Business Pitfalls

The Pitfalls Every Small Business Owner Should Avoid

Every business faces challenges, regardless of size or age. The problem is that for small business owners, mistakes can lead to closure. Yes, it’s your job as a business owner to beat them if you are to stay ahead of your competition and grow your enterprise. We have compiled a few mistakes you should avoid if you are to grow your enterprise. 

Grave Mistakes to Avoid in Business

• Tax problems 

Many small business owners fall into tax problems unknowingly. Some business owners are busy that they forget to file taxes, while others ignore due to insufficient information on how to handle tax. Either way, the penalties are so high that many business owners give up and close their businesses. If you are new to the business world, then beware of making tax-related errors. If you don’t, you will soon find your business struggling to pay up additional taxes, penalties, and interests.

If you are already in this heated spot of tax issues, then don’t think of closing the business just yet. There are skilled tax attorneys who can outsmart the IRS, and they can help you fix the issues your business is facing. Don’t try to learn things like tax obligations and the IRS lingo on your own. It might bring your business to its knees. 

• Misinterpreting the market 

If you are planning to start a business, how well do you know your market? This is a challenge and a second chance to study and test your idea. If you are not a seasoned entrepreneur, your case is not hopeless. A thoroughly performed market research could light the way and show you where you should direct your attention. Here, you should focus on answering two main questions: what does the market need and who need your solution the most? You may have the right product, but when placed in the wrong industry or audience, it will die! If you are having challenges understanding the market, you can seek a hand from an expert.

• Hiring too soon

As the business grows, you will, or may have seen the need for an extra helping hand. However, when this is done hastily, your business can suffer financial blows. The blows are severe if the employees are too many or highly skilled. So what is the right way to do it?

Well, take time to understand the market trends. It is common for businesses to experience massive traffic at particular times of the year, but your decision should not be based entirely on this trend. If there is an undeniable need for a hand in your business, you should start with part-timers or freelancers before hiring fulltime employees. This will be a friendly option for your finances and in handling the workload.

• Moving slowly 

Sadly, many small business owners assume that they are destined to handle small projects only. Now, you are in the industry to win, and if you have the skills, then you should seek other more challenging and lucrative opportunities. Otherwise, how will you ever grow?  Focusing on the small projects not only stifles creativity but also keeps you in the same zone for long. Study those major projects to know what it takes to win the gigs. You might be lucky and, within no time, you will join the big fish in the industry.

• A lack of financial planning 

Many small business owners assume that financial planning is not that essential to startups. They fail to see its impact on the business and, never dedicate their time looking at it. Others spend on personal and business needs without tracking, and before they know it, they are closing down and filing for bankruptcy. Don’t make this mistake! You should monitor the cash flow carefully, make financial projections, and allocate funds to different facets of business wisely, to prevent overspending. You should also delineate personal affairs from the business to avoid inventory losses.

• Poor management 

If you are already in business, how often do you oversee operations? Whether you have one or ten employees, watching over their work and correcting promptly will keep the company on the intended path. Don’t ignore that part. In fact when you let employees do as they wish, then your business will eventually fall apart!

Final remarks:

The mistakes we have listed above are just the tip of an iceberg. As a small business owner you ought to keep learning and we hope you have picked up a few lessons!