Inversk's Guide To Building A Business From Scratch

Build Your Business Today

A successful business doesn’t just come by. How you run your business will determine very much in whether or not you will achieve your goals.

Building a successful business depends highly on your investment in the right team, on your passion, investing in the right tools of work and employees, and not forgetting, the freedom granted your employees in developing their personal brand.

You can start and grow a business in a day. But building a successful business, like building successful relationships is a process. It will take you time, money, and great effort.

If you are anything like me when I started Inversk, you probably have no idea where to start or what to do next. But if you do, good for you. If you don't, there's no need to worry because I have your back.

A step-by-step plan that will ensure you do not sprint through or hop from place to place to without ensuring proper development of each stage. “Build a system for the long-haul focusing on small-connected steps.” This guide will help you to get started from where you are to building a magnificent business that only you can build.

So where do we start?

1. Come Up With An Idea Every great business starts with a great idea. If you're having trouble coming up with the perfect business idea, or just settling on one idea, you’re not alone. For many people, the process of choosing an idea is both difficult and time-consuming. Without knowing what you need to consider in this early phase, you could run into trouble later on, perhaps once you’ve already spent a lot of time and money.

“There's no magic formula for finding a business idea.”

Ideas are very many and grabbing one is very easy. Your business idea doesn't have to reinvent the wheel. Take a look at what some of the big players in an industry are missing and figure out if you can fill the gaps. Ideas for startups often begin with a problem that needs to be solved. And they don't usually come while you're sitting around sipping coffee and contemplating life. They tend to reveal themselves while you're hard at work on something else.

Great businesses and innovations come from executing on your idea in a different way than everybody else is attacking it, if they're attacking it at all. A great way to do this is to look outside of your industry to see how others are solving problems then do it differently.

2. Set Up a Vision and Goals in Line With Your Idea When I started Inversk, my vision was to empower people to do what they want to do. That vision has since been streamlined and now my focus is on being the world's most authoritative and definitive magazine for the business elite.

A goal is a dream with a timeline. Divide your vision into small, time-based actionable goals that you will aim to achieve in a particular season to build up on your vision.

These goals ensure consistency in achieving your vision.

3. Set up your founding team Just like any other entrepreneur, when starting your business, you will have 3 core people: ‘me, myself and I’. These three people are very essential to your business. It is of key to note that, no one will care as much, work as hard, or invest so much of their own blood, sweat and tears as you will.

Reminding yourself that not everyone will do things the same way you would, doesn’t mean it won’t get done. You not only must believe in your business but it is imperative that you believe in yourself.

However, it is up to you to paint that picture for those you want to work with. You cannot build an empire on your own and you definitely cannot do all work on your own. You will need the right team from the beginning. Dedicate time to finding the right hire.

Invest enough time in the hiring process to get a focused, innovative and goal oriented team. So create a network and build the best team you can find. A multitalented and skilled team is more likely to be productive.

Ensure you have hired the right skilled team and allow them to work their magic Do not compromise the core values upon which you build your business and definitely not your purpose and vision.

4. Make a Prototype and Show It To 1000 People.

A prototype is the first version of your product. Most of your thoughts, even the best ones, will never see the light of day sadly. You will forget them into oblivion even if you write them down.

The only exceptions are those thoughts you prototype.

Make them physical if they can be – program them, design them; then do anything that makes them more than just thoughts. If you do this, you get ahead and off the imaginary curve.

The first three Issues of Inversk were free. We gave out the download link on social media and got more than 1000 subscribers who read the magazine and later shared their thoughts about the magazine.

We needed a breadth of perspective and hopefully a pattern to recognize from all the feedback. The feedback helped improve our magazine and also allowed me the chance to perform research to determine the existence of market for my product and their preference.

>>Getting A Co-Founder

The search for a co-founder, is much like a marriage

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When trying to single out a mate, out of the many fish in the sea, what do people seek?

Do you look for somebody with whom you have tones of things in common or do you find one who complements you, thus completing you?

ne must climb a tree from the bottom and work their way up. Growth and progress are gradual. Every business starts up. No doubt.

