The fast pace, the pivots, and the setbacks involved in a new venture all make for an exciting day-to-day where anything can happen. And at the end of the road, with a little luck and some hard work, there is even potential to make a significant return on investment: a take-out offer, or an IPO can be a life changing event for one’s career and financial security. But the startup life is also grueling and unforgiving. To achieve success, an entrepreneur needs have an incredible amount of perseverance and resolve – the fact is that there is no shortage of obstacles that can threaten to instantly bankrupt or disempower any new venture.
How to Launch a Startup, in Quotes
Today’s infographic from Wrike serves as a guide to help those aspiring entrepreneurs that aim to go down this challenging but potentially rewarding path. See all 31 quotes on how to launch a startup, from notable founders and financiers, in the infographic below:
The experts make clear that to launch a startup requires deep thought and action in the following areas: Courage and Confidence Taking a chance can be scary, but don’t be afraid to take the leap of faith on a good idea. Solve a Problem Don’t start a company just to be an entrepreneur – but instead solve a real problem. If your product helps to improve other people’s lives, you will always have a market. Build Your Product Anyone can come up with an idea to launch a startup, but when it comes to building a product it is all about the execution. The aptitude for translating a mere concept to a physical reality is paramount. Put more succinctly, as Michael Dell says: “Ideas are a commodity. Execution of them is not.” The Customer is Right Henry Ford and Steve Jobs have shown us that the average customer cannot always envision the future, whether it is the automobile or the iPhone. However, once you have a product solidified, testing it with customers will give you a wealth of feedback that could change the entire course of product development. Be responsive to this feedback. Iterate Make sure everything that can be measured is properly tracked. Update your approach based on this data until it’s clear that the product is a winner. The Merits of Bootstrapping Bootstrapping is often underrated. Smart bootstrapping allows you to address big problems without the distractions or opinions of investors.
on Every year, millions of new businesses are started across the world—in 2021, nearly 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the U.S. alone. And since startups and new businesses play a significant role in shaping a country’s economic growth, encouraging entrepreneurship is vital. But what types of businesses around the world are people most interested in starting? These maps by ZenBusiness show the most popular types of businesses that entrepreneurs in nearly every country want to start, based on analyzing relevant internet search results.
Most Searched Businesses Around the World
To source the data, ZenBusiness analyzed searches from Ahrefs, specifically looking for the term “start a business” and its equivalents in local languages as of February 2022. They then found the relevant topic or keyword with the highest search volume, and organized the results into 11 different industries:
Beauty & Cosmetics Food & Drink Logistics & Infrastructure Personal Services Recycling Software Development Business & Financial Leisure & Tourism Marketing Real Estate Retail & E-Commerce
The data showed that the industries entrepreneurs are most attracted to vary greatly from country to country, depending on a variety of factors such as infrastructure, business climate, and culture. Here’s a breakdown of the most searched businesses around the world, broken down by region.
Africa
From cooking gas refills in South Africa to supplements in the Gambia, entrepreneurs across Africa seem to be interested in starting a wide range of businesses (at least according to their searches). But while the results varied across the region, the most-searched industry was personal services such as cleaning, interior design, and contracting. Cleaning was especially popular, ranking first in six different African countries. One African country worth highlighting is Morocco, where freight is the most-searched startup term across the country. This makes sense considering Morocco is home to several major ports, including the Port of Tanger Med, which is Africa’s largest port by cargo capacity.
Europe
In Europe, real estate is the most-searched industry, ranking number one in seven different countries across the continent. Over the last decade, the European Union’s real estate market has boomed—between 2010 and 2021, home prices in the EU increased by 42%. Retail is also a popular industry across Europe, with clothing-related searching taking the top spot in five different European countries.
Middle East & Central Asia
From soap production in Uzbekistan to dropshipping in Azerbaijan, the Middle East & Central Asia have the most diverse searches compared to any other region. One particularly interesting top search was in the United Arab Emirates, where imports and exports ranked first. The UAE’s economy is heavily reliant on trade, especially oil, which makes up 30% of the region’s GDP and 41% of public revenues.
Rest of Asia & Oceania
Asia and Oceania had an interesting mix of unique business searches. For instance, pig farming ranked number one in the Solomon Islands, and lawn moving took the top spot in New Zealand. But generally speaking, retail was one of the most-searched-for business types across this region, with clothing taking the top spot in countries like Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
North America
Across North America, retail takes the top spot for most searched business type. In fact, the top searches in nearly half of the region’s countries are related to the retail or e-commerce industry. The U.S. currently has the largest retail market in the world, although China is close on its heels. In 2021, America’s retail market was valued at over $6.5 trillion U.S. dollars.
South America
Food was the top searched industry across South America, ranking number one in half the countries across the region. In Brazil, sweets took the top spot, which might not be surprising considering the country is the top sugar cane producer worldwide. Clothing was also a popular business idea, taking the top spot in five South American countries. Which countries surprised you the most with their new business interest?
