Non Stop Masti

Entrepreneurs are no strangers to mistakes. Mistakes will happen - with considerable frequency - and the value in making those mistakes is learning from them and avoiding them in the future. You can also study the mistakes of others that came before. Plenty of successful entrepreneurs are quite open about mistakes they’ve made, why they made them and what they learned. We don’t need to keep repeating each other’s mistakes over and over.

But, that’s quite often the case. When it comes to startup mistakes you’ll see many companies making the same ones over and over.

Here are 5 of the most common mistakes made by startups:

1. Staying in Stealth Mode Too Long. New startups seem quite fond of stealth mode (or its newer cousin “ninja mode”), when they’re hiding under the radar but still hyping just enough to try and pique interest. But stay in stealth mode too long and you run the risk of disappearing off the radar. Never mind the fact that you can’t sell your new product or service while in stealth mode and therefore can’t generate any revenue. There are plenty of reasons why startups launch too slowly; really you need to force yourself to launch and get past all the excuses.
2. Not Focusing on the User. Who are you building your new product for? Who is the precise target? Many startups can give a generic answer to that question, but very few of them are really honed in on the specific wants of their “perfect user.” This is a combination of too little research and too much enthusiasm for what they think is “the next killer idea.” This mistake is compounded if you’re building something that you wouldn’t use yourself. Building something you would use makes things easier - you’re the target user. Otherwise you need to take a much more pragmatic approach.

As well, many startups take the approach of “being everything to everyone.” That strategy never works. You end up being nothing to anyone.
3. Trying To Do Everything. If a task isn’t core to your business try and outsource it. Entrepreneurs are extremely fond of saying they wear many hats (which is true!) but there’s a limit to what’s reasonable in the hat-wearing department. Lots of things can be outsourced, and although you’ll be paying someone else to do the work, you’ll be freeing up precious time of your own. That time will be infinitely more valuable than the money you spend.
4. Not Having Enough Infrastructure. Many startups don’t have the proper tools in place to start their business. Primarily, money and time. It’s getting cheaper and cheaper to start companies nowadays but it’s never free. Lots of people start companies without realizing how much money it’s actually going to take. When they clue in, and decide they don’t have the money to invest (or they’re not willing to part with it), they’re in trouble.

Startups face similar challenges with time. People often start companies while working full-time jobs. It’s doable but damn hard. And as soon as the startup gets a bit rocky or other interests come into play, the startup company gets shelved or delayed. Paul Graham comments on this beautifully in The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups. His theory is that people get into startups half-heartedly and that’s what kills them. I think that’s part of the answer. The other side of that coin is that people truly do care and believe in what they’re doing, but they don’t have the infrastructure and bandwidth in place to make it happen.

Infrastructure issues are also related to a startup’s lack of connections and resources to find good vendors, good hires, mentors and people to rely on. A couple guys in a garage may have a great idea and tons of talent but when they need help securing a loan or handling a business-related task they may not have the network or foundation in place to support them.
5. Forgetting About Branding, Marketing and Sales. I know there are examples of companies succeeding with a “build it and they will come” approach. Some people argue if you build something people want they’ll find it and plunk down their hard-earned money. It happens. But more often than not you need to develop real, actionable and savvy branding, marketing and sales strategies. You might have a great product and the wrong message. Or a killer software application that no one knows about. It’s rare to have a startup where the founders (or one of them) has real experience in branding, marketing and sales. The result is either all the founders do it (and often poorly) or they all pass the buck.

You can take a “build it and they will come” approach and hope for the world to pick up your scent and fall in love with you, or you can figure out how you’ll get the message out, what that message will be and how you’ll generate leads. Go with the latter.

The good news is that almost every mistake can be undone, and it’s rare that one mistake kills a startup completely. So feel free to make them - but skip those listed above…

Source: http://startupspark.com/the-5-most-common-mistakes-made-by-startups/

Worth a Read
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band - he could see it. In his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.”

Epilogue:

There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy.
Today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.

Mesothelioma is known to be produced by exposing yourself to asbestos during a long period of time. A period of time hundreds and thousands of mine and shipyard workers are exposed while they work hard. The first case of mesothelioma ever to be linked with asbestos remotes as early as the 1890s. Almost a full century passed until the first mesothelioma lawsuit was filed against asbestos manufacturers in the US.

Information Denial

Mesothelioma information and asbestos cancer information was practically refrained from workers causing them to get infected throughout the years without even knowing what was mesothelioma. Some asbestos producing companies even sent out memos about abstaining to inform their workers about the illness until they were already infected with mesothelioma.

It is no wonder why there are some many people now a day with pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs tissue, while peritoneal mesothelioma affects the abdomen.

Mesothelioma Treatments

There is no known cure to mesothelioma cancer but doctors and scientists are making a huge effort to try and finding it. Currently there are various mesothelioma treatments but don’t ultimately cure it.

Mesothelioma is a serious disease and serious attempt should be made to inform the American people about what is going on. Mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed and won by thousands of people infected. With the right mesothelioma information, asbestos manufactures shouldn’t have to pay billions in compensation for mesothelioma infected workers.

Preventable Crisis

This is an illness that can be 100% preventable and many companies knew that. The only thing is that they were too busy focusing in making billions out of blood money that they forgot to care about their workers.