Tag: Launching a Business

When’s the Best Time to Sell Your Business? Here’s What I Tell My Clients (And It’s Not When You Think) | Entrepreneur
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Over the past 10 years, when do you think was the best time to sell a business?

Believe it or not, it was just after the pandemic. In June 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported that American business investment had exceeded expectations, outperforming pre-pandemic projections by $430 billion. “The outlook for future business investment growth is encouraging,” the report stated. “Firms are observing persistently high returns to their capital, and founders are starting new businesses at historic rates.”

Across industries, 2020–2022 outperformed even 2019 in many metrics. Manufacturing, for example, “surged back” in Q3 2020 with record gains in output and hours worked, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The real lesson: It’s not about timing the market

You don’t sell based on headlines. You sell based on your business, your industry, and your momentum.

Company valuations have stayed remarkably consistent over the past 25 to 30 years — even during recessions like 2008–2009. Waiting for the “perfect” economic moment to exit is a common mistake that often leads to missed opportunities.

One of our software clients was nearly ready to sell last year. But their industry began heating up so fast, we advised them to hold off. They now have a 10-year growth runway — and a chance to exit at a significantly higher valuation. On the other hand, we had a client in the print-and-postage business who waited too long. They ignored clear signs of declining demand. By the time they were ready to exit, their window had closed — and so had their leverage.

The point: There’s no universal “right time” to sell. There’s only the right time for your business, in your industry.

Related: When Should You Get Your Business Ready to Sell? The Best Time to Start Is Now — Here’s Why.

Three steps to build value in uncertain markets

Economic volatility causes many owners to second-guess their exit plan. Should I move faster? Should I take the first good offer?

In most cases, the answer is no. Instead, refine your original plan with three key adjustments:

1. Prioritize profitability over revenue

Buyers don’t pay for top-line growth — they pay for what drops to the bottom line.

One of our marketing clients was bringing in $5 million in revenue but losing $200,000 annually. After focusing on profitability, they trimmed revenue to $3 million but turned a $220,000 profit. That leaner, more profitable business was ultimately worth more — and attracted better buyers.

2. Build operational efficiency

A well-run business is more attractive, more resilient, and easier to sell. Aim for:
- Fewer people delivering the same output
- Documented, replicable systems
- A team that can run the business without you
Buyers want to see a machine that works — and still has room to grow.

3. Stay realistic about valuation

Remember Quibi? The mobile streaming platform launched with $1.75 billion in funding — and folded in six months. Or any Shark Tank episode where founders get laughed out of the room for unrealistic projections.

Valuation isn’t about hype. It’s about performance, predictability and market reality.

So when is the right time to sell?

Here are two signs we see consistently:
- Growth takes more effort for less return.
- You start thinking, “I’ve got a couple good years left in me.”
Those thoughts are signals. Don’t ignore them. They’re often the earliest signs that it’s time to plan your exit.

The market moves, but your strategy shouldn’t

Selling a business takes time — sometimes years — especially if you want to maximize value. Public markets fluctuate daily. But private business sales operate on a different timeline and follow different rules.

The buyers are different. The financing is different. The valuation metrics are different.

So don’t rush. Don’t panic. And don’t let headlines distract you from your long-term strategy.

Related: Sell Your Company When You Least Expect It — How to Properly Scale and Sell Your Business

Final thought: Focus on what you can control

The best time to sell isn’t about market timing — it’s about business readiness.

Ignore the noise. Focus on profitability, operational health, and what’s actually happening in your sector. That’s where real value lives — and where the best exits are made.

Stay strategic. Stay grounded. And don’t sell your business short.
Over the past 10 years, when do you think was the best time to sell a business?

Believe it or not, it was just after the pandemic. In June 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reported that American business investment had exceeded expectations, outperforming pre-pandemic projections by $430 billion. “The outlook for future business investment growth is encouraging,” the report stated. “Firms are observing persistently high returns to their capital, and founders are starting new businesses at historic rates.”

