Do you want to start a startup? The answer should be YES! The key is to focus on solving a problem with your startup which is designed for fast GROWTH. Think long term, Think Big and don't forget to build a strong team you can trust. Nigeria have a lot of problems that can be solved or at least a better way to engage our citizens online. The likes of Nairaland, cheki, IrokoTv, Tolet.com.ng, spinlet,Vconnect, kuluya.com, jumia, konga, jobberman, voguepay.com, bus.com.ng, oya.com.ng, hotels.com.ng carmudi, jovago etal are doing well and picking up. You must pick a niche develop a concept that truly offer some kind of VALUE to your audience then find ways to monetize your site because you have to pay bills.

If you want to start one it's important to understand that. Startups are so hard that you can't be pointed off to the side and hope to succeed. You have to know that growth is what you're after. The good news is, if you get growth, everything else tends to fall into place. Which means you can use growth like a compass to make almost every decision you face.

Nigeria tech savvy experts should focus on delivering more value and learning how to market your startup will go a long way to ensure you survive. Don't be intimidated about big advertising budget. Just start with what you can afford and look for ways to get finance to push it if you believe in your business 100%. A bad product well marketed and positioned can fetch you a fortune but a good product know one knows about will die off shamelessly. So as you brand your you startup you must know how to make noise so your target audience know you exist.

HERE ARE 10 THINGS STARTUP FOUNDERS MUST DO TO ENSURE THEIR PROJECT IS SUCCESSFUL

1. Make the commitment.

Entrepreneurship can be learned. But you have to be committed to the process of building your own thing and the act of creating something, rather than just coming up with an idea. It will likely take several ideas, with the learning process of failing on a couple, before you can call yourself a successful entrepreneur.

2. Find a problem, then solve it.

Rather than finding a new idea first, try finding a problem first. Problem solvers make successful entrepreneurs. Idea people are dreamers, who often don’t enjoy the hard work of a solution in a specific timeframe to make money.

3. Think big. Think new. Think again.

In other words, make sure your solution will scale up. Professional investors will tell you they look for business plans that can credibly project revenues of at least $20M within five years, or they won’t justify an investment.

4. You can’t do it alone.

Have a support team of people you know and trust. An idea person and a problem solver make a great team. Successful entrepreneurs have to work well with people, whether they are partners, investors, employees, suppliers or customers.

5. You must do it alone.

But the dichotomy is that there are things that you have to do alone. “The buck stops here.” You have to be decisive, accept responsibility and provide the vision. Vision is not a group-think activity. Sometimes decisions have to be made quickly and with very little hard data, so you need to have the confidence in your gut.

6. Manage risk.

Without risk, there can be no innovation. Not every idea can, or will, be a winner. Fear of failure will kill innovation, but reckless disregard for risk will kill a business. The successful entrepreneur is able to find the balance between these two extremes.

7. Learn to lead.

In a startup, the entrepreneur leader has to do 2 things: first, drive the business creation process, and secondly, inspire all the others. The others include the rest of the team, investors and customers. That means hands-on leadership and effective communication.

8. Learn to sell.

Don’t believe the old myth that “if we build it, they will come.” Selling is a learned skill and takes effort, just like building a product. Everyone in your startup, especially the entrepreneur, needs to understand sales and needs to be a salesperson.

9. Persist, persevere, prevail.

Experts say the prime cause of failure in business is quitting too soon. The successful entrepreneur never gives up and uses creativity to overcome all obstacles, including personal, financial and technical ones.

10. Time, not money, is the key resource.

Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, not a job. Be prepared to play the game for life. There are no quick fixes or quick, get-rich solutions. Learn to manage and balance your time; it’s the one thing that belongs to you alone. Great entrepreneurs have a life outside of work and find time to give back.

Until then I hope we have learn't enough from these article. I look forward to seeing more successful startups in Nigeria come 2014.

To your success.

expert101 you made a good point..

In 2014