1. FastStepsto HelpYouGet to Market
For many entrepreneurs, getting that Big Idea into the public
market quickly is vital. But speed and accuracy are often at
opposite ends of the entrepreneur balance beam.
There’s a definite give and take between spending enough time
to get something right and wasting time on things that
be handled with less fuss. And as an entrepreneur, you already
know that your task is to find just the right balance.
That push-pull between getting the job done exactly quickly and
getting it done right intensifies even more if what you're doing is
something that's public-facing -- like a website, a press
announcement-- even the company name itself.
2. After all, no one wants to screw up in public. And making even
minor errors can damage your brand image and company
before you even get started. Nothing says "unprofessional" more
than a typo or amateur-looking company logo.
It’s possible, though, to get great public-facing startup business
products and services done fast and well. So, if you're one of
those entrepreneurs pushing both yourself and your team to get
to market at lightning speed, here are some links to bookmark,
and shortcuts to take, to get your project up and running right
away.
1. Getting your domain name and logo in place
-- fast.
Instead of spending hours online checking available domain
names, only to be frustrated by what’s not
available, BrandBucket has collected literally thousands of .com
domain names for just about any business. Brandbucket
has even already matched those names with professionally
designed logos so entrepreneurs can skip that step, too. It’s
one-stop shopping. In 15 minutes you can have a great domain
name and logo while your competition is still plugging
combinations into domain searches.
“Most entrepreneurs understand that time is money,” Margot
Bushnaq Brandbucket's CEO and founder, told me. “I started as
an entrepreneur, so I know how long finding the right name,
domain and logo can take. That’s why we created a way to skip
most of those headaches.”
3. 2. Getting your website up and running -- fast.
Once you have a domain and business name and logo, you’ll
need a website. Square has some really nice templates that can
be customized quickly to suit almost any need. Best of all, they
come integrated with ecommerce capability; that way, you don’t
have to find merchant services separately and work them into
your online storefront. Square also offers business loans. So,
once you get started, that's another step you may be able to
skip.
3. Getting your PR machine humming -- fast.
With a company name, domain and website in hand,
entrepreneurs looking to establish their footprint in the
marketplace will need to get the word out -- especially through
search engine optimization (SEO).
It may take some time to find a PR expert or firm that’s a right
match for your company. Until you do, there are some pretty
easy-to-use, DIY resources to help spread the word. A good one
is PRWeb, the online press release distribution service.
Like most online distribution services, PRWeb is better at
boosting your SEO than it isat generating actual readers and
market penetration. But, for a few hundred bucks, you can get
links to your press announcement into literally hundreds of
outlets in minutes. “Getting links to your website has value,”
Alyssa Miller told me. Miller is principal of AMMediaWorks,
a New York full-service public relations firm which specializes in
working with early-stage tech companies and entrepreneurs.
“It won’t replace good message development, quality storytelling
or media pitching," Miller added about the important task of
4. gaining website links, "but it can be part of a complete PR
package. And it’s fast.”
With BrandBucket, Square and PRWeb, any entrepreneur can
go from idea to marketplace in hours. You could be taking
orders, developing leads and improving your page rankings
while your competitors are still hashing out what color their logo
should be.
Best of all, you can get your goods to market not just quickly, but
professionally.