Across industries, 2020–2022 outperformed even 2019 in many metrics. Manufacturing, for example, “surged back” in Q3 2020 with record gains in output and hours worked, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Jessica Fialkovich

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August 26, 2025
5 Tips For Launching a Business While Keeping Your Day Job | Entrepreneur

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Did you know that as many as 45% of Americans have a side hustle? For many people, these side hustles are passion projects that they hope to transform into careers. Starting a business while working a full-time job elsewhere is a common path for many aspiring entrepreneurs, but it can be incredibly challenging.

Juggling a day job, personal life and brand-new business can lead to burnout and potential failure if you don’t manage it proactively and carefully. Here are some tips that helped me most when building my business and holding down a career.

Related: Looking for a Game-Changing Way to Showcase Your Expertise? Why a Book Is the ‘World’s Best Business Card’

1. Create two separate workspaces

When personal and professional lives intertwine, losing focus and becoming overwhelmed becomes easy. Even though your side project is a business, it’s still personal and should be treated as wholly separate from your day job.

To make sure you’re not letting your business development seep into corporate work hours (or vice versa), spend some time creating two distinct work environments. You can do this even if you only have one desk or one computer.

One of the easiest things to do is create a separate user account on your computer dedicated just to your personal project or corporate work setup. This is a great first step of separation if you can’t afford to have a separate computer or desk setup for your personal business.

Next, try to use different communication channels for each job. If your full-time team uses Slack, use Google Chat or RocketChat for side project communications to limit the temptation to switch between channels. The same goes for task planning: If you’re using Asana for one job, use Jira or Backlog for the other, and make sure you’re really utilizing them. Don’t keep tasks in your head; this will distract you and lead to “just one quick break” to work on your other job.

This kind of multitasking leads to more stress and makes you perform worse for both tasks. Our brains operate best when we have a singular focus (e.g., we’re only working or only developing our side business), so doing this will make you more effective overall.

Additionally, creating this separation makes it easier to switch gears and get into “creative mode” when working on your business. You’re no longer just someone else’s worker bee; now, you’re in control. This can offer an extra boost of motivation, which you will need for the long haul.

2. Stay motivated by seeking feedback on your business ideas.

For better or worse, burnout is just part of the process when you’re building a business and maintaining a full-time job. On average, 77% of employees say they’ve experienced burnout at their jobs, and 63% of entrepreneurs say they’ve dealt with burnout. When you’re both employee and entrepreneur, it’s nearly inescapable no matter how much you love what you do.

There’s plenty of great advice out there about taking intentional breaks to refresh your mind and body or building rest times into your daily schedule, and those are valuable strategies. Sometimes though, entrepreneurs need more to stay motivated.

My greatest piece of advice for overcoming burnout and staying motivated is getting constant feedback from customers and peers. When your startup is in its early days, your first clients are usually super loyal and love staying in contact. They like what you’re doing and want to support you in any way they can. Calls, chats and messages can be extremely motivating, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative (we need both!).

Positive feedback buoys your spirits and lets you know you’re doing something right. Everyone needs someone to believe in them, after all. Even getting negative feedback isn’t a bad thing; it should just push you to keep working and make your product better.

Finding creator groups and getting opinions, support and advice from other founders, especially ones who have already been down this road, is extremely helpful as well.

Another thing that helped me stay motivated was paying myself a small amount for the work I did to develop my business. Even if it’s just pocket change, it helps put you in the mindset of investing in your business and getting rewarded for your work, creating a positive feedback loop.

Related: Boost Your Solopreneur Business with These 3 Proven Tips

3. Outsource whenever you can.

Once you have some initial momentum, freelancers can be valuable assets to lighten the workload and progress faster. Even hiring one freelancer for 10 hours a week can make a huge difference in how quickly and effectively you can scale.

Let freelancers help with things like writing social media posts, developing a website, preparing taxes or handling administrative tasks. These tasks can eat up a lot of your time without helping you progress to your goals. Additionally, if you’re in the “no-budget” stage of operations, you can even turn to AI. Using Midjourney or other stable diffusion tools for logo creation or ChatGPT for social media copy can be a huge help. Even if you need to work with a freelancer to polish the outputs, it still saves a tremendous amount of time and money.

Be sure to keep important competencies for yourself, though. This includes hiring additional help, overseeing finances or speaking to customers. Anything that directly impacts your reputation should always go through you.