Unless one acquires an already running company, which at one point also started up, then they must build it from the ground up.

One of the most decisions you will have to make while starting your business is whether to go it as a solo mission or to pair up with a like-minded individual.

The search for a co-founder, is much like a marriage. The party that originates the idea has to court the other party to see the possibility of materializing this idea between the two of them. A lot like dating. Should they find they get along then they graduate through the bases and in due time they may spend more time with each other than with their significant others. Arguably, of course and for all reasons work.

What then, should you keep your eyes peeled for when in search of a co-founder in a start-up? There are basic traits one cannot over look in their criteria to nominate and eliminate business partners. Consider building a house, one starts with a foundation. A firm one at that. Just as in the parable in Bible, if you build your house on sand, you have shaky foundation and your house will tumble and crumble.

Finding the right co-founder is sitting your house on rock. It will remain unshaken and weather the storm in your entrepreneurial life together. As always, the weather man is never right, so one must always employ the scouts’ motto and be prepared.

First, and in no particular order, you must share a value system with this person. There are things that will be necessary to have in common and maybe without much compromise. These are the things one considers important in the way which they live and work. They determine your priorities and decision making processes. There are pairs of individuals who gel well with contrasts of themselves. They appreciate their differences, work around them and complement each other.

The way in which a puzzle is complete by piecing together pieces cut out in different shapes to bring forth a vivid picture is the same concept of finding a co-founder. Your cofounder must complement your skill set. You should look for somebody who has skills they do not have to meet you on the half way.

People work differently under varying conditions. All the same, work must be done efficiently and effectively. For co-founders to steer away from constantly locking horns they should strive to have a similar if not matching work ethic whereby one doesn't have to chase the other to have one assignment or the other done and such and such. It is rather frustrating to work with someone who doesn't have regard for time, financial resources and work model as you do.

Your co-founder needs to be reliable and bear half the weight of the business. If one person is caught up doing most of the work and the other is giving them the run around, he or she will breed resentment and their plane will not take flight, worse still, there is no promise of a safe landing.

On selling the dream to your potential co-founder, you must be as enthusiastic as you are about your startup. Passion inspires a long term vision which is key.

This will conjure up strength, tenacity, resilience to withstand the turbulent times. Both parties must know that the first lap is full of hurdles to jump but eventually and over time they will realize the good times.

Businesses are built for profit. Between one person and the next, the translation of success is relative. Some people are working to simply get rich, some want to build and sell up, others want to be famous. Of importance is that co-founders have congruence in their goal for the business they are setting up. They both ought to feel as strongly about seeing their plans into fruition and sticking it out for the long haul.

Every relationship, of every nature is a roller-coaster. It's a fun ride amidst all the ups and downs. What's important through this ride is to have a partner who has emotional intelligence and can handle disputes in a bid to resolve the conflict rather than be passive aggressive or adamant about having their way and you can hit the freeway.

It's of paramount importance to note that you will both be caught up in a rut from time to time, and to make sure you don't end up a hot mess as you go along, ensure this person can contain themselves. This way you will also know how they will handle disputes with your future clients, suppliers and so forth. A lack of this can upset the balance of things and tip over your ship therefore consider it especially crucial.

Life in itself is a give and take. If you are to share your business with someone, take your time to engage and familiarize with them. Use your experiences to gauge how you relate and factoring in all the important traits make a sober, calculated decision on the way forward with them. And may no one put asunder what you have put together between one person and the next, the translation of success is relative.

Get a Cofounder

>>Financing Your Business Growing a business can be hectic especially if you don’t have enough money to get going. Although you may be stressed about where to get the money, there is no need for you to worry. There are different ways you can raise capital for your startup.

It is advisable for you to study your business plan and the different ways of funding in order for you to come up with the perfect one that will fit for your business. Sometimes there is no perfect approach and you may need to have two or more different option. And of course every one of those options of funding has its a dva nt age s a nd disa dvantages.

You need to be sure of what you are willing to forego and what options are realistic your business.

