Advice for people considering a tech start-up business

Founded in 2012 and based out of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Katrina German and Dale Zak are the co-owners of OneStory, a video storytelling platform that empowers ordinary people to capture personal stories about love, war, travel, conquering cancer, or any life topic. An easy-to-navigate interview process collects individual clips and assembles them into a beautiful compilation video, making it easy to share online. Katrina and Dale had the following advice for other tech entrepreneurs:

You must be passionate about the idea: You will be spending countless hours pursuing your vision and ideally that time won’t always feel like “work.” Founding a tech start-up is a highly intense process that has many highs and lows. If you love your idea, it will be easier to hang on during all of your experiences.

Business minded: Make sure that you have a strong background in business, marketing and technology. This can be achieved through education or experience, and all parts are crucial to the success of your idea. If you aren’t strong in one of these areas, surround yourself with partners, contractors or employees who are in alignment with your mission.

Business plan: Although this seems a tedious step, it is crucial to testing the viability of your idea. The business plan is a living document that reflects the changing nature of your business. It forces you to think about some of the tough questions and to be prepared when you are negotiating financing with banks and investors.