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15 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Business in 2021

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‘Learn from the mistakes of others, you cannot live long enough to make them all.’ These famous words from Eleanor Roosevelt stand more accurate than ever in the business world today. Starting a business is challenging, and making mistakes even before starting can sabotage your entire venture.  The best way to ensure your new business’s success is to plan each step carefully to prevent falling into obvious traps.

Here is a list of mistakes that you need to avoid at all costs when venturing into a new business.

1. Not having a business plan

The fatal mistake that one can make when starting a business is beginning without a well-laid plan. Even if your plan isn’t set down to the details, lay out the ground rules in your plan, including your operating costs, production cycles, sales strategies, and financial management. Without these basics, you are bound to fail within a few months of starting your business.

2. Ignoring market research

Ignoring market research before launching a business is like is diving into a lake without knowing its depth. You may never know whether you would survive the fall. Therefore always do your market research, which should include:

Identifying target audience: Understanding who your target audience is crucial for the success of your business as all your marketing strategies would be planned around it. For example, if you are selling Satellite TV packages you can design them to target a certain audience. A family package would target a family, while a sports package would target sports fans. By targeting a specific audience, the satellite TV providers can ensure that they are offering the right programming and channels for those subscribers. This also helps to keep costs down for the providers, as they can tailor the packages to fit the needs of their customers.

Audience interests: Knowing your target audience isn’t enough when it comes to running a business. You need to know what your target audience wants in your products and deliver them to make your business successful. Therefore, your market research should always include understanding the interests of your target audience.

Competition research: Understanding what your competition does is crucial for every business. It will help you identify what works with your target audience and what doesn’t so that you can form your business strategies accordingly.

3. Starting without sufficient funding

Finance is the lifeblood of any business; without it, your business cannot survive long. At the initial stages of your business, you will require a lot of capital to cover significant investments and other expenses. Also, the ROI will be slow, so you need to have sufficient backup to keep your business afloat till you start getting a steady influx of money into your business. Therefore it is crucial to have sound finances and efficient financial planning.

4. Trying to do everything yourself

Many entrepreneurs have this misconceived notion that they need to do everything themselves to get it right. On the contrary, having counselors and partners whom you can rely on make everything much more manageable. DOn’t shy away from delegating your responsibilities and skiing for help when you find yourself in a tricky situation. It will free your time and mind to focus on more critical aspects of your business, like growth and scaling.

5. Letting fear of failure lead your decisions

Most business owners fear failure more than anything and shy away from making risky decisions for the fear that they may fail. However, some of these risks are the stepping stones of your success, and giving up on them means losing a lifetime opportunity. Therefore, put aside your fear of failing and take those risky steps, and they are the ones that will set you apart from your competition.

6. Making hiring mistakes

Your employees and partners are going to be the foundation of your business. Therefore any hastiness can leave cracks in your business’s foundation. Always look for employees dedicated to the growth of their business and have the zeal to grow themselves. Instead of increasing the number of employees, focus on finding skilled people who want to succeed in your business.

7. Not using modern technology

In the digital world, technology can make your life and business a lot smoother and manageable. However, some business owners still rely on old-school methods. The problem with some old-school techniques is they are time-consuming and often require a lot of manual labor. On the other hand, softwares and automation tools can reduce manual work and significantly increase your accuracy and efficacy.

8. Not paying heed to offline and online marketing

If finance is the lifeblood, then marketing is the backbone of your business. Without effective marketing strategies, your business cannot survive in this competitive world for long. And you need a marketing strategy that is a combination of online and offline marketing to succeed. To bridge the gap between your offline and online marketing you can use QR codes. You can create QR codes using the best QR code generators available to direct your offline marketing collateral to drive traffic online.

Many small businesses used to rely mainly on traditional marketing methods. However, the onset of a global pandemic has forced everyone to go digital regardless of their size. You should also opt for digital marketing as much as possible as it is more effective and cheaper than traditional marketing.

“Forget about your competitors, focus on your customers.” – Jack Ma

9. Not understanding your business demands

Everyone likes to share success stories, and no one shares the struggles. Wherever you look these days, whether it is social media, websites, blogs, newspapers, or any other medium, you can see businesses sharing how good they are and how well everything is going. 

However, in reality, a lot of businesses have to fight tooth and nail to stay afloat. So, don’t jump into a venture believing that it would be easy. You may have to put in extra hours, resources, and efforts to keep things going until things stabilize.

10. Undervaluing your product or service

Many entrepreneurs start at a lower price than the market price to gain more customers at the early stage of business. However, this tactic can become your downfall in the long run as you cannot raise the prices suddenly once you make your place in the market. 

Therefore, always charge your product or service at an optimal rate that justifies its value.

11. Not having a bookkeeping process

A lot of businesses fail in the first two years due to improper financial management. And the primary reason for that is the lack of proper bookkeeping methods. A definitive bookkeeping system enables you to keep track of your finances efficiently and maintain your cash flow. You can either hire a bookkeeper or use accounting and bookkeeping software for your business.

