How to be an entrepreneur without drowning

Being an entrepreneur, contrary to what most people think, it is an extremely difficult lifestyle. You have freedom over your time, your goals and your company. This means you need to be twice as responsible as you would with a traditional job. As an entrepreneur you need to go out there and regularly close sales, otherwise you might not make enough to keep the company alive.

We have figured out 3 aspects that will allow you to become a more efficient entrepreneur. And because we want you to succeed, we want to share these strategies with you.

1. Consider bootstrapping before equity: Starting a business without a lot of money to invest can be rough. It is difficult to work by living on ramen but at first, it might be important to do so in order to identify how scalable your project is.

Selling 50% of your shares for some money sounds tempting, but in the long run it might hurt your project. Remember you left your job because you don't want others to tell you what to do. Selling your shares means you lose full control over your company. It might be very helpful, but in the end remember you are selling the identity of the company, not just the shares.

2. Avoid debt: This one is similar to the first one, the only difference is that now you will place your belongings on a contract in case your startup fails. We are not saying that asking for a loan to grow your business is a bad idea, it might be the right choice but remember the risk that comes with itis huge. It sucks if you notice things aren't working at your startup, but it is much worse if besides failing you are swamped in debt.

3. Learn to pivot and to push: The lean method of business development argues one must find an idea that is validated in order to keep growing. Don't build a pizza shop before you even know if people in your area like pizza. Start small, think lean, avoid thinking you need a bunch of things to accomplish what you want to do. The sooner you begin experimenting and learning what your final customer actually wants the faster you will grow.

Producing anything other than what the final customer demands is unnecessary. If what you are doing is working keep going, if it isn't switch quickly, find a better idea and test it again. Until you have certainty your product or service actually has any traction in the market do not aim to expand. Finding a great product your customers want is extremely valuable, not the other way around