A lot of people offer advice on how to start a business, but few of them speak from personal experience. In a guest editorial for Women 2.0, Karmen Buttler (@KarmenBMusic) reveals the steps she’s taken to launch her startup, Primpt.

Buttler noticed a need in her community for a marketplace that would connect stylists. She founded Primpt, a style-image app and social network for professional makeup artists, hairdressers, stylists or anyone professionally involved in style and design. Their community has grown to 3,000 users worldwide, establishing themselves within the beauty industry as a trusted brand which offers professional support.

Be open to problems that you can relate to and are truly keen to solve…

Following months of thinking about, talking about and envisioning a solution to the main problem she experienced, Buttler had a breakthrough. She says:

“... why, in such a visual industry, do so few stylists document their work and keep a living portfolio of their clients and creative careers? How can technology make stylists more connected, informed and visible within the industry?”

I love hearing about entrepreneurs who came up with their business idea from struggles they had in their personal careers. All it took was one person with an idea to create a marketplace that connects stylists and offers them a platform to store their work.

Maintain the self-awareness required to measure your own success

Some people may tell you that creating a startup demands some sort of “herculean strength,” that you must be immune to sleep deprivation, 20 hour days and social isolation. But even though others may preach this, you may discover that it isn’t the best approach for you.  Although finding a balance between her life and work is still something she’s learning, Buttler has come to the realization that if it feels like you’re pushing a boulder up a hill instead of pushing it on a road, you might need to re-evaluate what’s going on.  

Talk talk talk about it…

If she were to guess, Buttler says you probably have heard one or all of the following comments from people trying to guide you about how to run your company:

• “I know exactly what you should do next.”
• “This is how you should monetize.”
• “This is when you should monetize.”
• “These are all the reasons why your idea won’t work.”

Talking about your startup is a process for new entrepreneurs. You’re getting to know your idea, so bouncing ideas off others will help you work things out. At the same time, don’t be afraid to weed out the nonsense. Everyone has an opinion on how you should do things, but it’s your idea after all.

Coming up with a startup idea from a personal experience is one of the best ways to make a business happen. Your insights into a particular problem, and how to solve it, will benefit more people than you can now imagine. If you have a problem, then it’s likely that others have that problem too. Tap into your passion and over time, that passion may become a growing business.

Read source article here