5 unnecessary startup costs you should cut

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FREELANCER TIPS

• 5 Unnecessary Startup Costs
• you should cut

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5 Unnecessary Startup Costs you should cut
We talk a lot about freelancers here on
freelancermap after all, they are our main
audience and core competence. But a lot of
freelancers go on to found startups with their
ideas. They already know what it is to be your
own boss, have experience in managing, financing
and convincing others of their expertise. Its a
perfect match and a logical development for
many.99 of all startups will work with a tight
budget, so saving money is an important skill to
have. The more costs you cut, the longer you
survive, increasing your chances of success. In
this article we bring you five ways for startups
to save money without necessarily sacrificing
quality
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5 Unnecessary Startup Costs you should cut
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1) New, top-of-the-line tech and equipment
It is easy to go overboard if you have a good
amount of beginning capital or have secured
considerable funding. But be honest with yourself
does every employee need three screens, brand
new Macs, fancy kitchen appliances and so on?
Most of the time, the answer will be a clear
no. Buying used, but still good equipment can
save you tons of money when starting out. The
person who mostly takes care of communication
with external partners doesnt necessarily need a
1000 phone for it. Buy the best devices only if
they are going to lead to a noticeable increase
in quality. Be open for sensible improvement for
the future, too.
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2) Shiny office
Looking at the pictures of successful smaller
startups when starting out, you are likely to see
a lot of couches and various tables shared by
multiple people rather than huge pompous desks.
Yes, this does provide a good, friendly working
environment. More importantly, it saves a lot of
money. Frugal office solutions include co-working
spaces, simply renting an apartment somewhere or
mostly staying mobile.
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3) Try BYOD
BYOD stands for bring your own device. The idea
behind that is that your programmer probably has
a much better laptop for his work than you can
afford. Furthermore, they are used to working
with their own machine and can improve it as they
see fit. Giving employees the opportunity to
bring their own devices is not being a
cheapskate, its being sensible. Be sure to
explain to them that you will cover any possible
damages which happen at the office, too.
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4) Full-time employees who only work 2 hours a day
Weve talked about material resources so far, but
similar thoughts apply to people as well. Start
small with your team and take only people that
you really need. Nothing is worse than hiring
someone and then realizing theres simply not a
lot of work for them to do. For those smaller,
more specific needs, try hiring external experts,
a.k.a. freelancers. Not only can they work
part-time, but are often extremely valuable for
the company overall. New ideas, perspectives and
experience can help you grow in unexpected ways.
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5) Less paid marketing, more personal dedication
Spending on marketing as a startup is often not
only expensive, but also ineffective. With a
startup budget, youre not likely to reach a lot
of consumers anyway. Instead, take a more
personal approach. Have people from your team or
yourself go to startup events. There you can
exchange ideas, find new potential investors and
present your company to the world. To put things
into perspective with an anecdote a friend of
mine recently founded a startup and managed to
win a price for innovation in one such event. The
amount of exposure she got wouldve cost hundreds
of thousands dollars. By taking the personal
approach, her startup was presented more
authentically than any ad could ever have done.
Without spending a cent.
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