My Two Cents on Building a Startup

I've always wanted to do something for myself rather than be a cog in an enormous well-oiled machine. The real beauty is in all those little things that you build on your own; as you watch your small sandhill grow, and you strengthen it's walls with your bare hands preparing it to weather high tide. 
So the first thing I did for myself to keep my sanity, is that I made a list of all the things I needed to build a company from ground up. 

• Incorporate it: Make it legit. If you don't take it seriously, nobody else will. If you have no idea where to begin, try www.vakilsearch.com - who were really helpful in getting us incorporated.
• Building your brand: your logo, your business cards, your color palette, your elevator pitch, your Facebook page, your domain name, your website, Instagram account, Google Page - all of that will be representing you and your company. Create the atmosphere that you will be breathing into for the next phase of your career!
• Stand by our mission statement: Know for yourself why did you start this company. Keep it written somewhere, so you can always go back to it someday if you sense you are losing your way. Mine for example, was to erase others' notions who say "films are too expensive" by producing quality films for our clients at an affordable cost.
• Start with your showreel: Yes. I didn't say slide-deck. Nobody has the time to go through well garnished slides full of hollow promises. Nothing is better than to actually 'see' your product work. What better way than to showcase it via a short video? Here's something we made before launching our own company.

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• Meet one new person everyday: There's never a meeting that is a waste of time. And there's always a ton of wasted opportunities. 
• Follow a time-table: Even when I know it's hard to follow, especially for a start-up, sticking to a checklist gives me a sense of moving forward in the day.
• Get Up, and Work: There will be times when your head will play tricks on you and logically show you that your plan is just not working. Remember it's all in your head. Get up, and fix whatever it is.
• Don't Complain: Never ever complain about having too much work, or lack of it. It's either work or it's back to the corporate world for you.
• Clients are God: Meeting client demands is what gets us more work. Instead, go the extra mile to keep them happy, and you will find that the returns are far more rewarding in the long run.
• Be yourself: Don't lose sight of yourself and why you began your company in the first place. The road will always be a hard one, and it's all the more enjoyable when you spend it with that one person who knows you better than anyone else- YOU!

Nikhil Mehta
NJM Productions (tm)
You Narrate. We Create.