Outsourcing to workers via platforms like Upwork is straightforward, legally safe and non-binding, which makes it perfect for the early stages of building a business. It also gives you access to a global talent pool, simplifying the hiring process. LinkedIn reports that 83% of small business owners who hire freelancers appreciate how much they help “get the job done,” and 64% say utilizing these workers helps build a better virtual team.

The one downside to freelance work is that the person isn’t as passionate or personally invested in your project’s success; they’re more concerned with finishing the job and getting paid. However, as long as you set clear goals and expectations from the beginning, it is easy to find people on the same page.

It is important to remember that when it comes to vision and hiring people for higher positions, no one can do it better than you.

4. Set clear communication channels.

Having a regular day job means you’re unavailable to communicate with your freelancers, contractors and employees, leaving a narrow window of time in the evenings to deal with everything. This is why it’s essential to establish clear communication channels and outline detailed guidelines so everyone can work autonomously and asynchronously.

I prefer methods like setting and tracking weekly goals with project management tools like Jira or Trello, both of which offer free versions. Having explicit instructions and a centralized platform helps everyone stay on the same page and helps with prioritization, accountability and maintaining momentum.

Related: The ‘Stress-Free Side Hustle’ Is Not a Thing

5. Know when to quit (and how)

Before you start working on your business, it’s important to set a financial goal that signals when it’s time to quit your day job. Paul Graham popularized the term “ramen profitability,” meaning a startup makes just enough to pay founders’ basic expenses. I believe this is a good way to approach quitting your full-time job.

For me, the goal was to make the same amount of money that I did working my regular job. If I could consistently meet that mark, I knew it was time to quit. Of course, this goal will likely be different if you have a family or other circumstances. It doesn’t matter what the tipping point is, only that you set one and stick to it.

Knowing how to quit is just as vital as deciding when. It’s never a good idea to burn bridges when you leave your corporate job, so one of the best things you can do is keep a “graceful exit” mindset. Start thinking about proactive steps you can take to make a cordial exit on both sides and be sure to set yourself (and your replacement) up for a smooth transition. Not only is this a good business practice, but it leaves the door open if you ever need to be rehired.

Business building is a balancing act

They don’t call them passion projects for nothing. It’s always a challenge to add another full-time workload to an already busy life, and passion is often the only fuel that keeps you motivated in the early days. The good news is that, despite the difficulties, if you learn how to manage your time, stress and goals effectively, you can shift into the role of founder and devote all of your working hours to a single business you care deeply about.

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Nikita Fedorov

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May 27, 2023
How to Launch Your Business With Boldness and Confidence | Entrepreneur

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Launching a business requires a lot of hard work and dedication. However, sometimes it takes more than that to make your business successful. Boldness is key when it comes to launching a company, and being able to make pragmatic choices can set you apart from your competitors.

The first step towards launching a business is taking the bold step to start something new. As a leader, stepping out of your comfort zone is not an easy task, but it is the first essential step on the journey to success. If you are planning to launch your business, it’s essential to stand out from the mainstream and think outside the box. Boldness not only signifies courage, but it also demonstrates the determination to change the pattern.

Let’s talk about five ways to launch a business with boldness and set yourself apart from the pack.

Related: 5 Ways Business Owners Can Slay Fear and Be Bold

1. Embrace creativity

One way to launch a business with boldness is to embrace creativity. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when it comes to your business plans. Consider unique marketing strategies, unconventional advertising techniques or even a daring company name. Creativity can be key to setting yourself apart from your competition and gaining attention. Let the ideas flow, but know that not every idea is a good idea.

Your approach to business can set you apart from competitors, so it’s crucial to have an open mind when trying to come up with innovative business ideas. Embrace your creativity, and explore different options before embarking on a new business. You may be unique in ways that can attract a new audience or create an entirely new market. The key to success in entrepreneurship is putting in the effort, and creativity goes a long way in taking your business to the next level.

2. Take growth-mindset-driven risks

Taking calculated risks is another way to launch a business with boldness. Don’t always follow the conventional path, but examine a radical approach and research all the possible outcomes. You may find that taking a bit of a risk can be greatly rewarding in the end. This is the essence of boldness — not knowing if it will work but knowing that you did everything possible for it to be successful and to learn from the attempt, even if it fails.

