Building Credibility 01 One of the most important pillars to reaching success as a startup lies in building credibility — in other words, how do you convince someone you’ve never met to trust you? This is a challenge all businesses face. Think about it: how many times have you selected one product over another because of Amazon reviews, or decided to try a new restaurant because of a high Yelp rating? And while there’s a high level of startup awareness these days and organizations are more receptive to trying out products and services from a startup, that doesn’t mean companies don’t need to go the extra mile as early on in the game as possible. Understanding your target verticals and industries inside out while working to solidify your reliability is key. CEO and founder Navid Rastegar of FitBliss recognized the importance of leveraging strategic partnerships: “We built and continue to build credibility through strategic partnerships in the industry or vertical. Building your network is critical with industry leaders.” HHoow iw it St Sttaarrttss: F: Fiinnddiinng Sg Suucceccesss is in tn thhe Ee Eccoossyysstteem am as a Ss a Sttaarrttuupp 44