From about two years to just a year and a half, here are 12 answers to the question, “How long did it take you to start your business and start to really see traction?”
Two years to gain momentum in finance Months after the news appeared About six to eight months Six months to start a business and three years to see traction Six months of heartbreaking setbacks in six months About nine years persisted for nine months Four months from immediately to three years approximately one year approximately one and a half years Two years to gain ground in finance
It took me two years to start my business and grow. In the financial services industry, success takes time. I had to build relationships and gain trust while developing a reputation for being reliable and knowledgeable. My perseverance paid off as my business took off despite the challenges.
Paw Vej, Chief Operating Officer, Financer.com
Months after the news arrived
It only took months after our launch for us to get our groove on. A big part of that was the positive press we received. We had flattering descriptions not only of the brand, but also of me and my motivations behind starting my business.
The more these stories were published and the more people learned about us, the more these stories described the steps customers must take to participate in our services. These articles helped give people an idea of all that the onboarding process entailed. These types of stories have done a lot for us.
Rachel Blank, Founder and CEO, Allara
About six to eight months
It took us about 6-8 months to get from the initial planning stages of our AI company in mid-2022 to see some traction.
We carefully and slowly defined our goals and target audience before developing the presentation tool in October. We were thrilled to have a beta available immediately and an enhanced version in February. Although this is a good start, there is still a lot of hard work and dedication to be done to make it a profitable business.
Luciano Colos, Founder and CEO, PitchGrade
Six months to start a business and three years to see traction
I had worked on my startup for three years before it was successful. Initially, the idea sounded like a rocket ship, but it only took six months to plan. It was the hardest task of starting a business, especially for people who didn’t know what to look for and how to start it.
We only had one idea and nothing else. During the second year of working on the project, we were almost ready for anything. Now we had to plan how to get clients. I still remember, my first marketing spend was only $1. However, I felt we needed more members on our team to see traction.
For the effective implementation of marketing strategies, we have added three additional people to the team. Soon, after two and a half years, we reached a conversion rate of 40%, which was unexpected. So you have to be patient when working on a startup.
Yogesh Kumar, Head of Digital Marketing, Technource
Six months of heartbreaking setbacks
When I launched my health and wellness startup alongside a former colleague, I knew the journey wouldn’t be easy and there would be many hurdles along the way. However, during the first six months, we were literally on the verge of collapse.
The company we hired to build a website didn’t deliver on time, and we made the mistake of buying a lot of inventory in advance, hoping for quick sales. We’ve also had so many problems with content marketing that we’ve spent so much money for so little in return.
However, after spending months fine-tuning our business model and marketing strategy, we achieved a few sales in almost six months. It has now been almost two years since we started and we are already profitable.
Logan Nguyen, co-founder, MIDSS
More than six months
It took me about six months to start my real estate business. During that time, I had to get licenses, take training courses, and make connections within the industry.
Once I was officially licensed as a Realtor, I started putting more effort into marketing and networking with other local agents. This included attending open houses, joining Facebook groups, and joining local real estate organizations.
After a few months of work, I saw some traction in my business. I started closing deals and connecting with buyers, sellers, lenders and other agents in the area. It was huge for me because it gave me the confidence that I could sustain my business in the future.
From there, I continued to build relationships with local agents, attend events and seminars, and hone my skills as a real estate agent. I eventually started taking on bigger clients which allowed me to expand into different areas of the industry.
Matt Teifke, CEO, Teifke Real Estate
About nine years old
My brother and I took about nine years to start our business. In 2000 I entered the tourism industry working as a trekking porter for two years and then as a trekking guide and team leader for six years.
When I gained enough experience to give me confidence, we started our own travel agency in 2009. We saw progress in the business from the first year. As we have built our portfolio of hiking and cultural tours, more and more travelers have chosen us for their adventures.
We have worked hard to publicize our business. From planning each trip to managing the logistics, sales and marketing departments, every effort has gone into earning recognition. After 13 years, we are now one of the best trekking agencies in Nepal, with many returning customers.
Balaram Thapa, Manager and Travel Advisor, Nepal Trekking Team
Persisted for nine months
The beginnings of my business were brutal. I spent countless hours working and networking, but felt like I was going in circles. It was frustrating, and I admit, it tested my mettle. But, I refused to give up.
I kept trying new tactics, learning as much as I could, and pivoting when necessary. About nine months later, I started seeing traction. It wasn’t huge, but it was progressing. Traffic grew and revenue followed.
It was a small victory, but it gave me the confidence to keep going. And then, over the next six months, things really picked up. My business was growing and my website was generating decent income. It was an epic feeling, and it reinforced my belief that I had made the right choice in starting my own business.
Looking back, I realize that the journey was difficult, but it was also deeply satisfying. It took a lot of dedication and perseverance to get where I am today.
Jeremy Reis, Founder, Explore Startups
Four months
It took my business of actively prospecting and creating online content four months to create a buzz and start attracting the attention of targeted e-commerce merchants.
During this time, what mattered most was building relationships and establishing credibility as a reliable e-commerce SEO app and service that merchants could use to grow their stores organically. In the four months my business was still looking to gain traction, we took the opportunity to thoroughly research our target market and ensure we were delivering a solution that stood out.
Alvin Wei, co-founder and CMO, SEOAnt
From immediately to three years
I started several businesses and usually it took us two to three years to see traction. However, sometimes I could piggyback a new business on an existing one, and in those cases we could see traction within months. The key in these cases is to use your existing audience, so there is already a high level of trust.
Larissa Pickens, Co-Founder, Dapper Confidential
About a year
It took me about a year to launch my business and start seeing success. I spent the first few months researching, developing ideas and creating a business plan. Once I had a solid foundation in place, I officially launched the business and began marketing it to potential customers.
It was slow at first, and there were a lot of challenges and hurdles to overcome. However, with consistent effort and patience, I was able to build a clientele and start generating income. It took several months of hard work, but eventually my business gained momentum. In the end, it was worth it, as I now run a successful business that continues to grow every day.
Michael Dadashi, CEO, Infinite Recovery
About a year and a half
Our journey to starting a SaaS business began in 2017 when we identified a gap in the market for a powerful yet user-friendly social media scheduling tool. It took us about a year to develop and launch the product, which we officially launched in mid-2018.
Initially, we struggled to gain traction as we were competing against several well-established players in the market. However, we have persevered and continually improved our product, taking feedback from early adopters and incorporating their suggestions into our product roadmap.
After about six months of launching our product, we have seen renewed interest from potential customers and have focused more on marketing and sales to accelerate our growth. Over the next few years, we continued to perfect our product and expand our customer base. Today, we are proud to say that we have established ourselves as a leader with over 20 seasoned professionals, thousands of satisfied customers and a rapidly growing user base.
Sakhavat Ismayilov, Founder, FS Code
related questions
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