Taking risks is essential when starting a business because growth rarely comes without risk. While there’s no guarantee that doing anything in business will work, taking risks and making calculated decisions is one of the most effective ways to grow. The chances of success are significantly higher when we take calculated risks and learn from our failures. For example, if you’re considering a particular strategy or partnership that could make or break your business, you need to have the courage to move forward and see what comes out of it.

3. Find your niche

One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make is attempting to tackle a broad market. Finding a specific niche in your overall industry might seem limiting, but it can allow you to become an expert in that area. Your passion for that niche will draw in customers, and your unique skills will make you stand out. You do not and cannot be everything to everyone.

Your business’s market can be broader and more relaxed at first to enable you to gain some foothold; you may concentrate on a small area that’s more likely to react positively to your product or service. Once you get your foothold, you’ll gradually increase your customer base. If you want to achieve long-term success, your niche or focus market should be unique and serve a purpose.

Related: 6 Key Things to Keep in Mind Before You Launch Your Business

4. Stay public and engaged

Bold companies aren’t afraid to be present and visible to the public. Using social media is an excellent way to stay publicly involved with your audience. Building and targeting a relevant audience will require engagement. Not only will it help in gaining customers, but it can create relationships and enable you to keep learning from your market. Be consistent in your posting, and be authentic to your brand.

It is vital for entrepreneurs to be public, although we may like to be private when launching a business. Entrepreneurs can stay active on social media and participate in speaking engagements, local business events and other local marketing activities to gain more awareness and enable their followers to get to know them better. Promote your business whenever you can, and the attention you garner could eventually result in organic searches.

5. Believe in yourself

Last but not least, the most important key to launching a business with boldness is to believe in yourself. Individuals who are too hesitant may not have the courage to push forward with their idea. You may face difficult times, pressure and possible rejections. You must have faith in yourself and the vision for your business. There will be noise when you are starting out — be sure to have strategies you can use to mute the negative and filter the essential learnings to strengthen your confidence and success.

When starting a business, it’s essential to remember that success takes time. There will be setbacks, roadblocks, hurdles and times when things don’t go as planned. But don’t give up. Believe that your hard work is worth it. Always remain focused on your goals, and have belief in yourself. You have to put in the work to succeed, so stay positive, be patient, and believe in your business — and the success will come.

When launching a business, taking chances and believing in yourself can help you get ahead. It’s important to embrace creativity, take risks, find your niche, stay public and believe that your business is worth all of the hard work you’re putting in. Remember that success does not come overnight, but your determined and calculated boldness will take you there!

Related: The Importance of Having Courage

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Leigh Burgess

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May 24, 2023
How to Overcome Failure and Build a Thriving Business | Entrepreneur

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Being an entrepreneur in the real estate industry is not for the faint-hearted. It requires a high level of dedication, creativity and a willingness to take risks. Throughout my journey, I have learned that challenges and failures are inevitable but should not deter you from achieving your goals. It is crucial to remain optimistic, persistent and adaptable in facing challenges.

One of the significant lessons I have learned is the importance of building and maintaining solid relationships with clients and other industry professionals. Providing excellent customer service, being transparent, and treating clients with respect and integrity can go a long way in building trust and long-term partnerships. Additionally, staying up to date with market trends and changes in the industry can help you stay ahead of the competition and provide value to your clients.

Related: 10 Steps to Achieve a Growth Mindset in Business

Entrepreneurial mindset as a broker

I have also learned the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset. This means being willing to take risks, thinking outside the box, and constantly looking for new and innovative ways to grow your business. In the real estate industry, there will always be market conditions that could be more favorable. Still, if you have an entrepreneurial mindset, you can find ways to succeed even in the toughest of times.

Another critical lesson that I have learned is the importance of networking. As a real estate professional, your ability to connect with others in the industry is vital to your success. This means joining networking groups, attending expos and events, and actively building relationships with other professionals in the field. By expanding your network, you will gain access to new business opportunities, learn from others in the industry and build a reputation for yourself as a well-connected and respected professional.

