Published by Programme B
When starting a new business, there are many different factors to consider. Ensuring you’ve checked every box and given proper attention to everything you need can be overwhelming. With your attention being pulled in so many different directions, it can be easy to make mistakes.
Mistakes make us human, but there are some common mistakes new business owners make — learning from the mistakes of those who have gone before us is an intelligent strategy. Here are some of the common missteps business owners make and how you can avoid them with your new business.
Not Creating a Business Plan
Whether working in the industry for many years or coming into an entirely new area, a major mistake new entrepreneurs make is failing to make a business plan. Some may be overwhelmed by the idea, but it doesn’t need to be done “perfectly” or have every single detail. Many people think they have a great business idea, but to be sure, you need to do the research to make sure you’re investing your time and money wisely. A business plan is an opportunity to make a plan that will help make sure you’re staying consistent and are working towards something and also provide a chance to mark the milestones you hit along the way.
Not Doing Enough Financial Preparation
New businesses rarely make money when they initially open. For many, it’s unlikely they will make real money for years. This means you need to make sure you and your family will have enough money to live on until the business has a chance to become profitable.
Many business owners also tend to underestimate the amount of capital they’ll end up needing to run and grow their business. It’s vital to get your financing lined up early on and make sure you know of your options, from the traditional lenders to alternative lenders offering asset-based lending and refinancing in Canada.
Being Too Attached to ‘Doing What You Love’
It’s been hammered into us for decades now: do what you love, and it won’t even feel like work. For a few people, this may be true, but for many others, what they love to do isn’t necessarily where their talents lay. A much better idea is to do something you’re good at that people are willing to pay you for.
Not Asking For Help
Starting and running a business requires owners to wear many different hats and have many different skills and abilities. Often, business owners take all this on themselves and view getting outside help as a negative. In reality, getting advice from a consultant or having a mentor to bounce ideas off of is extremely beneficial and helpful and can help save you so much energy and heartache in the long run.
Everyone makes mistakes, but why make ones you can see coming? Learning from these common mistakes that business owners make allows us to avoid making the same missteps and focus our energy and attention in more productive areas.