When you start a new business, you'll get some advice, some welcome and some unsolicited. Instead of throwing it all away, … [+]
The phrase “cut through the noise” is considered sound advice in business: focus on what's important and drown out the noise that's bothering you. But what if noise was actually the key to your success, especially during development and pivoting?
Focus and vision are essential, but they may not lead to the most nuanced decisions. Startups and new businesses often lack the diverse perspectives and learning experiences that established companies have. Listening to the noise here is not about getting lost in the abyss, but about broadening your perspective and potentially finding the golden nuggets in the chaos.
Hearing the noise: a different perspective
The benefits of listening to advice sought in the early stages of a new project or venture can have a detrimental effect on the success of your company.
- Diverse perspectives foster innovation. New voices generate new ideas. The goal is not to implement every suggestion, but to use them as input to improve the final product.
- Validate early and course correct: When multiple people identify the same potential issues with your concept, you're more likely to take a step back and re-evaluate. Doing this feedback loop early can save you time and resources.
- Build a supportive community: Not every suggestion will be the right direction for your business, but those who make suggestions can become valuable allies and mentors. By acknowledging and taking their input into consideration, you'll build a bridge to a network you can rely on in the future.
Meet the Geeks and the Experts
Sneha Saigal, co-founder and CEO of Geeks And Experts, created a platform where startups and scaleups can hire PR talent on a part-time basis on a contract basis. However, the company was initially founded to connect founders with experts from various industries to help them grow their businesses.
Sneha Saigal, Co-Founder, Geeks and Experts
“We wanted to work with early-stage founders who have a hard time getting real resources,” the co-founders say. “We were focused on micro-consulting, connecting founders with experts to provide succinct advice to get their business off the ground and make a difference in their company. But as we looked at the market trends, we realized that many founders didn't even know what kind of help they needed, specifically.”
Saigal also realized that many companies had to deal with budget constraints. Unfortunately, many customers wanted mentorship programs, which didn't align with GE's vision. Instead of building something and finding users, the co-founders worked backwards to find founders' pain points. They concluded that many companies lacked public relations and didn't have the infrastructure to hire a public relations person.
GE moved from a one-time advice platform to a subscription model, evolving the idea of being all things to all people and becoming a niche marketplace. The company surveyed PR specialists and companies to understand what each side needed to grow and scale.
“I tended to take feedback from everyone,” Saigal says, “and then I realized I was confused by the advice everyone was giving me. So I realized that my previous product, which I was trying to solve, wasn't necessarily going to solve anyone's problem, because people would say different things. So what I did to sift through that was to specifically talk to decision makers who would be my ideal customers in the future. Listening to the so-called noise from customers helps you pivot successfully. The other thing I did was to follow my intuition.”
Saigal was hesitant to narrow down his niche because he felt he was missing out on a lot of profit. But by listening to other companies' feedback, the company has carved out a unique position for itself in the market. GE is now partnering with the New York Small Business Development Center and will begin hosting educational webinars across the state starting this month.
How to use white noise to your advantage
- Cultivate a reflective approach. Actively seek out perspectives different from your own. Then take the time to think about them. How would this idea change or strengthen your current trajectory? Is there wisdom here worth exploring further?
- Set clear boundaries. Distinguish between well-intentioned advice and advice that is simply critical or discouraging. Be discerning about whose opinions you give weight to. Limiting the noise you engage with means giving more weight to the opinions you hear.
- Don't ignore your intuition. Intuition is one of the most important tools you have available to you. Use it to sift through the noise. If an idea feels right, investigate further. If something immediately contradicts your vision, there's probably a reason. But it's important to figure out what that reason is.
- Stay Agile: A clear vision is essential, but understand that your original plans may change. Staying agile also allows you to adapt to new information and pivot if necessary.
Listening to white noise doesn't mean abandoning direction. White noise has the potential to elicit creative insights and innovative solutions. White noise fosters a dynamic dialogue with market trends and consumer needs, ensuring your strategy is always relevant and responsive.