Setting goals you can measure and improve

One of the most common challenges that real estate professionals face is the issue of generating leads. This is an ongoing process that requires constant effort and attention. I’ve always leveraged social media to communicate with potential clients, acquire new clients and get more deals. Setting goals and creating a plan to achieve them is critical to success. By setting specific, measurable, and attainable goals, you will be able to stay focused and motivated, and you will be more likely to achieve the results that you are looking for.

Another critical aspect of building a successful real estate business is having the ability to negotiate and close deals effectively. This means being able to understand the client’s needs and preferences and being able to present them with options that will meet those needs. It also means negotiating purchase/sales prices and terms for purchase/sales agreements and advising clients on ways to structure their offers to win the bid. By being an effective negotiator, you can secure more deals and build a professional reputation for getting the job done.

Building your reputation as a professional who delivers high-quality products and services is essential. This means exceeding client expectations and providing them with the support and resources they need to make informed decisions about their real estate transactions. By building a solid reputation, you will be able to generate more leads through referrals, and you will be able to command higher fees for your services.

Related: How to Build Reputation in an Industry From Scratch

Investing in yourself as a real estate professional

In addition to the fundamental principles mentioned above, investing in yourself as a real estate professional is essential for success. This means continuously learning and staying up-to-date with industry trends, regulations, and best practices. It also means investing in tools and technology to help you work efficiently and provide better client services. Some of these tools include customer relationship management (CRM) software, marketing automation tools, and virtual tour software for showcasing properties online. By investing in yourself and your business, you will be better equipped to handle challenges and provide top-notch services to your clients, ultimately leading to long-term success and growth.

Wrap up

Who’s ready to build a real estate empire! It seems like you’ve learned a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in this cutthroat industry. But let’s be honest here, it’s not just about having a nice suit and a flashy car (although those things certainly help).

Building a successful real estate business takes grit, determination, and a whole lot of caffeine. You’ve got to be willing to put in the work, network like your life depends on it, and close deals like your commission check depends on it (because it does). But don’t worry, with a little bit of elbow grease and good luck; you too can be the next Donald Trump. Or, you know, maybe just a successful real estate agent who doesn’t get impeached. Either way, you got this.

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Chris D. Bentley

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April 7, 2023
How to Product Launch in A Competitive Industry

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Bringing any kind of new product to market requires a different approach for every industry, target customer and even location you need to enter. Occasionally, new products are so novel that they automatically stand out without much marketing help. But if you are launching a specialized version of a product that already kind of exists, maintaining a strict focus on your target customer and doing everything you can to speak to them personally about your differentiators will help you break through.

Otherwise, going head-to-head with existing products on a national or global stage will make it harder. Your messages are more likely to get overshadowed.

The first recommendation is to limit your initial outreach to a small target audience. Second, put on your digital marketer hat and start thinking like a growth marketer.

After the pandemic, we see in a recent study that B2B buyers now purchase 67% of their products online. It’s up to suppliers to deliver the best product presentation online. You’ll notice that this includes user experience. B2B companies can no longer get away with being a few steps behind B2C with their digital marketing and creative skills.

Related: 6 Key Things to Consider When Bringing a Product to Market

But don’t get too confident B2C marketers! You’re just as susceptible to missteps in this process. One of the biggest that everyone can relate to is live streams. They are fun to think about and plan, but they offer zero customer interaction. Afterward, you’re left with the same activity and audience. Think about it — you can’t capture, engage or keep talking to participants. You’re better off doing anything else.

This doesn’t have to happen. Digital tools are easy to get and use. There are very few barriers to providing every buyer with easy access to your product. Further, if you do it right, they will also take action and be loyal customers.

To get to this sweet spot, it is essential to know how to use digital and credibility-building tools to generate awareness and quality leads. Here are a few broad strokes on how to get started launching a product.

1. Plan and prepare

Launching a product will always require months of advance preparation. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people leave marketing until the last minute.

Prepare a plan to make the product known to the target audience. At a minimum, decide what success looks like, who will manage which activities and how much you want to spend.

Because leaders often want to sell the product as quickly as possible, they can leave behind the best opportunities to educate customers. They can’t see the forest through the trees. So they ‘launch,’ but customers don’t know and understand what the product is about – and then the launch fails or performs weakly without a concrete reason.

