Launch your Startup: 21 mistakes to avoid!

In this article, we’re going to talk about the 21 mistakes to anticipate 🙏 before you launch your startup!

We interviewed our dear CEO, who reveals the problems he encountered when creating Waalaxy, being a first-time entrepreneur. 🚀

21 mistakes to avoid before you launch your startup

To begin with, we will present Toinon Georget CEO of Waalaxy. 💫

Sure, you already know him, but if not, here’s a little intro about him 😉

While studying engineering, he dropped everything and began his entrepreneurial career at the age of 21. 💡 The initial idea was to create an app for campsites to digitalize the customer experience.

Waapi is born! 👶 Furthermore, learn how to use our tool.

Together with his associates, they wanted this application to enable campground customers to register online, take photos of the inventory, ask questions at reception and book tourist activities… ⛰️

However, things don’t go according to plan, and they soon realize that they were trying to solve a non-existent problem. 🙈

That’s why he shares his experience here:

How to launch a startup? Interview with Toinon G (CEO Waalaxy)

Here are the 21 mistakes to anticipate when launches its start-up: 👇

• Mistake No. 1: Focusing on competitors rather than customers

First of all, he explains the importance of focusing on the customer needs rather than the competition. 👀 Obsessing about the competition makes the product lose its original meaning.

In fact, they spent a year developing a functionality without consulting the customer… 👂 As a result, the functionalities developed did not meet the customer’s real needs.

That’s why it’s essential to find the right “Product/market Fit before taking the plunge!

• Mistake No. 2: Spending too much time on financial forecasts and competition documents

Next, he discusses the risk of wasting precious time by focusing excessively on the often time-consuming paperwork. 😫

Spending too much time creating business plans and financial projections can slow down the developing your business. ⌛ These tasks are best left to an accountant or freelancer.

It’s more important to concentrate on developing a good product and convincing others to its advantages. 🤔

What’s more, with public funding, it’s not necessary for the company to generate income right away!

Which turns out to be counterproductive… 💰

Also, startups run by the unemployed can fail within two years, and the popular media often offer ridiculous visibility by B2B.

All the financial forecasts are not really a guarantee that the product will work. So don’t delay on this. 😓

• Mistake No. 3: Not getting help with people management

It’s crucial to surround yourself with competent people to manage the human factors of a start-up. 🤝

For example, unpaid trainees must be supervised and trained. 💪 So, entrepreneurs must learn to manage the human side of the business.

That’s why it’s important to call in a coach. (In fact, this is an initiative we’ve introduced for all our managers at Waalaxy). 👌

All in all, the start-up success depends on the people who make up the company and how they work together! 👏

• Mistake no. 4: Failing to validate your product with customers before launching it

It is important to collect customer feedback before finalizing and launching its product. 🎁

In this part of the interview, Toinon G. stresses the importance of validating a product with customers before you launch your startup. 😆 He explains that many entrepreneurs make the mistake of focusing solely on the product development without really understanding the needs and expectations of their potential customers.

If you ignore this important validation step, you run the risk of developing a product that does not meet the real needs of your customers. market needs. 🙈 This can lead to business failure, as customers aren’t interested in the product or don’t find it useful.

We therefore recommend that you carry out research, analysis, and customer satisfaction surveys in-depth interviews and tests to understand the needs, preferences, and problems of your potential customers. 🤩

This prior validation allows you to adapt and improve your product before it goes to market, increasing your chances of market success. 👋

• Mistake 5: Ignoring the importance of marketing and communication

In this section, he highlights the common mistake of overlooking the importance of the marketing and communication when you launch your startup. 📣 He explains that, no matter how good a product or service is, if customers don’t know it exists, it won’t be accepted.

Neglecting marketing and communications means you’re not devoting enough time, effort, and resources to growing your business. Notoriety builds a strong brand and reach your customers. target customers. 🗣️ This can lead to a decrease in brand awareness, a lack of customer loyalty and a lack of sales.

It is therefore important to develop an effective marketing strategy, to use the right channels to reach potential customers, create effective messages and implement targeted communication campaigns. 🎯 This increases your startup’s visibility, raises interest in products and services you offer, and attracts customers.

