Find Advisors: Sooner Rather Than Later

“Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.

A startup goes through many iterations, twists and turns in its life time. To increase the chance of your startup’s success, it is always wise to seek out one or more advisors — especially before you begin working on it.

Why Would You Need Them?

Perspective

You shouldn’t follow all their advice blindly, but having an outside perspective can give you that edge in solving your startups most pressing problems.

For instance, my advisor told me recently that a number of my written communications, like email, tend to be transactional. That is, it’s missing a human element to connect with them emotionally. After seeing an example, it immediately opened my eyes to be much more aware of room to improve.

Network

Their connections can lead to potential investors, clients, partners, and employees. I’ve come to meet two accelerators, several ICO advisors and other serial entrepreneurs along the way. Getting the right third-party to recommend you is almost always a step up from cold emailing :)

Momentum

It’s your responsibility as founder to generate the initial push, but it’s so nice to have someone push when inevitably you get tired along the way. Seeing momentum, through someone who is not a co-founder, somehow is outside validation for yourself to see things through. While the push coming from customer is probably #1, having an advisor to help you prioritize your focus to keep your startup running, is a close second.

How To Ensure the Right Fit

• They are competent in their areas of expertise. And have helped other startups navigate the rough waters in your related market
• They show up and do more than what is “required” of them
• They take up your vision and proactively look for opportunities in their network for you
• They have tremendous belief in you, sometimes even more than you do yourself
• They do not let you go down the wrong path. And is skillful and persuasive enough to prevent you from shooting your own foot
• They create even more momentum for you and push you (as forceful as needed) to keep the momentum going if you’re slowing down

Finding the advisor with right fit is crucial. At the right stage in your startup, they can make all the difference.

So, do you have a trusted advisor in your corner? Share with us your story in the comments section.