With a well-developed communications plan, you can respond to market needs effectively and measure each step you take.

You may also need to utilize various channels, like social media influencers, magazine editors, content creators or the local media. You may try several different iterations of the same approach to see what works best. That’s why this planning can take months.

When we worked with a small publicly traded company within the coal production industry, we focused not only on its marketing efforts but also on public and investor relations. We did this within its home state since it already housed much of the company’s small market.

Our efforts increased awareness and routinely had the company mentioned among the largest in the industry — despite being one of the smallest. It was less expensive and draining for us to focus our efforts on the state level than on Wall Street, and we got much better results.

Planning is key. Setting goals, preparing the launch with several backup options, organizing a crisis response strategy and approaching customer questions and concerns must be done well in advance. You can more personally find and fix places that need refinements in a smaller environment.

2. Study the competition

The benefit of starting in such a small capacity is that you can easily search who your closest competitors are and what they offer that you don’t and vice versa while staying under the (proverbial) radar. You can also look at larger competitors and replicate their success at a smaller level. It’s cheaper to run ads or use brand sponsorships locally than at the national level.

Related: Business Spying 101: How to Spy on Your Competitors

Thankfully, there has been a decline in this trend in recent years, but many businesses tend still focus less on marketing than they do on direct sales. Even with that being the case, less than 5% of B2B content marketers focus on bottom-of-the-funnel content. This means there’s a huge information gap regarding white papers, testimonials, and case studies that you can use to your advantage if you use digital marketing strategies.

For B2C marketers, this weakness exists too for brands that are not great at tracking how users progress through their websites. This is where content can still save you by offering social proof and other upsells and cross-sells at the funnel drop-off.

Since we’re talking about product launching, you can’t always start with ‘proof’ content. But starting in a smaller environment allows you more personal access to your customer base to quickly capture this kind of content. As soon as you get the first sales, ask for those testimonials, reviews and case studies and collect that precious content that will make you stand out when you scale bigger.

When we worked with the launch of an oval-shaped fire extinguisher that fit within a standard wall, we had a tightly controlled and competitive sector where no one had innovated since the early stages of extinguisher technology.

This gave us fertile ground not only to introduce new messaging but to use digital and other modern tactics that the rest of the industry had not used. They didn’t have to until another brand came along and upset the apple cart!

Related: How to Produce Quality Competitive Intelligence

While respecting regulations and taking advantage of the radical design of the product, we generated powerful content marketing strategies aimed at retailers struggling with ADA compliance and the space occupied by fire extinguishers.

Since we first applied our marketing strategies, the brand made a lucrative exit and now has a market share that previously seemed impossible to reach.

3. Digital marketing is a must

It’s worth saying again that no brand can get away without digital marketing and an emphasis, no – an intense focus – on user experience.

Creating educational content, FAQ pages, webinars, and press coverage will provide better leads. This is also the best long-term way to nurture and attract.

Start with owned content to earn content from third parties as soon as possible. Once you achieve this valuable third-party credibility, amplify it with the digital tools mentioned above. Examples include giving your constituents a clear value proposition through social media, educational articles, landing pages, webinars and email — get creative and personalized.

And that targeting is crucial. Most buyers deal with different issues and responsibilities while wading through multiple messages about products. This is when using digital marketing and lead-tracking tools becomes critical. Tools we’ve all heard of, like HubSpot, Mailchimp and Yoast, help you localize and target small audiences so they can receive your message.

If used strategically, these and other similar tools will become the cornerstone of your strategy because they allow you to evaluate the performance of the content you create and each lead within the customer journey. All this helps you to know how to speak to your audience in a tailored way. Keep your strategy simple and tap into critical thinking skills to launch your next product fearlessly.

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Christine Wetzler

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January 20, 2023
How to Launch a Startup in Turbulent Times
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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
After 2022, the world will never be the same. Yes, let that sink in. However, business as we know it is not over. Turbulent times create opportunities, and while some things go down in flames, the new and often better creations rise like phoenixes from the ashes.

In this article, you will find insights about what changes the startup market faces now, how it impacts business decisions and business processes, and what you should pay attention to if you want to launch your startup in the near future.

