure.
Attacks by cybercriminals basically come as password phishing attacks, socially engineered malware, unpatched software, social media threats, and advanced persistent threats among others.
Your cybersecurity or IT section should be always way ahead of these bunch of baddies. Your system should be designed to be secure from attacks from the beginning. Strong passwords should be configured for your PCs, firewalls and proxy servers should also be installed to ward off attacks as well as encrypting sensitive information and data.
A lot of businesses did not have these types of opportunity at their take off and have been able to hit the mega status. They never had the chance of hitting the ground running, they had to learn as they proceeded to overcome one problem after the other.
They blazed the trail and left footholds for you to climb up the ladder. There is absolutely no reason for your startup not to hit the ground running.
