Start up

At this stage, stress is high and resources are low. Your resilience is being tested and there are never enough hours in the day. But you persevere, because your drive and determination to make this work is well and truly alive.

You’re pitching your idea, solidifying your market fit, and iterating your product.

Company building

For a startup, company building refers to the process of creating and growing a sustainable business over time. This is where you develop relationships with customers, build credibility, grow your brand, and legitimise your business.

Strategy

A startup needs a strategy to have a clear plan of action that outlines its objectives and goals, as well as how it plans to achieve them. You’re thinking about scaling and how to financially evaluate your business in preparation for funding.

Operations

For a startup, operations refer to the day-to-day activities and processes that are necessary for the business to function and deliver its products or services to customers. Successful ways of working are just a few of the things you are strategising on.

Fundraising & finance

Fundraising for startups can be a complex and challenging process that requires a lot of time, effort, and preparation. It’s definitely not for the faint hearted; approaching fundraising strategically and methodically can make or break your business.

People & culture

A strong startup culture can help to foster innovation, collaboration, and creativity among team members. There’s real momentum in your business and an increasing amount of stress and pressure as you start scaling your business sustainably.

Health & wellbeing

The health and wellbeing of startup founders is critical to success. Burnout is real and it’s important to ensure you feel balanced and mentally ready for the challenge ahead.

Sales & marketing

To effectively communicate the value of products or services to the target audiences, startups need a well-crafted marketing strategy. A marketing strategy should cover channels, define target markets, map out the competitive landscape, and be clear on how it links back to the ultimate business goal.

Product

The product is critical to the success of startups. A strong product can help to differentiate a startup from its competitors in the market, and attract new customers and generate loyalty. During this stage, there’s momentum in your business with product iterations.

Cyber security

Cyber security should be a top priority for startups from the very beginning. Startups are often seen as easy targets for cyber criminals. It’s critical for founders to understand how cyber attacks could impact them and what they need to do to futureproof their business and ensure it’s secure.