Are you in start-up mode?
Got a vision but not quite sure how to get there? Our advice – just start. And don’t overcomplicate things.
Whakawhitinga was literally born overnight. A contact suggested we respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP) that they knew aligned with the work we wanted to do. By the time we reached the RFP process, we had just five days to pull together our response, a partnership vision, name and brand, and an intent for our work going forward.
We had worked together for more than six years in previous roles, so we knew we had shared values, purpose and confidence that we could make a positive difference for people and communities. We just didn’t know what that might look like in application. Well - there’s nothing like a quick deadline to get things moving! Here are the top three things we learnt in our experience of start-up mode:
1. Let go – aim for progress over perfection
Start with wet paint. Just get an idea started and begin testing and tweaking at pace. Getting something on the page helps you go much faster with delivery and can answer the questions or reservations you might have had in real time. For example, we wasted four days debating whether or not to go for the RFP and to set up a partnership. Finally, when we took the plunge we were forced to have the conversations we didn’t yet know we needed to have. Our initial draft RFP response was pretty rough, but three days of energy and multiple iterations later, we managed to submit it on time, and birth a new partnership model alongside the work.
2. Play to your strengths and seek expert help where necessary
In this digital age of AI and tech prowess, who would have thought setting up IT systems could turn into such a saga? Turns out, we knew just enough to be dangerous and created quite a technical mess. We went quickly into action mode, each setting up what we thought we needed without integration or communication. When our first client asked about our IT security and ability to share documents in real-time, we realised we had not prioritised our IT solution with the thought and planning it needed. Quickly, we realised this was out of our scope, and while we were in startup mode with a limited budget, it was something we needed to invest in early on. We researched a professional IT provider and invested heavily in a more robust set-up.
3. Invest in your relationships
Relationships have been fundamental to our partnership's success in the first 90 days. It was through a long-standing relationship that we learnt about the opportunity to apply for the RFP. We have then had constant guidance, feedback and support on what resonates, what to tweak, and where potential opportunities for work might be from our large network.
The foundation for our quick progress has been our ongoing support and trust in each other. As a team, we connect often, bounce ideas around, check in on energy and feelings, ensure we're on the same page, and say when we're not. This means we have deep trust and can have the hard conversations to help us make the calls that matter. Most importantly, we know we've got each other's backs.
And yes, we did manage to land the initial RFP that helped us get started quickly. Now, we have a solid pipeline of work and are thrilled with the rapid progress, just three months since our first spark of an idea (at the time of writing this blog)—exceeding all expectations we had set for ourselves.
If you are in startup mode and want to test your thinking with us, please feel free to reach out. We’d love to hear from you and would be happy to have a cuppa and share what we’ve learnt along the way.
And did we mention we have fun along the way?
