Today on the Longcut we’re talking with Mason Hale. Mason is the founder of TeamTopia. TeamTopia’s flagship product is SwimTopia, which helps teams streamline and manage the logistics of running a swim team.

Proactively narrow down your niche audience. Many entrepreneurs have a product or service that they try to apply to as large of an audience as possible. Instead, niche down and narrow your focus - you can’t meet the needs of everyone, everywhere. You’ll be enabled to communicate and connect with your market in a way that is really hard to do if you're trying to do it all.

Charge your customers right away. Don’t have reservations about asking your customers to pay for your idea - build something that they will pay for, as is. If no one is willing to pay upfront for what you’re providing, it’s a critical sign that your business will not be self-sustaining in the long run.

Don't take failures personally. Business owners are wired to be emotionally attached to their enterprises. The kind of people who are attracted to the entrepreneurial life tend to be final decision makers - but not knowing how to disperse responsibility leads to hypersensitivity. Don’t let your identity get overly wrapped up in what you're doing, as these pride-laden mistakes hurt efficiency and the bottom line.

Links and resources mentioned in this episode.

• Swimtopia.com
• @masonhale
• Navigating the long, slow SaaS ramp of death