Movista’s 10 Tips for Startup Success

Movista co-founders April Seggebruch and Stan Zylowski decided 10 were better than five. Each came up with five tips for prospective entrepreneurs.

Seggebruch

1.    Know thyself. Honestly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. Highlight your strengths and solve for your weaknesses. This extends to your company and your product. And yes, you have a weakness.

2.    Know thy audience. Whether you are pitching to investors, customers or recruits, know what makes them tick. View the world through their eyes and understand their pains, strengths and weaknesses.

3.    Make it happen. If it’s to be done, it’s up to you. No excuses. So save yourself the energy and hold the complaining.

4.   Stone flipping. Flip every stone in search of the next dollar of capital, next customer or next hire. You don’t know where it will come from, and if you don’t find it, someone else will.

5.    Embrace the pain. Not a single aspect of entrepreneurship is easy.

Zylowski

1.    Pick strong partners who complement your strengths and bury your weaknesses.

2.    Know intimately the problem you are trying to solve.

3.    Focus on driving value for your customers. Care as much about their needs as they do.

4.    Find a way, or make one. If you are going to shrink from challenges, don’t bother trying to innovate. Every wall you climb is one more between you and a potential competitor.

5.    Ask for the money. Whether you are raising capital or selling your product, you have to be able to ask the tough question.

Seggebruch on Innovate Arkansas:

“IA has been a beacon of light throughout our journey. They’ve acted as a guidance counselor, research assistant and cheerleader. IA has been around since the dirt road and has led this state to the interstate. When we first started as Merchant View three years ago, they were there to help with our first industry report on retail. Today, they are now helping us understand how to lever Movista into other verticals. We couldn’t be more thankful for IA’s support of the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem and us.”

See also:

Movista Hopes to Duplicate Big Year

Arkansas Startups: From Dirt Roads to Interstates