Successful Startup 101: September 2014 Successful Startup 101: September 2014 | Page 66

Expectations: You should have some knowledge in
every aspect of your startup. There will obviously
be large holes in your knowledge because some
business areas require a lot of education, such as
software programming or the financials, but having
some knowledge in each department is helpful. This
can provide you with some insight as to what is going
on in your business; this way, you aren’t completely
oblivious if something happens. If your cofounder is
busy or out of town, you must be able to step up to
the plate and know who to call if something breaks or
what the next step to take is to find a solution.

A good business plan is
the key to success.
For some reason, people in general think having
a plan is the best solution to avoiding chaos.

Then, when something goes awry you can panic
and have absolutely no idea what to do next.
Yes, a business plan can help lay things out and
begin a startup successfully. Depending what
kind of business you’re starting, a plan can help
you maintain a guideline as to how things are
supposed to be done or what your prediction
may be for the future.

Expectations: Stay realistic and remember:
a business plan is simply full of predictions.
The future can never be known even if you do
everything in your power to control it. Expect
your business plan to be a guideline rather than
something that is set in stone. Things can always go
in different directions and creating a new business
plan every time something changes is absurd.