So, where exactly should you start?

Recently, we sat down with six executives from the Top 100 Disruptive Brands list, a report produced in association with Marketing week, to find out their top tips.

You can see the interviews in full by watching the video below, or read on for a summary of what they said.

 

Buying time

According to Eren Ogazir, the founder and CEO of Push Doctor, time is one of the most important factors for setting up a company. 

As a result, whether it is in terms of help from friends or family or free services from those around you, he emphasises how you should focus on buying yourself time in order to gain the flexibility you need.

In doing so, you will be able to move towards the end solution at a quicker pace, without having to worry about finding extra income.

Simplifying the proposition

Justin Basini from ClearScore suggests that disruptive startups can be guilty of over-complicating their proposition, especially when entering a complicated market like finance or technology.

However, the best thing to do is to hone it down to a single sentence so that it can be communicated to consumers in simple terms.

In the case of ClearScore, it is “get your credit score for free for ever”. It doesn’t get any simpler than that – it is really easy to communicate. 

Caring about the customer

It might sound obvious, but many startups focus on the end goal rather than finding out exactly what it is the customer wants from your product or service.

The founder of Pact, Stephen Rapoport, explains how a non-existent marketing budget meant that he was forced to take other measures in order to get the word out to consumers.

By using social media channels like Twitter, he was able to build trust on a one-to-one level with customers – even delivering the product in person. 

This enabled him to tweak and hone the company’s proposition, website and product in line with customer feedback.

Sticking to your guns

Having a strong vision for the company is a given, but Emma Chalwin, Marketing Leader at Salesforce, suggests that sticking to it in the face of opposition is key.

Whether the obstacles are in the form of resistance to investment or simply people not believing in your idea, it is easy to waver at this point and bend to the perception of others.

If you really believe that your proposition and your vision for the customer experience within your industry is valid, then really stick to your guns and take that risk.

Download the Top 100 Disruptive Brands report.