You’ve heard the (nausea-inducing) stats about start-up fails. But for every tale of entrepreneurial woe, there’s another happy story of a start-up hero. Which, let’s face it, is what you’re destined to be.

(It’s fate.)

And to help you pave the path for start-up success, I’ve condensed 3 years of business expertise as the founder and creator of my own start-up (working with genius start-ups from all across the globe) into a simple strategy for start-up success.

Obviously, these tips won’t cover errthing (ha, I wish!), but they’ll give you a good head start on that Forbes feature you’ve been eyeing up.

Ready for it?

Five ways to build your success as a start-up

#1. Be super clear on your business direction.

How can you achieve success if you don’t know what success looks like for you? Your everyday jobs and duties should be influenced by your overarching goals and dreams. I.e. You should be putting in dream-building time every single day.

This means knowing what you want to achieve – in detail -, figuring out where you want to be and then breaking it down into bite-sized chunks that you can build into a roadmap.

#2. Get all Sherlock Holmes on your target market.

To attract your dream customers, you gotta know who they are and what they love (… and hate). In detail.

It’s like buying the perfect present for a loved one. The better you know a person, the more meaningful and heartfelt your present will be. Just like the better you know your target market, the easier it will be for you to reach and appeal to them with your content and messaging.

#3. Build a killer brand.

Want to capture your dream customers’ hearts … without saying a word? If your answer is “Omgosh, YES!” then, lovey, you’ll want to invest in your brand identity. If there’s any part of the start-up process that deserves the most investment, it’s this.

Your brand identity is more than just a logo. It’s also the colours, fonts, patterns and images associated with your brand. All of which work in harmony (cue angel choir) across your business to make your brand emotionally compelling and memorable.

#4. Nail your tone of voice.

If your business were a person, how would they speak? This question is at the heart of the ‘tone of voice’ conundrum, i.e. figuring out how cultivate a distinct voice for your business and brand.

Your tone of voice is used across all communications and channels, from your social media through to your e-mails and marketing material, and works to make it feel like your audience and customers are connecting with a distinct person/personality. It’s important to keep your tone of voice consistent as this will build trust and a connection with your audience … and make sure you’re memorable af.

#5. Create a pro-level website.

If you want your dream customers to find – and fall in love with – you, then you’re going to need a website. It’s like the modern Yellow Pages. ‘Cept way cooler, because your website can take your visitors from strangers to raving fans in one seamless experience.

Swoon.

Ready to build your website? Well you can hire a pro (I know where you can find an awesome web designer, nudge nudge), otherwise there are plenty of DIY tools – like Squarespace, Wix, Showit and Wordpress - you can invest in and play with too.

For inspo and web design tips, be sure to follow me on Instagram too!