In this day and age, founders are bombarded with conflicting startup advice. Simply Google your question and open links to conflicting advice. Or, ask friends and family for their differing opinions. Both can seem reputable. Regardless of the source, the advice you receive should focus on the return on your investment. Here are four tips to make sense of all the startup advice. And remember: Do your research. This article will provide some valuable startup advice.

Be patient

If you want to build a brand, establish a relationship, and gain new business, being patient is vital. While it may be difficult to maintain patience at the start of a startup, most first-time entrepreneurs get frustrated and overwhelmed. The fact is that everything takes longer than expected. But by staying patient, you’ll get through those first few months and even years. Here are some tips to be patient. Listed below are some reasons why patience is crucial.

Be unique

There’s a great quote by Steve Blank which states, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” I couldn’t agree more. The soul of a startup should be cataloged, because this is what drives the success of the venture. However, what is the soul of a startup? What makes it different than its competitors? What’s its most valuable asset? And how do you define it?

Be innovative

Be innovative when starting a startup if you want to succeed. There are three key ways to innovate. The first involves taking an existing business model and re-purposing it for a different problem or market. Re-purposing creates new business opportunities and solves existing problems. Startups that fail to repurpose their business models often haven’t done enough research into the needs of customers. In re-purposing, you can improve your products and services without having to increase your prices or margins.

Being innovative involves creating new ideas to improve existing offerings. A collaborative environment, a willingness to experiment and a focus on customer insight, will help you come up with new ideas and improve upon the current ones. By creating an environment of openness, creativity can flow naturally. If you can tap into your team’s ideas, they will be more likely to be creative and contribute to the success of your business. Be creative, but don’t go overboard.

Focus on return on investment

When starting a startup, it is essential to focus on return on investment. Every business needs to generate profit and the goal of generating that profit should be your primary objective. Failure to focus on ROI will result in a business’s failure, as many founders have experienced. To overcome these obstacles, create a plan to improve upon your existing business. Listed below are a few tips to improve your ROI.

Make a plan to measure the return on investment of your startup. It is not enough to merely aim to raise capital and sell shares. You should also have a return on investment model that can keep your startup afloat. To make this happen, develop a revenue model for your business. This will make it easier to attract outside investment. A simple revenue model will not work for every startup, so create a plan based on revenue, not profits.