• Mistake no. 6: Neglecting time management and priorities

Also, it’s important to optimize time management and establish effective priorities. 👉 Toinon explains that entrepreneurs can easily feel overwhelmed by the variety of tasks and demands involved in starting up a business, which can lead to a poor time management and reduced efficiency. 😥

Neglecting time management and priorities can lead to missed deadlines, poor quality of work and increased stress. ❗

It is therefore important to plan and prioritize tasks. It’s all about setting clear, realistic objectives and using time management tools to optimize productivity and stay focused on your goals. 🏹

• Mistake no. 7: Failing to prepare for setbacks and obstacles

What’s more, you need to be ready to face failures and obstacles and bounce back! 🦘

Toinon explains that entrepreneurs will face challenges and failures along the way, and that it is important to anticipate them and mentally prepare for it. 🧠

Failure to prepare for setbacks and obstacles can lead to a reduced motivation, a decrease in self-confidence and an inability to recover from failure. 🫣

So it’s important to develop a resilient mindset, to learn to deal constructively with mistakes, and to learn from every experience in order to improve future performance. 🦾

• Mistake no. 8: Underestimating the importance of a good professional network

You must also establish and cultivate a professional network solid! 🧱

In this part of the video, we highlight the common mistake of underestimating the importance of a good professional network when you launch your startup. 🙈

Our CEO, explains that professional networks can play an essential role in a company’s success, offering a wide range of benefits. Collaboration opportunities, mentoring, partnership and access to valuable resources and knowledge. 💎

Failure to build a solid network can limit your opportunities for growth and business development.your company.

Which would be a shame, wouldn’t it? 🤔

• Mistake no. 9: Failing to keep up to date and trained

What’s more, staying up to date in your field of activity and continuing to train as the start-up creation. 🤓

He explains that the business world is changing fast, and that it’s important to keep abreast of new trends, technological advances and the latest developments and best practices in your industry. ⚒️

Failure to train and stay informed can lead to delay adoption of new strategies, reduce competitiveness and lead to missed opportunities for your company. 👀 So it’s important to devote time to learning and research in order to stay at the top of your line of business.

• Mistake no. 10: Not delegating and wanting to do everything yourself

It’s important to delegate certain tasks, and to surround yourself with the right people and a competent team. 🙌

In this part of the video, Toinon G. highlights a common mistake when creating a startup: wanting to do everything yourself instead of relying on others! 😑

He says that contractors can be tempted to control everything and do all the work themselves, which leads to overwork, a lack of efficiency and loss of concentration on important tasks. 🌧️

Failure to delegate can also limit business growth and hinder team development. 👉 It’s therefore important to know how to delegate responsibilities and trust your team to get the job done.

• Mistake no. 11: Not having a clear vision and a well-defined goal

We need to define a clear vision and precise goals for his start-up! 🎯

Without a clear vision and clearly defined objectives of what a company wants to achieve, it becomes difficult to make strategic decisions, to mobilize teams, and to achieve results and attract investors, explains Toinon. 😉

The lack of clear vision can lead to confusion, disorientation and business opportunities missed. 🙊 It is therefore essential to develop a clear vision and define precise objectives that will guide the company’s actions and decisions.

• Mistake no. 12: Not focusing on product or service quality

Also, it is important to offer a product or a quality service for customer loyalty. 🥰

He explains that some entrepreneurs may be tempted to favor speed and profitability rather than quality. 🪙

However, ignoring quality can lead to a bad reputation, this can lead to customer dissatisfaction and a lack of loyalty. 👉 Therefore, it’s important that we focus on customer satisfaction.

You must strive for excellence in every aspect of your offering and focus on developing quality products and services! 👌

• Mistake no. 13: Not having a plan B in case of failure

It’s essential to anticipate possible failures and have an emergency plan. 🆘

Toinon explains that in business, no matter how hard you try, there’s always a risk of failure. 👉 The absence of a Plan B can leave you in a desperate situation, with few or no options for recovery in the event of failure.

Therefore, it’s important to plan for alternatives, develop an exit strategy and have a contingency plan in place to deal with any setbacks, and to ensure continuity of your company. 🙏

• Mistake no. 14: Not listening to customer feedback and sticking to your initial ideas

Here, Toinon underlines the common mistake of not listening to customer feedback and stick to the first idea when you launch your startup. 👂

He explains that contractors can be tempted to focus solely on their own ideas and ignore customer feedback and comments. 👄

However, ignoring customer feedback can lead to a loss of trust, a decrease in satisfaction and a loss of customer loyalty. market share.

That’s why it’s so important to listen to customer feedback, and take it into account when planning your product. Development process and to adapt your products and services to meet the needs and customer experiences. 😊

• Mistake no. 15: Not knowing how to surround yourself with the right people

You need to put together a competent team and complementary. 🤝

Toinon stresses the importance of not neglecting the way you surround yourself with the right people when you launch your startup. 👉 He explains that the success of a company depends largely on the team that makes it up.

