The right time to start your new business is right now. Today.

The key is to design, own and execute an all-in-one masterplan to ensure success before you start a business – and to maintain momentum in tandem with your endeavours so that you don’t end up in the same place as 95% of start ups.

Your masterplan doesn’t simply focus on getting you up and running. It aims at the creative heart of operating an enterprise: how to start a business with failsafe offline and online strategies, how to avoid the crucial mistakes that cripple 95% of all start ups, and how to sustain progress with tried, tested, proven stratagems.

Your masterplan empowers you to conceive your own exclusive blueprint for a happy, successful and rewarding business operation. Plans are great things. They show you where you are going, what to do, and how to do it when you get there. Make no mistake though; you will not be creating this blueprint just to get you started. It’s going to be around for a long time and you will want to review and update it regularly to take account of twists and turns along the way. That’s the beauty of it. When you have a blueprint for success, you can legislate for change. Without one you cannot; you’ll be like the explorer in the jungle without a map.

There are only four things you need to start your business today.

Here they are:

Whatever the reason to start up a business operation, know that while your passion for your product or service may be your best secret weapon, that alone won’t guarantee success.

Herewith, then, where to begin and how to achieve success and how to avoid the pitfalls ahead:

• Use technology to stay lean. Clearly, one reason the average size of all start-ups has dropped to 4.9 employees today from 7.5 in the 1990s is that the web exists to help minimize your expenses. The National Business Administration reports, for example, that “most companies” now buy supplies, pay bills and manage payrolls through web-based services.
• Protect your ideas. The Wall Street Journal warns, “the best way to protect yourself is by being extra cautious about whom you share your idea with.”
• Learn from what works. “Continuing to innovate has been key to our success” . You want to make sure you prepare thoroughly before starting a business, but realize that things will almost certainly go awry. To run a successful business, you must adapt to changing situations.
• Conducting in-depth market research on your field and the demographics of your potential clientele is an important part of crafting a business plan. This involves running surveys, holding focus groups, and researching SEO and public data.
• Before you start selling your product or service, you need to build up your brand and get a following of people who are ready to jump when you open your doors for business.

• Identify your "why." Refine your idea, the market you want to enter, your market positioning, clarify your target customers and above all answer the question: why are you launching your business?
• Write a business plan. Once you have your idea in place, you need to ask yourself a few important questions: What is the purpose of your business? Who are you selling to? What are your end goals? How will you finance your startup costs? These questions can be answered in a well-written business plan.
• Consider an exit strategy. It's also a good idea to consider an exit strategy as you compile your business plan. Generating some idea of how you'll eventually exit the business forces you to look to the future. A business plan helps you figure out where your company is going, how it will overcome any potential difficulties and what you need to sustain it.
• Assess your finances. Starting any business has a price, so you need to determine how you're going to cover those costs. Do you have the means to fund your startup, or will you need to borrow money? Many startups fail because they run out of money before turning a profit. It's never a bad idea to overestimate the amount of startup capital you need, as it can be a while before the business begins to bring in sustainable revenue.
• Perform a break-even analysis. One way you can determine how much money you need is to perform a break-even analysis. This is an essential element of financial planning that helps business owners determine when their company, product or service will be profitable. The formula is simple: Fixed Costs / (Average Price – Variable Costs) = Break-Even Point. 
• Watch your expenses. Don't overspend when starting a business. Understand the types of purchases that make sense for your business and avoid overspending on fancy new equipment that won't help you reach your business goals. Monitor your business expenses to ensure you are staying on track.
• Determine your legal business structure. Before you can register your company, you need to decide what kind of entity it is. Your business structure legally affects everything from how you file your taxes to your personal liability if something goes wrong. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine which type of entity is best for your current needs and future business goals. It's important to learn about the various legal business structures that are available. If you're struggling to make up your mind, it's not a bad idea to discuss the decision with a business or legal adviser.
• Protect your business with a general liability insurance. It might slip your mind as something you'll "get around to" eventually, but purchasing the right insurance for your business is an important step that should happen before you officially launch. Dealing with incidents such as property damage, theft or even a customer lawsuit can be costly, and you need to be sure that you're properly protected.
• Build your team. It's critical to find partners you can trust. Hiring a great team and / or selecting the right suppliers, vendors will be a key factor to the success of your business. Identifying your founding team, understanding what gaps exist, and determining how and when you will address them should be top priority. Figuring out how the team will work together is equally important. Defining roles and responsibility, division of labor, how to give feedback or how to work together when not everyone is in the same room will save you a lot of headaches down the line. In parallel, you will be naturally creating and influencing the company culture, it is important that you make conscious decisions on how you want your team members to behave and you must lead by example.
• Brand yourself and advertise your business. Before you start selling your product or service, you need to build up your brand and get a following of people ready to jump when you open your literal or figurative doors for business. Company website: Take your reputation online and build a company website. Many customers turn to the internet to learn about a business, and a website is digital proof that your business exists. It is also a great way to interact with current and potential customers. Social media: Use social media to spread the word about your new business, perhaps as a promotional tool to offer coupons and discounts to followers once you launch. The best social media platforms to utilize will depend on your target audience and create a brand guideline that can help people easily identify your brand and be consistent in using it across all of your platforms. Be sure to also keep these digital assets up to date with relevant, interesting content about your business and industry. Creating a marketing plan that goes beyond your launch is essential to building a clientele by continually getting the word out about your business. This process, especially in the beginning, is just as important as providing a quality product or service. 
• Grow your business. Preparation, communication, outreach, and flexibility are key to growing your business. Your launch and first sales are only the beginning of your task as an entrepreneur. To make a profit and stay afloat, you always need to be growing your business. It's going to take time and effort, but you'll get out of your business what you put into it. Collaborating with more established brands in your industry is a great way to achieve growth. Reach out and encourage partner alliance with like-minded businesses.

Now, specifically for startups and digital native companies in Qatar, you can leverage on the Qatar National vision which aims at creating a knowledge-based economy though digital initiatives in collaboration with the Ministry of transport and Communications, the Qatar Free Zone. For example, Qatar Free Zone and Google Cloud Qatar are currently putting joint effort to support entrepreneurs in Qatar and discussing a possible incubation hub.

Building a start up is extremely rewarding and fulfilling, but it requires courage, determination and passion. To make the right moves with your start up business, you must be crystal clear about the business purpose, onboard the right team and partners, create a solid and consistent marketing strategy that leads to brand affinity. And do it. Good luck, and remember that today is the day. You'll never get a better day to start your business.