Related: 4 Ways to Determine If Now Is the Right Time to Launch Your Business

How has launching a startup changed in recent years?

In 2022, the financial markets and inflation have posed multiple challenges for startups. Investors realized that many players that got funded earlier and made it to IPO lost their value. Besides, the startup funding in 2021 grew almost to a bubble that just had to burst. Those things combined have contributed to the slowed funding pace, and consequently, to a dramatic drop in the valuations.

New factors have made startups a different game than in the good years. The VC investments by quarter are down about 50% in 2022 compared to 2021. There is no such thing as free capital now. Investors and angels keep their portfolios close to their chests, trying to wait out the turbulence and see what comes next. Here are several trends characterizing the situation in the startup market as of November:
- From the funding that does go out, more goes to the active growth stage and early rounds. The seed stage is doing so-so, and the later pre-IPO is the least funded.
- Companies double down on investments into geographical expansion and growth acceleration in lieu of product development.
- Heightened valuations are no more. After loud scandals shaking the industry, investors will look more closely at other factors for valuation aside from the company’s revenue growth — namely profitability, vision, management potential and addressable market.
How to launch a startup in turbulent times using new opportunities

Though it may seem that this time can not be beneficial for anything, every crisis clears up the slate for new achievements.

Turmoils create new challenges, which leaves people craving new solutions. Old-school brands like Jeep and Fanta emerged amidst war in reply to unexpected needs and limitations. Uber, Airbnb and WhatsApp are all babies of the recent economic recession and its challenges.

How can you look for the new opportunities these tough times bring? The exact situation in your industry can vary, but there are several good rules:
1. Do not pretend the times are not challenging. They are. You can be open about it and ask your customers how you can help to win their trust and build empathy.
2. Focus on the timely needs. Uber started as a premium taxi service for business executives, but what made them skyrocket was allowing hundreds of thousands of laid-off workers to make a quick buck on the side.
3. Experiment. No need to jump head-first into the muddy waters. Pick several directions you think may work, and test them. Run polls, bring up your ideas in podcast discussions, and see what makes the most sense for your audience.
4. Explore untapped markets. In the toughest of times, certain groups of people keep their buying potential. Adjust your product or its positioning to target these groups.
5. Try new things. Doing what everyone did in the good times and expecting the same results is faulty.
Examples of startups that got seed funding in 2022
- Financial and business risks management
- AI-based healthcare
- Green energy
- Environmental consciousness apps
- Startups that serve startups
- Food/FMCG subscriptions
- Climate-related risk-preventing apps
Related: A Roller Coaster Ride: The Ups And Downs Of Building A Startup During Uncertain Times

What should a startup founder keep in mind to attract money today?

Calculated risks are the name of the game. Today, investors look for forethought with detailed predictions of all possible scenarios.

Showcase your experience: Your website, MVP and appearance offline and online must look professional. Proper email setup is crucial as it immediately gives out valuable information about you. VCs are more likely to invest in second and third-time founders — so you may want to mention your previous endeavors in your fancy email signature.

Foresee a lean digital environment: Scaling in times of crisis is tricky. Automation and digitalization are two proven shortcuts to efficiency in the possible bottlenecks. Also, the massive layoffs in the tech industry hint that outsourced teams will be sought after in the upcoming year.

Track niches that get vacant: The competition for the buyers’ dollars is getting fierce, and players in the crowded markets are dying out. It is time to scoop the audience of bigger and slower companies. Putting your marketing money into growing organic traffic rather than buying crazy expensive paid ads can help you reach your top audience with better ROI.

Put your bets on surging industries: Over the last nine months, many businesses have nosedived while others make their way to the top in days. So far, blockchain and fintech are on a sharp decline. Subscription services and social platforms are on snooze or leveled, though there are amusing newcomers in the field, like the food subscription platforms. The military and everything related is growing exponentially. And while there are established players with stable growth, like healthcare, legal tech, everything cloud and AI, there are also a bunch of new technologies winning over the VC minds. Agrotech, biotech and femtech, to name a few, are taking over the landscape for 2023.

