North Bay Startup

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Research, research, research! If there’s anything I’ve learned in years of doing business, it’s this: you can’t be too well-informed, but you can certainly be ill-informed!

Many experts will tell you that your main focus when thinking of starting a business should be to write a business plan, which in many cases consists of meticulous number crunching and analysis of your competition. Balderdash! I subscribe to the 37signals’ “Rework” philosophy that planning is guessing, so that’s a whole lot of work based on a whole lot of guessing. And reality trumps guessing every time.

So what do I mean when I talk about research? Here’s what I mean:

Research your community and your world!

In the fine blogging tradition of posting lists, here’s my Top 10 list of what you should do as you conduct research for your startup:

1. Research who’s who in the business community in your city.
2. Research who is experimenting with new media opportunities relevant to your industry (blogs, online TV shows, etc.).
3. Research websites that come up when you search for keywords relevant to your business. Don’t think of them in terms of “are they my competition?” but rather “what can I learn from what they are doing?”
4. Research what kinds of meetups are happening in your local area, both ones related to your industry and ones that aren’t. Remember, who you know is the most valuable asset as a entrepreneur.
5. Research seminars, workshops, and conferences that you can attend that will help you to learn and grow as a human being and as a business person.
6. Research innovative new ways of raising money. Whereas small business loans or venture capital were the name of the game in times past, now people are starting companies using services like Kickstarter.
7. Research the latest technology, no matter what industry you are in. Technology is like a weapon: use it poorly and you’ll get slaughtered by those more competent than you. Use it well and you’ll win big.
8. Research the most talented people in all the fields that will be able to help you. Again, it’s who you know that will help you get ahead. So if you need some product or portrait photography done for your business to make your marketing efforts shine, don’t just hire the first person with camera that comes along. Hire the best of the best.
9. Research the ideas and suggestions that are lying dormant in your friends and family. Don’t just shoot the breeze for a few minutes at the theater before X-Men: First Class starts — set up a real meeting, come up with a list of highly intentional questions, and ask for brutally honest feedback. You may be surprised what you discover!
10. Finally, research the ways that you can “detox” your mind and body. Your spiritual practices, physical exercises, and weekly rhythms of work and rest will make the difference between long-term success and eventual catastrophic burnout. Don’t neglect yourself or your family. Your business is not worth it.

What are other ways you do regular research for your startup? There are so many disciplines required to be successful in business, it’s hard to stay on top of the game. If you have any helpful advice, we and our readers would love to hear about them! Post in the comments below…