Fahed Al Essa is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Dala Wellness. Dala Wellness offers a holistic approach to patient-centered healthcare complementing existing treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and other autoimmune conditions that affect joints. We reached out to Fahed to understand what tips have been essential to his success as an entrepreneur. Here’s what we learned:

When evaluating the potential of an idea, whether for a new startup or strategy, the most important question to answer is: why now? If new information, technology, or resources are now available that enables your strategic vision or if trends are revealing a new market segment or opportunity, success is far more likely. Uber would not have been able to succeed without taking advantage of the shift to mobile and Dala Wellness builds on the latest advances in medicine from both East and West. For investors, an entrepreneur who can address “why now?” also resolves the question “(if this is such a good idea) why hasn’t this been done before?”

A simple yet effective approach for evaluating a business model is the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and the Lifetime Value (LTV) of the customer. If it costs less to acquire a customer than the expected returns from that customer, the business can be profitable. While this approach is good for evaluating ideas at a high level, Fahed notes that Cost per Acquisition (CPA) can be an equally informative analytic approach for operating a business. CPA measures the cost to acquire something that is not a customer (e.g. a registration, activated user, trial, or a lead) and helps business owners evaluate the success of their strategic decisions at a more granular level.

Velocity of product iterations allows businesses to try more products and features within the runway of the company, thereby increasing the chances of achieving product and market fit. Additionally, a shorter product cycle helps engineers split the work into more manageable and frequent releases, which allows testing while the new features are in development. Creating this feedback loop early on will help establish a responsive culture for your business that leverages data to make decisions based on what your customers like and can lead to the discovery of new opportunities for your business.

Always seek out your customer and have them be your starting point. What may seem like a good idea to you may not resonate with your target customers. Fahed’s research for Dala took him to the heart of the Rheumatoid Arthritis patient. Fahed states that “only when I was assessing the patient’s perceived needs did I find the gaps in the system. The customer should be at the center of everything!!” Continuing to engage with the customer as you iterate will ensure you are providing value while not wasting valuable time and resources on unnecessary efforts. Their consistent engagement will help you understand the scope of the problem, their experiences, and how best to improve your customers’ lives.

Getting honest feedback can be a challenge for entrepreneurs. Frequently, those we confide in are those with whom we have close personal relationships. Someone that doesn’t have the best interest of your heart in mind, but understands what is in the best interest of the company can provide invaluable feedback that those close to you may be biased against due to their affection for you as an individual. Someone that is able to understand, support and be empathetic but also able to tell you when you are veering off track is essential to success.

Burnout can be as much of a threat as any market force when it comes to successfully building a business. In order to maintain focus and momentum, finding time to devote to both your own and the firm’s creative side can be an effective approach to staying fresh. Creativity takes many forms. Make space for your mind to explore different modes of creativity. “Nobody is going to take care of you but you; so make sure you are! Eat well, sleep well and get moving!”