“Be sure of what you are willing to forego and what options are realistic your business.”

1. Personal Savings You can call it bootstrapping if you must. You fund your business without any external financial help. However, building a business based on personal finances is not only challenging but quite a financial risk. The business is likely to grow at a slower rate than if you had additional funds to boost the process. The advantage in the long run is you won’t have to worry about credits and paying back loans.

You won’t have to give away equity at an early stage either.

You can always get external investment at a later stage.

2. Family and Friends Apart from the moral support that friends and family give, you can get financial help from them too. They know you well, and if they believe in your business idea, and your vision, and they know you can do it, then they will be willing to chip in. You can negotiate the lending agreement, advisably seek legal advice so that neither party suffers as a result. You can pay back within the stipulated period once the business pick up.

3. Loans from banks and financial institutions You will need a solid business plan and profitable business projections including a clear plan on expected inflow and business activities. You will of course need to have personal assets as guarantee or collateral for the loan. The advantage however is that you won’t have to give up a part of your business. You need to however understand the terms and conditions of loaning of every financial institutions. You can decide to only seek out those that are in line with your business objectives and the terms and conditions you can handle.

4. Grants You can get grants from the government, industrial associations and non-governmental organizations. You can visit their websites or offices to get better information concerning each source. There are those institutions that only fund small businesses and even that at particular stages.

You will need all the information you can get. In most cases grants do not cover the full amount required for startup. The amount they give is meant to complement the cash you have. You will need to market your business idea and the benefit of the business to the society if necessary. You can partner with higher learning institutions and other NGOs to increase your chances of credibility.

5. Equity Financing

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This is the most popular way of financing startups. Equity financing is the method of raising capital by selling company stock to investors. In return for the investment, the shareholders receive ownership interests in the company.

Unfortunately, only 5 percent of all entrepreneurs get funded. Could it be that only 5% of the ideas generated are good enough to succeed? How come this "magic" number never seems to change?

When you’re ready to start talking to investors, one of the most challenging part remains to be: talking to the investors However brilliant your business idea sounds, that will not make banks and investors fall over themselves to lend you millions of shillings. You should however be able to convince a few forward-thinking people to invest in your business and make your entrepreneurial dreams come true.

If your dream is to build the next big “thing” and are wondering what it takes to get people on board with their checkbooks in hand, here are a few tips: Build an Angel List Profile Angel List is a great way to both learn about investors and let them learn about you. Creating a profile—including specific info about your company, product, and team members—makes it easy for people who are interested in your space to find you.

Once you’ve filled everything out, share your profile with your friends and professional acquaintances and seek for references. When people follow your company, it will show up to others they know and hopefully arouse interests.

Create a Strategic List of Investors You’d Like to Meet With Given the odds of any individual meeting resulting in an investment, it’s easy to want to cast as wide a net as possible.

You can save yourself a lot of time and hassle if you focus your initial efforts on the 30-50 investors who are most likely to be a good fit for your company.

Once you have a list of investors you’d like to meet with, go through it person-by-person and see if you have any mutual acquaintances. If so, great! But before you ask your contacts for an introduction, get together with them first so you can show them how awesome your company is. Ideally, your common connection should feel like he or she is doing a favor for both you and the investor as they make the intro.

Can people “buy� you as the leader of your business?

Your personality should fit your business. If you are confident and passionate about your idea, your investors would look at you and think of you as the expert on what you are doing.

Have a thorough business plan and Keep all financial projections conservative.

Whatever business model you want to use, make sure you do a lot of research on your community to determine the viability of operating such a business, and develop a solid local marketing strategy as well as a management model with policies and procedures.

Be careful not to over-promise and under-deliver. A lot of people worry about getting the quick win, convincing investors to hand over cash because they’ll make a killing. Desire to create healthy, long-term relationships with your investors and keep their expectations realistic. This will enhance your reliability and make you a good person to work with.

Comb Your Networks The best way to get meetings with VCs is through introductions from other entrepreneurs or investors. This means that if you’ve decided to solicit VC money, it’s time to leverage your contacts to see who you can talk to.