Related: 8 Practical Tips for Successfully Launching Your Startup

Should you launch a startup in turbulent times? Even the direst and most unstable economic situations bring opportunities since they bring change. If you are launching a startup in 2023, be smart about it. Pick a fast-growing industry, develop a detailed risk management plan, and show investors your idea’s potential, not just its valuation. With the proper preparation, you can pave your way into decades ahead.
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Andrei Kasyanau

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January 10, 2023
3 Ways to Tell Your Business Is Ready to Invest in PR

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Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It happens all the time in the entrepreneurial world: A team builds an impressive product or service, rigorously test it to make sure it functions well and then they launch it. When a few weeks go by and new business leads aren’t what they expected, there’s a collective lightbulb moment: We need some PR.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar spot, have no fear. You’re certainly not alone. Over the years, I’ve taken what seems like countless calls from business leaders trying to drum up inbounds by getting into public relations post-launch. Sometimes the business in question is only a few months old, while other times the open sign has been hanging on the door for years.

I always preach that a PR strategy should be built out well before a business’s launch date. If you’re trying to retroactively ignite media interest, starting a public relations program is less about how long it’s been since the business was founded and more about how your business is currently functioning.

If you’re thinking about taking the PR plunge, here are three ways to know you — and your business — are ready.

Related: Is Your Startup Ready for PR? Here’s How to Know for Sure.

1. You have financial resources to invest in the PR long game

One of the surest ways to end up being frustrated with a PR program is to look at it solely as a revenue generator. Yes, public relations can help drive business leads, but it inherently is not part of the click-click-buy world. Try tracking the specific dollar value of landing a news article. Actually, don’t. Why? Because you can’t. The same goes for speaking engagements, awards and almost every other PR deliverable.

If your business is cash-starved and you’re in a place where you have to tie every dollar spent to a measurable ROI, hold off on PR. Chances are slim that PR will deliver a sustained and attributable line of revenue. However, if you’re in a place where you’ve got relatively dependable recurring revenue coming in, and you appreciate how investing in things like a halo effect and thought leadership can bolster your organization over the long haul, then you are in a much better position to financially invest in a public relations strategy.

Related: 4 Tips to Launch Your First Effective PR Campaign

2. You’re willing to continuously nurture a PR strategy

While my previous point revolves around monetary resources, this one is geared more toward the resources of time and attention. Many people look at PR as one-off splashes — usually in the form of press releases — and fail to appreciate the many ways sustained public relations efforts can deliver wins for their business. If you’re in the market for someone to simply write and distribute sporadic press releases for you, by all means, that’s better than nothing. But it’s just the tip of the PR iceberg.

Without fail, the most successful clients I work with — yes, measured by revenue growth — are the ones that continuously cultivate a proactive public relations program. Am I saying PR is the most important factor leading to their business success? No. But it is a consequential element contributing to the good standing of the organization. As you think about public relations, I challenge you to refute the big splash worldview. Instead, draw the lens back and think of how public relations can be aligned with all your efforts over the long haul, enabling you to reach your business objectives.

Related: What Startups Should Do Differently When It Comes to PR

3. You know your audience

Not every time, but many times the folks who only want a big splash out of PR are the same people who aren’t quite sure who their target audience should be. This is problematic for loads of reasons. In the best of the worst-case scenarios, you’ll be fishing where you’ll get no bites. Again, that’s the most preferable bad outcome. It can get much worse. I’ve seen organizations invest in a communications strategy resulting in a deluge of bad leads. They not only invested money, time and energy into a flawed strategy, but also had to allocate resources to sorting through a mountain of bad leads.

One of the foundational rules of PR is to know who your audience is. Once you know that, you can figure out where their attention is placed — I like to say, where their eyeballs are. If you’ve got a solid handle on those two things, then you can build and execute a plan to get in front of them (and influence them) with the most appropriate form of messaging.

Related: The Much-Anticipated ‘Great Recession of 2023’ Is Coming. Here’s How To Leverage PR During Economic Uncertainty

It’s never too late to invest in PR, but it still needs to be the right time

I’d bet the majority of businesses investing in public relations today didn’t have a PR strategy in place at launch. If you didn’t either, that is perfectly okay. Consider whether you’re ready to think through the above items. If you’ve got each of them adequately addressed, you can feel confident that your business is in a spot to move forward with PR.

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David Martin

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December 26, 2022