You have perfected the product or service of the century and are positive it has the power to change the world. You have formulated the perfect business plan as well. But now what?
Entering the business world for startups can be wrought with uncertainties and risks. However as an entrepreneur, finding, identifying and undertaking opportunities is necessary. The next step after preparing the perfect business plan is to move on to the execution stage and provide proof of concept. Only then is a start-up eligible even for Seed and Series A funding. Finding opportunities is one of the most important part of this process. To find opportunities, you need to hustle.
But what is hustle really?
‘Try, try till you succeed’ and ‘stop at nothing’ may be few proverbs to describe the word ‘hustle’ perfectly.
Deciding what you want to offer the world, converting it into a product or service and remaining motivated through failure is one of the major characteristics of the entrepreneurs who hustle and ultimately succeed.
However, the product is not everything. Spending hours of hard work to create the perfect product and business plan may seem like the epitome of hustle. It is a definite requirement. But it does not stop there. If investors and consumers are not aware of your product, it is not a very strong communication plan and you are not hustling enough to get your product recognized. There needs to be hustle in every aspect and for the entire lifecycle of your business if your vision is to grow successfully and profitably.
Why is it important?
Imagine if Steve Jobs hadn’t brought Apple under the world’s radar by finding and creating opportunities. Imagine if Paper Boat had given up after their first few product failures. Or if Thomas Edison himself hadn’t hustled to get his inventions recognized.
As an entrepreneur, you might have a vision for your company and an idea of how you can simplify the lives of your consumers. This ultimate aim cannot be achieved without hustling.
Some company owners have thought of innovative ways to save money through barter deals which has helped them direct the saved money to other much needed efforts. Some have gone door to door selling products. Some have sold their products on the streets to increase visibility. There are many inspirational entrepreneurs who will do anything to keep their company alive and grow it to its maximum potential.
Investors do not solely invest in the idea or the business plan, they also invest in the person leading the front. Therefore passion and the hunger to achieve is something they look for actively. This hunger can only be proved through hustle. Investors look at your capacity and willingness to hustle.
Apart from receiving funding, maintaining funder satisfaction is important and hence the quality of work done needs to be very high. You need to prove to the investor time and again that you and your company are in fact worth the investment. This realisation does not come if you don’t prove yourself repeatedly by hustling continuously.
The value of hard work and hustle cannot be discounted by any entrepreneur. Richard Branson did not raise Virgin without passion and hard work. Mark Zuckerberg did not give up in the face of multiple law suits. Jeff Bezos did not create Amazon without facing any adversities. They were not afraid to hustle and recognized its importance. Now, they are some of the leading entrepreneurs of today’s age.
As Travis Kalanick, founder of Uber, has rightly said, “Fear is the disease. Hustle is the antidote”.
In this competitive world, you need to be on your feet to go beyond your competition. You will need an office space, which gives you the motivation to move in the right direction. Choose from co-working space in Qutab, New Delhi or business centre in Andheri West, Mumbai.
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