There’s no doubt about it: startups are hard and they’re risky. In fact, on average, 9 out of 10 startups will go out of business. Although founding a startup is inherently risky, there are a few things that can increase your chances of success. American investor Bill Gross conducted a famous speech at Ted Talk, where he talked about what he learned from the data he gathered from hundreds of companies

The Three Most Important Factors

Timing

Above all else, the most important thing is timing! It actually accounts for 42% of the differences between success and failure for startups. Success is dependent on whether people need or want your product. If you enter the market when there won’t be demand, you won’t make any sales. So before you anything else, be honest with yourself and truly assess whether the world is ready for or in need of your product.

After timing, the team and idea behind a startup are the second and third most impactful factors (accounting for 32% and 28% of differences between success and failure, respectively).

The Team

Your team should be a communicative and complementary group with the necessary knowledge, skills, determination, passion, and willingness to work. The leader should have the social ability to network, build partnerships, seek out investors and other funding sources, talk to the press, and recruit and inspire workers. As startups don’t typically have large teams, the employees you choose are important.

The Idea

The product itself must also be based on a strong idea and executed well. While the product doesn’t have to be entirely unique or the first of its kind, it does need to differentiate itself from other products in some aspect or another and it shouldn’t enter the market after it is already saturated with similar products. Ideally, you want your product to be so appealing and interesting that people will want to talk about it and, in a way, advertise by word of mouth for you.

Other Important Factors

Commitment

If you are going into a startup, you have to be passionate about it and love the work. After all, you are embarking on an uncertain journey. If you aren’t passionate about it, how can you put in the necessary time and effort to make it all work. You must be determined and refuse to give up when things get difficult or you face challenges. At the same time, you must also believe in your startup. If you don’t believe in it yourself, you can’t expect others to do so. Additionally, to succeed, you need to make profit which won’t happen if you don’t take risks. And you won’t take risks if you don’t believe in yourself and your startup.

A Well-Defined Vision

With startups, you need a well-defined vision; it’s best to have an idea of where your business is headed from the get-go. One of the biggest things is to have a sensible business model and financial plan. Not running out of money is crucial to your startup actually functioning so have a plan that includes a budget and how to raise funds. Second, as a startup you will almost certainly have limited staff and resources. This means you’ll need to figure out how to be productive and know what to prioritise.

Adaptability

Successful entrepreneurs know when to shift their plans a little. It’s important to observe what is working for both yourself and your competitors, to listen to feedback, and to learn from your mistakes. When things aren’t going quite as well as you’d like or you see opportunity for improvement, adapt and make the changes you need to make!

Mentorship

If possible, having a good mentor to guide you can make a world of difference. Mentors have gone through the process themselves and often experienced similar, if not the same, challenges. This can make their advice an invaluable resource when you find yourself in a tough spot or are unsure of what to do.