One question that I get often from newly startup founders is “How do I set my KPIs? How do I know how much money should I make? How do I know how many visitsI should have?”
The answer, this early, is only one: be there every day. The KPIs should be initially related to your execution, not the results. Of course, you will improve, but focus on just doing the thing that needs to be done every day.
How do you get investors to invest?
Well, how about talking to a potential investor every day? Yes, that might mean a 30 minutes talk with a friend you know or a 10 hours search for a contact to get to a person that could invest in you. It’s the same result, though: you got to talk to one person. It doesn’t matter the time it took, that was your KPI: talk to one potential investor every day. As time goes by, you’ll get better at getting contacts, getting better pitches and so on. And it wouldn’t happen if you didn’t talk to so many people until then.
How do I get people to join my startup?
Well, why don’t you try to convince a person every day? Of course, you can learn from each interaction and get a co-founder/employee fast or you could do a half-assed effort and it might take 3 years. Still, by doing it every day, you’ll get better.
How do I get better at blogging? How do I get better at vlogging?
Create a video every day and publish it. Write 500 words every day and publish it. Even if you execute on the plan every day, but you don’t expose yourself to critics and failure, you will not move forward.
That’s it! It is that easy.
Once you do your main job every day, improving on the side things will be easier. It’s easier to get a bigger audience and promote your blog/vlog if you are already creating every day and improving. It’s easier to get someone to join your startup if you already know the answers to their potential questions. And, of course, you will get someone to invest in you once you improve your product, your pitch and your business. But you can’t do anything if you aren’t there every day, honing your skills.
I started going to the gym recently. And Miruna asked what my target is for the 3 months of the program. My answer? I just want to get to the gym every day (it’s a 4 days a week program) and respect the nutrition plan they gave me. I don’t care about anything else. I just want to get back in the habit of exercising and eating well. After that… we’ll see. For the moment, I don’t care about anything else other than being there and executing on it every day.
Oh, what if I fail to appear one day? I continue with the initial plan the next day. Again, and again, until I get it right.
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The photo from the article is the gelato I’m gonna have once the 3 months are over. Just one. For 3 months. Because I need it! :))
The gelato is from Dondoli’s Gelateria in San Gimignano and, genuinely, it’s one of the best gelatos I’ve ever eaten (and I tested lots of icecream and gelato lately :D )
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