IF I WAS STARTING OUT NOW, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY

There are many founders looking for advice on what the best strategy to start their company now is, and how to fundraise and get the best deals while getting solid people into the startup.

I understand that it’s hard to learn from somebody else’s mistakes, because, partially, you really only learn when you’ve been in a particular situation and had to be hands-on about it, but sometimes a text or two might inspire some of us. 

These are the views and issues I’ve ran into as I launched my startup. Most of these are related to time and effort spent vs. actual gains received. It’s subjective for everyone, and these views may not entirely align with yours or your story.

The individuals who are looking for a way to break through, and do so with as little friction as possible, are more than welcome to comment and engage under this post. 

Without further ado, this is what I would do differently if I were just starting my company:

1. Be more assertive: When you are a first-time founder, it’s easy to approach an issue like a scared cat on New Year’s Eve and not really know whether you’re making the right decision or not. Being assertive and confident leaves a big mark on the people around you, and especially if you are fundraising, it can make a big difference in the impression you leave behind. 
2. Hand over the reins quicker: Hiring key staff and giving them enough room to grow is something I wish I had done sooner, partially because finding the right people is such a hard thing to do nowadays. Pre-screening from the get-go, and getting a solid team from when you are at the very start can launch you into the stratosphere much quicker. 
3. Be more involved with events: PR events, online expos, whatever have you. I wish I were more involved from the get-go. Doing networking and also taking care of marketing at the same time is invaluable, and saves a lot of time in the long run, as well as precious efforts at the start when you are stretched thin. 
4. Not pressing on harder: Scaling could have been a quicker process. This one really ties together with being assertive and confident about my decisions. If I had set clearer deadlines at the start, and pressed on harder, I would have achieved much more in a shorter time-span than now. 
5. No real focus: Running 2 businesses at the same time definitely makes you lose your focus. If I could focus more on my current venture, it would have been much easier and quicker to scale it. 
6. Postponing when to go full-time: Dedicating all my time to this startup could have proven much more fruitful at the start. It entirely depends on whether or not the person actually has means to sustain themselves while doing so, but for me, if I had jumped head-first, then the tables would have turned quicker. 

What is your take on this? Have you heard from other founders with similar stories? Comment below!