There are list of rules in this post. Everyone who are going to start own Internet business must know them.

1. Be narrow

You should focus on a narrow niche – on the smallest problem, which you will allow to solve using your service. Specialization in this narrow niche gives many advantages: you can become the best in your business with less effort; it’s easier for you to position yourself on the market; and at takeover or business purchase the chance of getting conflicts is smaller. If you are the best in your category, then you can expand your business.

2. Be different

Ideas are everywhere. Possibly, someone right now is thinking about or even implements your “original” idea. However, as we know on Google example, even a known idea could be implemented in some other way. In your way. And a really good and nonstandard name for your startup is the key thing.

3. Be informal

Now we are entering the “informal internet”(Casual Web) era and the same informal creation of content. “Informal internet” is much wider than “Professional internet” of the past or “amateur internet”. Why? Because everyone has his own life. And now broadband access appeared in their lives. Create a service that perfectly fits this person. I.e. a service that he could used at ease and from time to time. Skype is exactly such a service for informal conversation. Flickr is for informal photo publishing.

4. Be selective

One more important rule for everything you do be it service functions, personnel, investors, partners or communication with media. Startups usually accept people or ideas from outside too easily. But it’s not good to rush: you almost always have time to think it over and almost always negative moments become more important than positive.

5. Concentrate on user

It is the most important thing. If you don’t know usability basics – learn them. Hire a person who knows them. It is necessary to live it and breath it. It is better to remake a function 100 times and make it correct. It is better, than a hundred of incorrect functions. Great internet-companies address to Ajax and open API not because it is fashionable but because it is more convenient for users.

6. Concentrate on yourself

Perfect products are almost always made by people who feel this internal itch from the unsolved problem. Create something you lack in this world. Be a user of your own product. Hire people who will be this product users as well. Make the product correspond your needs (only in case with usability this trick won’t do)

7. Be “ greedy”

Though service popularity is important as itself, financial income can never be unnecessary. Imagine some paid service in the frames of your service and introduce it during 6 months. If you did everything correctly, then appearance of an additional income source will hasten the speed of your startup. Besides, it will significantly improve your positions on the following round of venture financing or on negotiations about business sale. Sometimes you need to think: is a free version of your product that necessary?

8. Be tiny

Now, there is such a situation on the market that it is easier to sell a small innovation business with a little quantity of personnel. It is possible to use freelancer and outsource professional teams services in order to reduce your own staff.

9. Be prompt

Do you know this old saying about an airplane, which flies 99% of its time from California to Hawaii in the wrong direction and constantly correcting his route? The same is true for successful startups, only with an adding that the airplane could fly out in the direction of Alaska initially. Many examples can confirm this truth: for example, Flickr initially had to become a game, eBay was going to sell soft for making internet-auctions. Initial targets are almost always wrong. Of any company.

10. Be balanced

A startup without sleepless nights, liters of coffee and a quick snack is not a startup, is it? Answer: work place is more pleasant. But sometimes overloads are unavoidable. But they can’t continue always. Brain works more effectively in a healthy body.

11. Be careful

None of rules lists can be taken for granted. There are exceptions for all rules.

The post is prepared by materials of WebPlanet.