Here's what Majrooh Sultanpuri would have written for you all entrepreneurs if he would have been an expert on branding in addition to writing iconic songs for films:
Dil deke dekho, dil deke dekho, dil deke dekho ji oo paise dene walon dil dena seekho ji…
Dil Deke Dekho
Having faith in an idea might seem uncertain and vulnerable to some and to some a means of changing the world. We are what we are because of the power of our minds.
As people of business, you cannot not be a believer, if you ever wonder whether or not should I go ahead with this business, there's no point in looking for capital. In this field, everything is uncertain and therefore you must have the courage to stop and re-evaluate a situation that's not working and have faith in yourself to make the right decisions.
Nobody can save you but yourself, and you're worth saving. Yes, you are!
Agar tumhe neend na aaye, chain na aaye because of your idea then take out the time to know your beliefs and the vision of your business. It's you first, it starts with you, you are the one relaying your ideas, beliefs, principles of your business to the investors. Hence, the first person you have to influence is- yourself.
Par Kehna Kya Chahte ho?!! (apne Business se)
What is it that you want to establish through your business?!
What's your purpose? What do you want to achieve through your business? What is it that drives you?
Having answers to these questions is like having a guiding light through your distracted darkness of self-doubt. Turn to these answers for inspiration. It is not a crime to have a feeling of being nervous, that is difficult to go away. You have to learn to live with this uncertainty; success and failure are going to come but you have to work hard to keep your faith intact, to not be defined by either your success or your failure.
Jodi tor dak shune keu na ashe tobe ekla cholo re…
If there is no-one responding to your call - then go on all alone.
No one can be expected to support you, neither your family, nor your friends. There will always be someone who disapproves of your entrepreneurship. Just because you are excited about it, doesn't mean that everyone else will be. You cannot control everyone and everything, all you can do is focus on you and what you create.
The others are allowed to feel what they feel, but they can't make you feel a certain way. It's not easy to let go, but neither is building a business.
Plan Plan Karo Hazar Baar Karo
In order to believe the crazy ideas you have, you must come up with a plan. Plan everything, it doesn't matter if you can't control anything but planning is like aiming, you have to aim to reach your goals. It's going to be very hard not to keep faith in your business when you are trying so hard to make it work. As long as you are doing the work, the faith will continue to support you.
Find the winners of your field
Look for successful entrepreneurs in your field, read about them, if possible get in touch with them. Their story, this seed of hope will spark a fire within you to act, move ahead and flourish. Not knowing what is going to happen to you, will make you move ahead with greater anticipation.
Market research
Another important thing that you might want to invest in would be what they call the market research, or plainly put, it is to know your clients better than themselves.
What is Market Research?
A textbook definition would go as something that consists of systematically gathering data about people or companies - a market - and then analyzing it to better understand what that group of people needs. The results of market research, which are usually summarized in a report, are then used to help business owners make more informed decisions about the company's strategies, operations, and potential customer base. It is the process of determining the viability of a new service or product through research conducted directly with potential customers. Market research allows a company to discover the target market and get opinions and other feedback from consumers about their interest in the product or service.
Without jargon, market research is looking at various aspects of the market statistically to gain better insight.
The most commonly made mistake that entrepreneurs make is that they try to influence others the way they would like to be influenced. This is important, of course, to know what influences you, but there's a cent percent possibility that your clients might not be your clones. It is important to know what they desire, what they fear, what do they believe in order to find that connect with them.
Entrepreneurs are just like actors- both selling an
idea to the people, both full of insecurities, both in need of a
branding studio/ director who will set an image of them for the world to see and buy what they sell.
The whole thing is that ke bhaiya sabse bada rupaiyya
Money has the biggest hand.
Yes, it is important. Yes, a business cannot survive without it, yes you need to earn for the "paapi pet". So, worry not as there are many innovative ways to get the funding.
One of the most prevalent ways of doing so is through crowdfunding. It is for those who are exceptionally good on social media and can maximize their views in one go by their potential investors.
Another way to do so is when you are just starting out, you must network, get in touch with other businesses, join professional groups they can help you reach the right investors who are in line with your idea.
In the era of the internet, even platforms like LinkedIn and Quora can connect you with your desired 'angel' investors, but be conscious of their credibility, after all, you are finding them on the internet and as we know, a lot of things fly in and around here.
Savings! Savings! Savings!
One cannot stress enough about savings. When you are just starting out it is understandable that it is a little too difficult to save. But always try to do so. You never know when you are going to be in need of that 'dough'.
Enjoy the little wins
Building a business is a long arduous journey, which will take a lot out of you but will also give you a lot of things to cherish. Always remember to celebrate the little wins. These little wins will keep you going. Celebrating the small achievements gives you the courage and strength to keep moving ahead and to have faith in your business.
Rome wasn't built in a day (nor was it built by a single person)
It takes time and people to build a business. You can start out alone, but you need people to spread your ideas and we, here at Slangbusters are quite good at it. Branding is not a week-long task you can get over with. At Slangbusters, we aim at giving time to research and bringing out insights that can create an everlasting branding identity for your business.
As the 21st century Brand Expert Khusrau would say;
Khusrau dariyaa business ka, ulti wa ki dhaar,
Jo utra so doob gaya, jo dooba so paar.
Take the leap.
— by Nikita Sharma, Freelance Content Writer, Slangbusters Studio
