The pathway to successful entrepreneurship is paved with numerous pitfalls. Fortunately, the most common mistakes small businesses make are known, and you can avoid them.
This article walks you through the most common problems that small businesses encounter and how to overcome them. We offer proven tips and tools to help you organize your finance and grow your business. The tools we’ll cover a range from simple digital loan calculators to complex accounting software solutions.
Read on to learn more.
1. Trying to do everything
As a business owner, you get tempted to be involved with virtually every aspect of the business, from the strategic to the mundane. Besides wearing you down, you’ll not be as effective. As the business grows, delegating duties in areas where you’re weak helps grow the business.
Many entrepreneurs never learn when their businesses outgrow their skills. They keep doing what others could do in a much better way. Appreciating your strengths and limitations will help delegate duties by employing others or outsourcing functions. If you need to borrow to hire more competent people in areas where you’re weak, use business loan calculators to analyze loan costs.
2. Lack of a clear business strategy
This is a common problem with many small businesses that seem to survive without a clear business strategy and growth plan merely. The business world is murky, and without a process, you won’t go far. You need a clear plan that defines what success looks like and the steps necessary to get there. With such a plan, you can measure achievements against a set target.
3. Failing to invest in growth
Many business owners are caught up, if not overwhelmed, with the day-to-day running of the business that they fail to strategize for the future. You need to be deliberate about investing in growth to ensure growth is sustainable in the future. Business owners who fail to delegate responsibilities run a higher risk of failing to plan long-term as they’re “over-involved” with the here and now.
4. Competing on price alone
In the early stages of your business, it can be tempting to want to draw in customers by pricing to please. Undercutting the competition can’t be a sustainable way to grow your business. In the short term, you may get droves of customers visiting your shop and making purchases, but you won’t make sufficient profits to keep you going. Do market research to determine an optimal price for your products.
5. Not seeking financial assistance in time
Small businesses often find themselves in need of financing for working capital or expansion. Failing to anticipate these needs before they arise can get your business in a financial fix.
For instance, you may find yourself in an unexpected cash flow problem where you require urgent financing to pay suppliers, workers, or utilities. When seeking emergency funding, the terms may not be favorable and the interest exorbitant. Use business loan calculators to compare loan offers whenever you’re borrowing.
- Monitor your finances diligently on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Keep an eye on your cash flows.
- Set clear goals for the business to keep track of progress.
- Adopt a working marketing strategy to grow your business.
- Motivate your employees by training, promotions, and bonuses for an engaged workforce.
- Monitor and adopt emerging trends such as automation, digital marketing strategies, and more.
- Benchmark against competitors and adopt best practices to improve organizational efficiency.
- Go on vacation once in a while to re-energize.
- Accounting tools and software: FreshBooks, GoDaddy, Zoho Books, Oracle Netsuite, Plooto
- Payroll management tools: OnPay, Xero, Gusto, ADP Workforce Now
- Expense tracking tools: Certify, SAP Concur, Rydoo, Expensify
- Cash flow analysis tools: Casual, Invoiced
- Inventory management systems: Megaventory, Upserve,
- Business loan calculators: Fundera, Camino Financial, Nerdwallet
- Billing tools: Quickbooks Online, Netsuite ERP.
- Budgeting tools: BOARD, Float, Budget Maestro, Quickbooks Online, AccountEdge
Identifying common mistakes among other small business owners is the first step towards navigating safely to business success. Some of these problems include lack of a clear business strategy, failing to delegate, slashing prices to undercut competitors, and failing to invest in the growth of the business. By embracing top tips and using available software and tool, you can grow your business.
