Networking Meeting "How To Stand Out As A Startup" on October 11, 2022
There are a lot of startup and entrepreneurial businesses creating and launching amazing products and services on the market every day. Sarah Jansel from Canada has helped many of them grow an awesome business online and she shared her insight with us in her talk hosted by the Department of Software Design & Security in the framework of KAIT.
While the market may be saturated with similar ideas, one thing remains the same: there is only one of you! What makes you and your business unique, how you show up, and knowing how to position your products and services on the market (your website, marketing, and social media) is the key to your success. Having worked with many different startup companies and entrepreneurs, it’s become clear to Sarah that what works, what doesn’t, and what makes a lasting business.
In this online session which was attended by around 50 students from the Department of Software Design and Security, and a fair number of participants interested in the startup culture or setting up their own business, we learned the top three things to set you apart on the market, and keep your business thriving for years to come.
Sarah’s three tips are: understand your ideal customer, create a standout brand and articulate your unique value.
With regard to customers, you should ask yourself some questions like what problems are you solving with your product or service, why do want to create that business, i.e. what is your inspiration. She recommends that you get to know your customer well. To this end, find out as much as you can, for instance in terms of age and profession. Marketing budget might be tight at the beginning, why Sarah recommends that you get testimonials. “They are like gold”, she says.
As far as branding of your startup is concerned, Sarah pointed out the importance of choosing the color of your brand carefully. Colors help to appeal to your target customers’ psychology. Your goal should be to imprint a certain feeling on your target audience. It will make a difference whether you choose yellow or blue as the color of your brand. She referred to the widely known color emotion guide available on the Internet, and points to the importance of consistency so that you don’t ‘confuse’ your clients.
Also, that you should put yourself into the shoes of your customers was highly valuable advice. The idea that you should imagine that you are transforming your customers to the better with whatever it is that you offer, is certainly also a thought that can make all the difference in how your business develops.
In the Q&A with the audience after the talk, Sarah also gave really personal insight into her own professional development. When asked, how she knew entrepreneurship was her thing, she said that she thought she could do things differently or better. She also advised people to stick to their own lane, not to service as many people as you can but only service the best people. 
One really interesting question was what she would have liked to have known before she started her business. Sarah’s answer to that was how valuable a community is, especially a mixed community with different backgrounds, knowledge etc. We take that as a motivator to continue to extend our KAIT network.
We would like to end the Blog with Sarah’s closing words:
Pursuing a dream is already a success.
Finally, we would like to thank Sarah very much for her time and her inspiring talk. Thank you also very much for participating and interacting with us. We sincerely hope to see you soon at one of our other events.
Your
KAIT-Team
The talk was recorded, you can watch the video below:
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