The truth of startup management is that while it remains a flexible approach to business management, ultimately you’re looking for the kind of growth that allows your platform, however modest in ambition, to remain stable. This means you can promise what most are looking for – customers who know you’ll be with them for a good while, staff who can bet a career on you for at least a couple of years, and investors who are willing to invest money in your expansion.
Investment is an interesting topic for startups because we often see them running a shoestring budget. In other words, what money we have, we have for now, not to benefit from in five years. That being said, such as when investors buy platinum, sometimes there are worthwhile tangible investments startups can make to keep themselves going, especially those that hope to curate a more stable platform for the future. Let’s discuss what those options are, below:
Inventory
It’s essential to make certain you have inventory should you run a product-based business. Reliable numbers and tracking allow you to determine how many orders you can fulfill, never oversell, or never dispel potential B2B connections. Appropriate inventory handling can ensure you make use of economies of scale – investing and producing more to ensure cheaper planning, and over time curate a better result.
Website Hosting & Reliability
It’s always important to make certain your online availability is guaranteed because otherwise your firm can be seen as unreliable, and insufficient for important tasks. Good web design for a startup should be simple but should have mechanisms like AI chatbots to help with a limited set of staff replying to support requests or inquiries. Moreover, an adequate web hoster can help you set up appropriate security measures that limit downtime in the event of online threats.
Supply Outsourcing
Optimizing your supply chain can lead to significant cost savings and increased efficiency for startups across the board, because it’s unlikely you have that infrastructure in place ready to go. Over time, you can also negotiate better rates with suppliers, streamline logistics based on how you fulfill e-commerce or use delivery centres, or implement inventory management systems to reduce waste and overstocking too. It’s a learning process, but these systems can become a vital part of your strategy.
Event Attendance
Attending suitable industry events and conferences can be a good use of your time and investment, because it helps introduce you to the local field and community while also learning from other players in your industry. Such events may also provide opportunities to network with clients, partners, and investors which can make all the difference in startup life. Your startup may be plucky and new, but it doesn’t have to be sitting at the sidelines. Sometimes, getting involved is all you have to do.
With this advice, you’ll be certain to make the tangible investments in your startup that matter, and allow for a better, more curated end result. Just make sure not to be everything to everyone, and instead invest in those specific areas you can excel in.
