4. Prioritize to efficiently use your resources. In your
startup, you’ll typically have hundreds of ideas, features, or enhancements that you would like to implement. Setting priorities in terms of which of these projects you need to start is very important, as there are limited resources to execute them. The prioritization should always relate to the impact or benefit of that project, in addition to how easy it is to implement. At pricena.com, we prioritize projects that directly boost our value proposition, by enhancing the customer experience for example, or adding more stores to compare prices from. 5. Focus on one main offering. Don’t spread your-
self thin. Many entrepreneurs start thinking of expanding their idea to new services or lines of business, before proving their main business model. Such a lack of focus can reduce the effort you put in your main idea, and can thus kill a startup. At pricena.com, we had many options of expanding the reach of our website, whether to new services or to To enable you to do your job properly, you need to be familiar with the various online tools available out there. Use Asana.com for project and task management. For hiring freelancers, you can use Upwork. com. For team communication, try Slack.com, a new and efficient way to handle team communication without email.
infographic by haneen dabain
Pricena app
new countries. However, for a long time we remained focused on our main business model of local online shopping price comparison in the UAE. Once the model was proven to be successful with consumers and online stores, we started expanding the site to other countries, and add many new features such as the ability to compare prices with international websites. 6. Explore “growth hacking” methods. Growth
hacking is a technique that uses non-traditional marketing channels and methods to gain exposure for your startup. Paid online/offline marketing, social media presence and even search engine optimization (SEO), are nowadays considered traditional. Beyond
these, think how you can gain access to your target audience. This can be through designing partnerships with other companies that your product can complement their offering. At pricena.com, we offer price information/reviews to other news websites, which exposes our solution to their audience. Other growth hacking methods can include designing viral videos, or offering users some freebies if they invite a friend to try the product. 7. Use productivity solutions to help you do your work. The first thing
you will notice as a founder is that you will need to wear multiple hats at the same time. On pricena.com, I have worked on multiple areas in my business, from technical tasks like web development and product management to business development and managing client relationships. To enable you to do your job properly, you need to be familiar with the various online tools available out there. Use Asana.com for project and task management. For hiring freelancers, you can use Upwork.com. For team . communication, try Slackicom, a new and efficient way to handle team communication without email.
I hope that you find these guidelines practical enough to help you in your new venture. Remember that opportunities in our part of the world are within reach, provided you build a great product that solves a problem. This region is still nascent, and like all emerging markets, there is room for entrepreneurs to adopt and tailor ideas from outside, or start something totally new. Find an idea that resonates with your interests and relates to your experience. Whether it succeeds or fails, it definitely makes your journey much more enjoyable and rewarding.
Haneen Dabain is the founder of pricena.com, a price comparison site in the Middle East that features thousands of products from dozens of online shops, all in one place. july 2015 Entrepreneur
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