Start-Up magazine is running its annual top ten NZ online start-up competition. Head on over here and nominate or vote on who you think should make the cut this year.
Feel free to nominate any type of business – product, service, journalism whatever (hey maybe even your favourite blog 
)
Ben Kepes is an analyst, an entrepreneur, a commentator and a business adviser. His business interests include a diverse range of industries from manufacturing to property to technology. As a technology commentator he has a broad presence both in the traditional media and extensively online. Ben covers the convergance of technology, mobile, ubiquity and agility, all enabled by the Cloud. His areas of interest extend to enterprise software, software integration, financial/accounting software, platforms and infrastructure as well as articulating technology simply for everyday users. More on Ben
I think there needs to be a little moderation here… I counted 5 on the list that have been around 4 years+ and the criteria is 24 months…
However, it got me thinking… How long should a startup be considered a startup? 12, 24, 36 months? or until in profit?
My view is that if I was starting out again, I wouldn’t want to be called a startup at all – it’s a credibility killer in some industries. Don’t get me wrong though – I support startups and resources for startups… We can be seen as startups to our peers, but I think we should be selective in hiding that word when doing real business with customers.
And all startups should be aiming to NOT be a startup and be a real business as soon as possible.
Here’s a vid I did ages ago (excuse the audio).
http://julian101.com/2008/06/entrepreneur-startup-advice/
- Look at the one called “Business Tip – Don’t Make a Startup!”
Taking a step back you could list the things that come to mind when describing something as a start-up…
- Small
- Unlikely to succeed
- Dubious business model
- Hung potential (maybe)
You have to wonder why people are so proud to have a ‘start-up’.
My bet is a new name will come out in the next couple of years without the .com baggage and small businesses will migrate to it.
Any bets what it’s going to be?