Here are five ways to fight startup fatigue:

Pace yourself
It’s so easy to go 500 miles per hour at the beginning of the startup process. But by pacing yourself, you can fight off startup fatigue.

Take a break
If you simply have hit the wall and can’t go any further, don’t fight it. Instead, take a break and go do something you love to do.

Plan step by step
Grab a piece of paper and make a step by step plan. That will help you relax and stop you from feeling too overwhelmed.

Refocus your goals
When you began your startup, you had certain goals. Now that you are into the process, your goals may have been altered. Figuring out your new goals can help you get back on the horse!

Eat right and exercise
It might not seem to outwardly connect but taking care of your body will help you from mentally or physically breaking down. Add exercise and a healthy diet to your daily routine.

Don't let this happen to you (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Five Ways to Fight Startup Fatigue

That said, as an entrepreneur, there are steps you can take to make sure your employees remain as confident and as happy as possible. Here are a few tips to remember:

Be open and honest
Employees have the right to know the status of the startup upon request. Honesty breeds confident — even if the honesty isn’t always positive.

Have a long term plan
Many startups are only planning for the here and now. By planning for the long term, employees can relax a bit.

Offer incentives
Whether it comes in the form of a monetary bonus or more vacation time, incentives can improve morale now and down the line.

Be confident and happy yourself
Confidence and happiness are contagious — however, it needs to start at the top.

Smiling (Image: Flickr)

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Keeping Employees Confident and Happy

Going Green
The eco-friendly and green movements are going strong and show no signs of slowing down. In the big picture, we are still in the early stage and it’s a good time to create a startup.

Automobile Related
The automobile industry is in shambles — which is great news for startups. Everything from battery-makers to new age dealerships are getting a lot of venture capital attention.

Healthcare
The healthcare field is another industry that is changing a lot. Now is a fantastic time to enter a startup into the healthcare industry.

Financial Planning
The current economic downturn has made millions of people look closer at their financial status. If you can help people save money and plan, you can find plenty of customers.

Daycare
A lot of two-parent households are forced to have both parents working. For that reason, the daycare industry is a hot startup idea for the rest of 2009.

Going Green (Image: Flickr)

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Hottest Startup Ideas for the Rest of 2009

On the Start Up Donut website, you can find categories on everything from business planning to tax and finance to formation. Mick Dickinson, from BHP Information Solutions, operates the website and says that Start Up Donut is suitable for anyone of any experience level.

Said Dickinson: “Just like Marketing Donut, Start Up Donut is all about practical advice that people can actually use. There’s plenty of theory out there, but our conversations with people in business tell us that what they really want is for an expert to say: ‘ok, here’s what you need to understand, and these are the steps you need to take.’”

While Start Up Donut is mostly focused on startup businesses located in the United Kingdom, it has useful information for startups based anywhere in the world.

What is your startup idea? (Image: Flickr)

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Startup Advice at Start Up Donut

The resource, called the State Business Licensing Center, is easy to use. You’ll see a map of the United States and you just need to click on your state. On the next page, you will see a page with on-site and off-site links to helpful information.

Raj Khera, the CEO of MoreBusiness.com, says that simplicity was a main reason why this free resource was compiled.

Said Khera: “When you start a business, there are so many facets to consider. Entrepreneurs should not be spending hours researching piecemeal information on licensing requirements – but instead should be focusing on the core of their startup. The State Business Licensing Center was created to compile important licensing information and resource in one convenient place for entrepreneurs to easily access.”

Even if you already have a startup business, it’d be a good idea to check out that your startup has all the permits and licenses required by law.

MoreBusiness (Image: MoreBusiness.com Screen Cap)

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Startup Permit and License Requirements

HarvestMark is a startup company that aims to answer those questions and many others. By using a traceability application, growers and shippers can easily pace stickers on the fresh produce. Once the fresh produce arrives in stores, customers can use the sticker to find out more.

By simply entering in the information that can be found on the sticker, customers can get on-demand information that tells the story of that specific piece of fresh produce. Perhaps the coolest aspect about this startup is that they distribute the information in a way that it is available on the web, at in-store kiosks and via cell phones.

With the federal government concerned about food safety more than ever, HarvestMark is a startup with very good potential. This type of smart technology is the wave of the future and has a good chance of being picked up as a mandatory function at some point.

Where does your fresh produce come from? (Image: Flickr)

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HarvestMark Helps Trace Fresh Produce

Create a pitch
Before you even begin the search for free workers, it’s mandatory that you create a pitch. Why should they work for free? What is so great about your startup? Why is it worth their while?

Target people you know
Finding strangers who are willing to work for free is very difficult. While it’s still difficult, you’ll have a better chance if you target people you know. Friends, family members and other acquaintances are more likely to say yes.

Make it as easy as possible
If someone is going to work for free, you can’t place a lot of demands on their time. Instead, make everything as easy as possible. Flexible hours should be offered. If it’s feasible, allow the free workers to work from home.

Promise a paid position
Free workers will likely want some sort of future payoff. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense to offer paid jobs in the future if the startup takes off. In this difficult economy, you may be able to find people who are willing to work for free now in hopes of a paid job down the line.

Finding Free Workers (Image: Flickr)

Post from: EveryJoe

Finding Free Workers for a Startup

Pace Yourself
In the beginning stages of a startup company, you have to think about the long haul. Don’t go 100 miles per hour, seven days a week and 18 hours a day. Pace yourself so you don’t experience burnout.

Have a Plan
Once the ball starts rolling, be sure to stop and create a plan. Make it a step by step plan that you can follow. Having goals and reaching those goals keeps the excitement high.

Continue to Learn
Early on during the startup process, there is a lot of learning going on –whether you realize it or not. By continuing to learn, you can help ensure that you will continue to innovate and have fun.

Hire Appropriately
When hiring for a startup, take personality into consideration. It’s much easier being excited if those around your are naturally upbeat and don’t drag down the morale.

Stay Excited About your Startup (Image: Flickr)

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Staying Excited About Your Startup Company

In addition to simply listing the cities, the list also includes startup success stories in each of the ten cities. How did they figure out the ten best? The report says they chose cities that “embody the entrepreneurial spirit”.

An interesting note about some of the cities included is the fact that many of these cities have high unemployment rates. While at first thought, a city with a high unemployment rate sounds like a bad choice for a startup. However, a struggling city oftentimes offers a cheaper labor force and a local government more open to companies that are able to bring in jobs.

Which cities comprise the top ten? I’ll let you read it on Entrepreneur.com, but for those who can’t wait, the first three cities are Las Vegas, Portland and Orlando.

Is Las Vegas right for your startup? (Image: Flickr)

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Best Cities for Startups – Entrepreneur.com

Ventureneer.com

The webinar will be held by Geri Stengel, the president of Ventureneer.com, and is entitled “Ways Entrepreneur Wannabes Can Determine What Kind of Business to Start”. It will be held on July 23rd starting at noon eastern time.

Said Stengel: “For my Entrepreneurship at The New School, when students didn’t have a clue as to the business they wanted to start, I developed techniques for opening students up to sources of ideas and brainstorming. I’ll share practical tips for fueling would-be entrepreneurs business idea generation process.”

The free webinar will cover many topics including how to figure out what you love doing, exploring better ways to do something, creating good out of bad situations and the advantages of going against the grain.

To participate in the free webinar or to learn more about it, visit Ventureneer.com.

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Want a Startup Business Idea? Free Webinar