Choosing the wrong people can lead to a lack of essential skills, a lack of collaboration and poor team dynamics. 😣

It is therefore important to recruit people to benefit from diversified expertise, mutual support and synergies to achieve our objectives. 🌈

• Mistake no. 16: Not having a clear growth strategy

Think about developing a growth strategy for your start-up. 🧐

Without a clear growth strategy,” explains Toinon, “it is difficult to define actions and investments necessary to achieve a company’s growth objectives. 🎣

The absence of a clear strategy can lead to inefficient use of resources, wasted time and missed growth opportunities. 🙃

It is therefore important to develop a sales strategy that identifies your target market your sales channels, potential partnerships and avenues to stimulate business growth. 🚀

• Mistake no. 17: Ignoring legal and regulatory aspects

In this part of the interview, Toinon points out the common mistake of not taking legal and regulatory aspects when your launch your startup. ⚖️

Ignoring these aspects can lead to legal and regulatory damage for a company, such as fines, lawsuits and even closure, he explains. 😮

Therefore, to avoid any legal problems and to ensure guarantee compliance in respect to applicable laws and regulations, protect the rights of your employees’ intellectual property, make sure you have the right contracts and consult a legal professional. 👉 Consultation and support are crucial.

• Mistake no. 18: Failing to set measurable goals

He goes on to discuss the importance of not neglecting to set goals. Measurable targets when creating a startup. 📏

He explains that measurable goals enable a company to clearly define what it wants to achieve, and track progress.

Failing to set measurable objectives can lead to disorientation, difficulty in assessing performance and loss of motivation. 🙁

Therefore, it’s essential to set specific, quantifiable and time-bound goals to measure your results, adjust your strategy if necessary and stay on track for success. 🌟

• Error no. 19: Ignoring user feedback during development

We advise you to involve users in the development process and consider their feedback. 👂

Here, Toinon highlights the common mistake of not taking user feedback into account when developing products and services. 👉 He explains that user feedback is invaluable in understanding their needs, preferences, and problems.

If you don’t take this into account, your product, or service may fail to meet user expectations, leading to lower satisfaction and a loss of sales and loss of customers. 😭

Consequently, it’s important to listen carefully to user feedback, analyze it and incorporate it into the design. Development process to continually improve products and services, to meet the needs of our customers and the market requirements.

• Mistake no. 20: Not focusing enough on English as a working language in an international context

In this section, Toinon talks about the importance of not ignoring English as a language of communication and a working language in an international context. 🌎 He explains that English is often considered the language of official business and international communication.

Not concentrating sufficiently on English can create language barriers. This can complicate communication with foreign partners and result in lost business opportunities. 👎

Therefore, to facilitate international trade and maximize global growth opportunities. 👉 It’s important to develop proficiency in English, to promote a corporate culture centered on English, and to give priority to the use of this language as a means of customer relationship. 🤩

• Mistake no. 21: Underestimating the importance of admiring and being aligned with associates and team members

Finally, he points out the common mistake of underestimating the importance of admiration and links with colleagues and team members. 🤗

He explains that the company success is based on cooperation and harmony between team members. 👉 Underestimating its importance can lead to internal conflicts, lack of motivation and lower productivity.

That’s why it’s important to choose partners and team members with shared values, a similar vision and mutual appreciation. 💘 This improves communication, increases cohesion and enhances joint performance to achieve set objectives.

Conclusion: How to launch a start-up?

To sum up, this interview highlights a few common mistakes to be avoided during the starting a startup. 💥 Focus on the quality of your products and services, have a plan B in case of failure. Listen to customer feedback, surround yourself with good people, have a clear growth strategy and consider the legal aspects and take care of the regulatory aspects. ✅

In addition, set yourself measurable targets, listen to user feedback and focus fully on English in an international context. 😋 In addition, it’s important to congratulate and harmonize your employees and team members.

Avoiding these 21 mistakes and following these tips will greatly increase your chances of your startup’s success!

Article FAQ

What is a start-up?

Startups are young, innovative companies are often active in the technology sector and aim to develop unique, high-growth products and services, such as SaaS, for example. 🤓

They are generally associated with a flexible and creative culture, generally focused on solving new problems, taking advantage of new technologies. Disruptive business models and advanced technologies. 💹 Their main objective is to grow rapidly and expand their market.

How do you start your own business?

To start your own business first, you need to identify your unique business idea and your target market. 🎯

Next, draw up a solid business plan, defining your business model and obtain the necessary financing. Complying with legal and regulatory requirements is important. (But, as seen here, you don’t have to do it all alone!) 🙂

It is essential to develop marketing strategies to attract customers. 🧲 Finally, there must be a willingness to adapt, innovate and manage resources efficiently to ensure growth and sustainability.

Now you know our tips on how to launch your startup. Come on, kisses! 😘