While cold-calling a venture capitalist may not be the easiest feat, it’s somewhere to start.

Create a solid exit strategy.

A solid exit strategy will give your investors a lot of comfort. That you have carefully planned out what would happen should the business fail or when you eventually sold the businesses. By taking care of all the “what if” questions you automatically set your investors’ minds at ease.

Founding and building a successful startup encompasses a lot of areas of focus. I have just tackled a few of them. Finding capital remains to be the hardest part to getting your business off the ground, but is also the most rewarding. Once you’ve found other people to invest in your business, you can get back to starting your dream job! Though it can be a long road to success, finding allies along the way, whether it is friends, angel investors, or venture capitalists to help keep your business afloat, can make all the difference in the world.

Good luck!

>> Launching

Now that you’ve build your product, gotten a cofounder, set up a founding team and sourced finances. The next thing to think about is how you will launch your business.

You can choose to launch your business at any stage, before or after getting investment. The advice below is idea for you as you prepare to launch your business.

You obviously know that the thought of marketing beforehand is the most daunting thing you don't want to think about. But, it should be one of the most important items on your prelaunch to-do list. a). Get Active on Social Media.

Make daily announcements as a countdown for your progress towards your launch date on your social media channels. Give offers for early registrants and be consistent in your postings. b). Start Your Email marketing Despite the popularity of social media, content marketing and other forms of online marketing, email marketing remains highly effective. In fact, there are studies that show email marketing is a more powerful marketing tool than social media. This is something we have taken seriously at Inversk. We have taken it a bit further by including the launch details in our email signature.

Research shows that email is most likely the first thing people check in the morning and the last thing they read at night. In between, many people would check their inboxes three to four more times.

Thus, with email marketing we are sure that our content is been read.

We gathered all our contacts in our database and personal contact lists and sent an email inviting them to be on the early-access list. We’ve already told them what's been going on with us at Inversk and invited them to our launch.

c). Drink One More Cup of Coffee I don’t mean this in the fuel-your-all-nighters sense (much as every successful entrepreneur has pulled a few of these).

You should be ready and willing to meet investors, entrepreneurs, industry experts, and virtually anyone more experienced in your industry for coffee five times a day in the early days.

Before you plan your launch, you also need to know as much about your industry as you possibly can. This is something that I’ve constantly engaged in for the past 11 months. Many founders vastly underestimate how much they don’t know.

The secret to uncovering new information is by talking with people who have more experience than you do. Simply reach out to someone you respect in your industry, and ask them if you can buy them a cup of coffee and get to pick their brain. You’ll be surprised at the many positive responses you get. d). Second-guess Your Idea It shouldn’t be so bad that founding the startup is a bad idea, but you need to get teardowns from the people you meet with, too. Don’t be shy; let them poke holes in your ideas. The more they do, the better you can make your venture. If everyone tells you it’s a great idea right away, you should be concerned. It is important to find out the holes early, so you can iterate and improve upon them. If your idea sucks early on, you’ll make it better faster by giving people a chance to share constructive criticism. Every business has holes and pitfalls, but the more attentive you are to them in the early days the better.

About Us Inversk is the premier business magazine for startup founders and entrepreneurs in Kenya where you can learn how to start and build a successful business.

Our site's (www.inversk.co.ke) compelling business growth articles, news content and trusted multi-platform network attracts a loyal, upscale, and unduplicated audience.

Every month we publish our magazine. This magazine features business feature stories and advice from the most successful entrepreneurs and industry experts. The magazine also captures StartUp feature stories, business advice, actionable personal development advice, life and style features and growth strategies that you can apply to improve your life as well as build your business.

But we don’t stop there! We organize Entrepreneur Summits, Bootcamps and Trainings facilitated by great entrepreneurs and business experts where they share how young entrepreneurs can build successful businesses.

Contact Us P.O Box 28085-00200,

Email: info@inversk.co.ke

Nairobi, Kenya

support@inversk.co.ke

Call: 0726 245915

Website: www.inversk.co.ke

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