Don’t Build a Startup, Build This Instead

Buying into the startup hype when it’s not right for you may not only waste your time, it might kill your business. Do this instead.

Photo by Ewan Buck on Unsplash

I’m going to say something that I think should be obvious, but really needs to be said: every new business is not a startup.

The reason this might not be so obvious is that over the last several years, the definition of a startup according to most people has expanded so much that it seems to cover anything and everything under the sun.

Take this Investopedia definition which says that a startup is:

“A company in its early stages where the founders think there is some demand for their product or service.”

Or this article from startups.com that interviewed many different startup founders, with some definitions covering anything “solving a problem” or “doing something differently.”

I get it.

There is so much hype around startups that everyone wants to think that’s what they’re building. But participating in the startup hype when it’s not right for your business may not only waste your time, it might kill your business.