Paul Haarman – 8 Key Steps for Running a Successful Startup

The world of startups is a fast-paced one, where a small margin often separates success and failure. Many people have written about the details involved with running a startup, but it’s always best to learn from other people’s mistakes rather than your own.

1. Have a Clear and Concise Mission Statement Says Paul Haarman

The mission statement for your startup should be read easily by anyone who sees it, no matter what technical jargon is being used. For example, you could write: “To take over the mobile browser market,” which has been shortened from “We plan on taking over the mobile browser industry by providing efficient services to mobile users while maintaining a close relationship with existing browser providers.” If someone reads that sentence, they’ll get an idea of what you do, even if they don’t know precisely what it means. However, if you write, “we are changing the way people use browsers on mobile devices,” then that sentence doesn’t have much impact since it’s not clear who is affected or how they’re being affected.

2. Have a Clear and Concise Mission Statement

It may seem repetitive to say the same thing twice in such quick succession, but having a clear and concise mission statement allows everyone involved with your startup to get on board quickly since there won’t be any confusion about what you want to achieve.

3. Have Clear Objectives for Each Department

When running a startup, each department should have particular objectives laid out for them so that everyone knows exactly what their responsibilities and roles are. For example, the marketing department could have goals such as “increase the number of visitors to our website by 20%” and “get ten new signups for our service.”

4. Have Clear Objectives for Each Department

Aiming for specific goals allows each person involved with your startup to work on their tasks without any misunderstandings or confusion about what they should be doing, so everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to achieve.

5. Work Out a Timeline and Stick to It

As per Paul Haarman, one of the common mistakes made by many startups is not giving themselves ample time to complete all of their tasks and projects before a deadline rolls around. If you’ve got an assignment due in one week, then everyone must start working on its ASAP, even if they’re in the middle of working on something else.

6. Have A Clear and Concise Mission Statement

The mission statement for your startup should be read easily by anyone who sees it, no matter what technical jargon is being used. For example, you could write: “To take over the mobile browser market,” which has been shortened from “We plan on taking over the mobile browser industry by providing efficient services to mobile users while maintaining a close relationship with existing browser providers.” If someone reads that sentence, they’ll get an idea of what you do, even if they don’t know precisely what it means. However, if you write, “we are changing the way people use browsers on mobile devices,” then that sentence doesn’t have much impact since it’s not clear who is affected or how they’re being affected.

7. Work Out a Timeline and Stick to It

Working out a clear timeline for your start-up means that you’ll be able to complete all of your tasks in the time frame required, which is essential if you want to avoid delaying or postponing projects and other essential matters.

8. Have Clear Objectives for Each Department

When running a start-up, each department should have particular objectives laid out for them so that everyone knows exactly what their responsibilities and roles are. For example, the marketing department could have goals such as “increase the number of visitors to our website by 20%” and “get ten new signups for our service.”