12. Making unnecessary expenses

When you start a business, many ideas will come to your table, and many of them will be quite lucrative. However, restrain yourself from diving into all of them and only make essential expenses. You can focus on those things that your business cannot do without.

13. Don’t hesitate to form contracts

You may start your business with friends or family members or have excellent relations with your initial clients. However, don’t let your personal ties stop you from making your business deals in writing. It is wise legally and professionally to keep your relationships and business contacts separate.

14. Register your business

Many entrepreneurs start the business proceedings without legally registering their business. It leads to problems later as some of your contracts are not legally binding until you are registered under the state laws.

15. Expanding too quickly

 Once your profits reach the breakeven point, you may start looking for growth processes and expansions. However, diving into expansions can cause you more trouble than you fathom if you are not ready for it. Expansion requires a lot of capital investment and your savings and may not cover it. Therefore let your business establish nicely before moving on to expansion plans. 

Summing up

Starting a business is frightening and challenging, but it is not undoable. You just need the right people and a solid plan to follow through. You may have to take a back-step once in a while; however, that does not mean you have failed. Mistakes happen to everyone. It is just a tactical retreat, and you need to find a way around the problem and keep going. In the end, giving up is the only sure way to fail.

Sean Davis is a professional content developer at DashClicks, a white-label digital marketing platform for small and medium-scale agencies. He also has more than 5 years of experience as a content strategist, blogger, and digital marketer. Sean uses his expertise to spread knowledge through his writing. He is highly proficient in describing complex technical concepts with simplicity to make them widely accessible. Sign-up for forever free access to the platform to scale your business to 7 figures.

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Startups

5 Strategic Power Moves to Successfully Build Your Empire

Transitioning from idea to empire is a journey of strategic planning, execution, and constant evolution

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how to build your empire

The journey from a fledgling idea to a thriving empire is both exhilarating and daunting. The Startup Launchpad is not just a process but also a strategic framework that enables visionary entrepreneurs to become market leaders. This framework comprises five power moves, each a critical steppingstone in building a successful business.

These moves—Ideation, Business Plan, Online Presence, Strategic Marketing, and Launch and Growth—are the blueprint for turning aspirations into achievements. (more…)

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Startups

How to Avoid Startup Clichés and Buzzwords When Pitching Investors

Using jargon can make you sound like you’re trying to fill space instead of providing meaningful data

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How to pitch investors better

Entrepreneurs frequently seek startup funding through a variety of channels. Yet, none seem as challenging as successfully pitching to experienced investors. After all, investors are pressed for time and eager for opportunities. These characteristics make it challenging to motivate them, especially if you’re bombarding them with a pitch full of jargon. (more…)

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Startups

From Idea to Empire: 5 Power Moves for Your Startup to Thrive in Today’s Market

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that understanding market dynamics and choosing the right business model are crucial

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How to thrive in the startup market in 2024

As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned that understanding market dynamics and choosing the right business model are crucial.

A few months into the startup, I was quick to gauge why it is necessary to go beyond the nuances of operational efficiency and the art of sustaining a business amid growing competition.

Collaboration is key.

The HR and the recruiting teams work with departments to foster a culture of collaboration, but what’s indispensable to business performance is the sync between the marketing and sales teams. What we’d consider as entrepreneurs is the need to ensure seamless collaboration to predict and achieve business goals together. In turn, this will help secure long-term recurring revenue for the business.

Besides, entrepreneurs need to focus on revenue as they gear up to take their startup from $0 to $1 million. The journey is filled with critical decisions, from identifying your target customer base to choosing the right funding strategy.

So, what next?

Read on… because here are five practical, results-driven strategies that you as a founder can implement to make a mark in their industry.

#1. Embrace the Lean Methodology

What is lean methodology?

It is all about pivoting resources to create more value for customers with fewer resources. 

This principle encourages you to be more agile and allow rapid iteration based on customer feedback rather than spending years perfecting a product before it hits the market.

Want to implement it?

Here’s what you can do.

Build “Measure-Learn” Loop: What I did was develop a minimum viable product (MVP), a simple version of the product. You can do the same since it allows you to start the learning process as quickly as possible. After launching MVP, measure how customers use it and learn from their behaviors and feedback.

Here’s what I can recommend here:

  • Identify the core features that solve your customers’ primary needs and focus solely on those to develop your MVP.
  • Know the feedback channels where early users can communicate their experiences, suggestions, and complaints.
  • Analyze user behavior and feedback to make informed product development and iteration decisions.

#2. Focus on Customer Development

Let’s talk about taking our startup to the next level. 

It’s not just about getting customers – it’s about really getting to know them. We need to dive into their world, understand their struggles, and see how our product or service can make a difference in their lives. 

It’s like we’re detectives, piecing together the puzzle of our business hypothesis by actually chatting with our customers

What would you ideally do here?

