Startup Tips Month Day 1: Benjamin Gott from Indistr

Day #1 in the CenterNetworks Startup Tips Month comes from Benjamin Gott of Indistr.

Tip #1

Be simple. Don’t focus on anything that isn’t core to getting your startup off the ground. Be an amazing product first, then be a business.

Tip #2

Have a very clear focus. Kind of obvious, but it drives the simplicity mentioned above. Whether its traffic, users, activity, revenue, etc…drive towards that point only.

Tip #3

If you can and it makes sense – use in-house or freelance developers and designers. The big houses do amazing work, but its often hard to ‘have and idea on Monday and launch on Wednesday’ when you are dealing with larger shops. Agility is key in the start up world.

Tip #4

Have a good team. A team can be just two people. Never underestimate how much work its going to be – even the easiest stuff can eat up more time than you have, this was a mistake I made!

Tip #5

Don’t be afraid to develop both the idea as well as the actual product in a bit of a vacuum. Outside ideas and influence can be extremely distracting. That being said, its also important to have a core group of people who you can bounce ideas off of – and it helps if they are from all different user demographics if possible.

Tip #6

You don’t have to be in The Valley to have a successful tech startup. So don’t move there ‘just because it’s the valley’.

Tip #7

Have a clear definition of success, relates back to number (2) in regards a clear focus. Know when you have hit your goals and when you haven’t.

Benjamin has worked in the 'internet industry' for about 8 years, had my first 'real' gig in high school around the middle of the first bubble. My skill set focused first on classic web-design and then moved to backend development pretty much exclusively in classic ASP. Moved around to different employers, did some consulting, a lot of freelance, and then decided to settle a bit in the supply chain industry developing international suppliers portals with a focus on the furniture industry vertical.

I have no formal education/college education. I grew up in the south Chicago-land area and I now live in downtown the young thriving city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Love it. INDISTR, www.indistr.com, was launched in January 07 with a clear goal of allowing artist to distribute their music directly to the public while staying totally independent. Simplistic in its nature, we allow artist to upload as much music as they’d like, they can bundle their music into albums, price it themselves and publish it. 75% of each sale goes directly to the artist instantly upon its purchase. Our aim is to keep the artist first - big or small, and to ensure all artist have an opportunity to make a living from their art.