5 people in tech on the one piece of advice they would give aspiring start-up founders

Watch enough documentaries and keynotes by famous tech founders and you will want to build the next big thing. It is also easy to forget the grit and patience it took them, and giving up starts to look like an option once the small, inconvenient work piles up. Don't give up and follow your dreams are easy things to say when you are the man who already built the iPhone or launches space rockets.

So we collected advice from people in tech whose names you may not know yet, but who deal with the same struggles you do, so you know you are not alone. One of them, or you, could be giving that keynote one day.

Before anything else, figure out your offering

Psalm Pueblos, Operations and Customer Acquisition Manager, Leadfunnel Ph

Mr Pueblos says that if you have not set a goal and you keep giving in to different client demands, you lose track of what you set out to do. "Make sure you have a minimum viable product," he adds. You can pivot your service, but the goals and objectives have to pivot with it. Talking to people, clients especially, tells you how to chart your product and what to offer. He thinks planning matters most for start-ups because it helps them decide faster.

Start now and fail fast

Nicole Faye Padin, Director of Business Operations, Symph

Most of us link failure with something bad, and that is hard to argue with. Nicole sees failing fast as a good thing, because it prepares you for the real thing. As project manager of HappyWebs, an affordable website builder, she expects failures along the way and treats them as normal. She is positive about taking risks and believes they can lead to a clearer and more successful business.

She also thinks the team is the biggest factor in success, because it will make or break your goal. Her advice is to choose reliable team members: people you can work with, who inspire you to be better, who you can be honest with and who are honest with you, who lift each other up instead of bringing each other down, and above all a team that delivers.

sym.ph

Never give up

Mr. Hoy, Co-founder and CTO, Hoy App

As a co-founder and designer of Hoy App, Mr. Hoy believes that those aspiring start-up founders like him should never give up in every challenge. Despite having been rejected to some investors, he still managed to persistently strive hard and did his best to prove them wrong. There were even times that he lost interest and drive due to some instances which caused the investors to not push through. Because of this, he did everything to enrich their products.

hoyrewards.com

Talk to your users

Kenneth Swedlund, Product Manager, Scoutedby

Kenneth noticed that some teammates are afraid to speak up about their opinions and problems, and they end up micromanaging everything because they think they can solve it alone. His advice is to talk to users and validate often. That way your team sees the effects of its mistakes and learns which areas need work, and it builds the skills and knowledge that help the company reach its goals.

scoutedby.com

Hustle hard and network well

Nikhil Jain, Researchpreneur & CEO EditEngine

Nikhil says there is no quitting in entrepreneurship, and the first step is the hardest one. It's always the hardest one especially if you lack the essential elements to make the business run. You have to consider the factors that could throw your business off. For him, start-ups should remember that difficulties are part of doing business, and they should look for solutions in an ethical way.

editengine.com

If these points inspired you, come and meet your favorite geeks up close at Geeks On A Beach. You might get to pitch them your ideas, or even work with them.

Story by Nap Ryan Goopio, Symph Intern 2017