Understand Customer Segments: I’d say, start dividing your target market into segments and develop a deep understanding of each segment’s demographics, behaviors, needs, and pain points. The idea is to get into their shoes and really feel what they feel.

Ensure your Product Clicks: When starting up, think of what you offer and consider whether it clicks with what our customers need. My thought was “Does my product solve their problems? Does it make their day better?” Put yourself through a tough grilling session to show customers the value proposition and ensure that the product’s promise matches what our customers are looking for.

I’d recommend the following actions here:

  • Talk to them – through surveys, interviews, or even casual chats. The goal? To gather real, raw insights about what they need and expect.
  • Use the collected data to create detailed profiles for each type of customer. This way, everyone on our team really understood we were serving. I think this should help your startup as well.
  • Try out different versions of our product with a few customer groups. It’s all about feedback here – understanding if you’re hitting the mark or if we need to pivot.

#3. Foster a Data-Driven Culture

The digital world is highly data driven since it fuels key decisions in a startup. 

I believe it’s essential for us to build a data-driven culture. This means, you’ll move from making decisions based on hunches or assumptions. Instead, the focus should be on data analytics and insights to guide our strategies and improve our outcomes.

What can you do?

Use Data Analytics Tools: You should be using these tools to gather, analyze, and interpret data related to customer behavior, market trends, and our business operations. Here, consider the adoption of pipeline forecasting that leverages AI to find patterns in marketing data. 

In turn, you’ll get areas for improvement since it can analyze historical data and predict the outcome for you to plan your.

Action Items:

  • Pinpoint key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with your business objectives and ensure they are measurable and actionable.
  • Next, you can consider training your team to understand and use data analytics tools. This might involve workshops or bringing in experts to build a data-savvy workforce.
  • Once everything is in place, regularly review data reports and dashboards. This gives us a clear picture of a startup’s health and helps adjust your strategies and predict future trends.

#4. Strengthen Your Financial Acumen

A good grip on financial skills is important to steer your business towards growth and making sure it stays on track. For this, you’ll have to understand the money side of things, which helps you manage your cash flow. Think of figuring out smart investment moves and sizing up any risks that come your way.

Here’s a tip on how you can get savvy with your finances.

Maintain Rigorous Financial Discipline: I’m really focused on cultivating a strong company culture, one that truly resonates with our mission. So, I’d suggest fostering open communication and encouraging a sense of ownership and collaboration among everyone in the team.

Action Items:

  • Get to know your financial statements inside out – I’m talking about the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. These are like the vital signs for your business’s financial health
  • Use financial forecasting that helps predict your future money moves. With this, you will have a heads-up on upcoming revenues, expenses, and how much cash you’ll need. Also, research on the available financial forecasting tools that can make predictions spot-on.
  • Don’t go at it alone. Regularly touch base with financial advisors or mentors. With them by your side, you’ll have a fresh perspective on your financial strategies to ensure you’re on the right path to hit your business goals.

5. Prioritize Team Building and Leadership Development

It is crucial to focus on building a solid team and developing strong leaders. This means putting our resources into the people who are going to propel our company forward. 

What you’ll aim for here?

Creating a culture where everyone collaborates and every team member has the chance to emerge as a leader.

What I would do:

Cultivate a Strong Company Culture: This culture should mirror our mission and foster open communication. It’s important that it encourages everyone to feel a sense of ownership and work together.

Invest in Leadership and Team Development: As founders, we’ll have to make way for opportunities for teams to enhance their skills, face new challenges, and grow in their careers.

Some concrete steps that you should consider taking:

  • Begin with clearly communicating your startup’s vision, mission, and values so that every team member is on the same page.
  • Conduct regular team-building activities and workshops to boost skills and strengthen a sense of unity and collaboration.
  • How about starting a mentorship program within our organization? The more experienced team members could guide and support the growth of newer or less experienced folks.
  • Alas… encourage feedback at all levels. We should keep striving to create an environment where open, honest communication is the norm and everyone feels safe to speak up.

I know it’s one thing to get your head around these ideas and quite another to actually make them a part of your everyday business life. But that’s where the real magic happens, right? It’s all in the doing. 

As a startup founder, this means more than just being a big dreamer. How about rolling up your sleeves to be the planner who pays attention to the smallest details. Ultimately, these tips and more tactics around it will help carve a leader in you who listens and cares and the learner who’s always ready to adapt

So, as you’re either starting out or moving forward on this entrepreneurial adventure, keep these practical tips right there.

May these be your guiding lights, helping you steer through the wild and exciting world of building a startup that’s not just a dream, but a thriving reality.

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12 Things I Learned in 12 Months of Working on My Startup

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A few weeks ago I launched my startup. It took exactly 12 months from the initial idea until the moment I saw my app in the App Store. And these were some of the most challenging, fun and exciting 12 months of my whole life. (more…)

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