5 mistakes new business owners should avoid

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Beware of these costly dangers.

Main points

• There are many steps to running a successful business, so it’s only natural that some new business owners make mistakes when first starting out.
• To help your business thrive, make sure you have a business plan, money for start-up costs, and tax requirements.

There are many things to consider when starting a new business. You want to make sure you’re setting your company up for success, which means trying to avoid mistakes that could cost you money or make it difficult for your small business to grow.

Here’s a list of the top five mistakes you’ll want to avoid, as many new business owners are unaware of some common pitfalls that can derail their efforts.

1. Lack of a strong business plan

Your business plan should be a roadmap for your company’s success. It should outline your mission statement, identify your organization’s goals, and outline the path to achieving them. Without a business plan, it will be very difficult to make coordinated decisions that lead to a common goal. If you’re not completely self-funded for your startup, your business plan can be very important in helping you get funding.

2. Not knowing who your target audience is

When you’re first starting out, you need to be strategic when trying to find potential customers — especially since you may not have a large advertising budget from the get-go. If you don’t know who your audience is, it will be impossible for you to ensure that they are reaching you. And, if your customers don’t know you exist and can meet their needs, it doesn’t matter how great your business idea is — it won’t succeed.

3. Lack of financial cushion before starting

It may take some time for a business to become profitable. If you don’t have any money to go in and rely on your company to start giving you your income right away, that’s going to be a problem for you. Until you start making money, your business can go bankrupt (and your personal finances can suffer along with it) simply because you don’t have enough of a cash cushion.

4. Trying to grow fast

While your goal may be to eventually grow your business and run a chain of stores or serve thousands of customers, doing so from the start can be overwhelming. You don’t want to spend tens of thousands of dollars buying something you can’t sell, promise services that don’t last, or hire a bunch of people to serve you who don’t have customers.

It’s often best to start small and work your way up to the massive collection you dream of.

5. Failure to control tax matters

Finally, you should understand that tax issues may differ for businesses and individuals. You may have to file quarterly tax payments with the IRS, and if you’re hiring people to work for you, you may have to withhold money from their checks to send to the IRS, as well as pay some employment tax.

If you don’t understand the small business tax issues involved in running your company, you should seek their help before you take on the IRS wealth.

Fortunately, avoiding these five mistakes shouldn’t be difficult if you’re aware of these common pitfalls and can take steps to ensure they don’t hurt your company’s future.