3 Reasons Small Businesses Fail

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Being a business owner can be the dream job for some. Owning a product or service you’re proud of, choosing your own hours, and of course, the uncapped income, are all obvious reasons why anyone would want to become a business owner. However, did you know that 20% of small businesses fail within their first year? As exciting as owning your own business seems, there are several common mistakes that entrepreneurs make when first opening their small business or brand.

You Are Not Prepared Financially

Opening a business can make you a lot of money. However, the drawback is that you’ll need some money to start with. For example, in the beginning, you may be able to work out of your house. Eventually, you might upgrade to a coffee shop. However, as your business grows, you will need to have enough money to rent out an office space to work in. You’ll also need to invest in the quality of your product or in the tools you’ll need for your service. The internet and social media are becoming so central to our daily lives. Having a website is a must for a business to be successful. If you don’t know how to build one, you’ll need to pay to have a professional, accessible one made. There are a ton of little costs that one might not think about when taking their business from idea to reality. 

Another way first time entrepreneurs are unprepared financially is through mismanaging the money that they do have. Overpaying for inventory or tools you may need to start your business is a common mistake people make. Not keeping track of your finances well is also a surefire way to essentially throw away your money. Those expenses add up! It is important to be aware of every expense your business has. Make sure you’re not wasting money on things you don’t need!

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Lack Of Understanding Customers

Another key reason a small business might fail is due to not understanding their target audience. When creating a product or service, it is essential to think from the customer’s point of view. For example, you as the owner might be obsessed with your product. However, if your target market isn’t as receptive to it, it doesn’t really matter how much you love it. A lot of business owners can get so stuck on the idea of seeing their product or service in one particular way. It’s understandable that as a business owner you would get attached to what you are selling. However, you need to be able to be adaptable in order to succeed as an entrepreneur. This means taking constructive criticism. You need to be able to revamp your business to better suit the needs of your target audience, despite what you may personally think about it. 

Entrepreneurs also fail to understand their target market by not realizing that they may be entering into a saturated market in which their product or service is no longer needed. Many first time business owners neglect to think about this potential problem as they get so excited about starting their business that they don’t think about the competition that inevitably comes with entering any market. Some markets are easier to break into than others, but you will always need your business to be able to stand out from the crowd in order for it to be successful. This is why it is important to understand the needs of your target audience. If their needs are already being met by five different businesses in the area, you need to be able to come at opening your company from a different angle and think about a particular need that hasn’t been met yet.

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You Simply Don’t Know How To Manage A Business

There is a first time for everything, including owning a business. It is expected that you will make some mistakes when you are new. However, some of these mistakes when managing a business can be detrimental. For example, if you’ve never managed a group of people before, you might not know how to properly delegate tasks to others. Not delegating tasks means that you can’t be as efficient with your work. You don’t want to put too much responsibility on yourself. This can result in a failure to get important tasks completed. You might not realize, as well, that daily administrative tasks can take up a lot of time. They’re not fun, but they’re important! If you can’t manage these tasks or delegate them to someone who can, such as a bookkeeper or personal assistant, your business is sure to not be successful.

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In Conclusion

Becoming an entrepreneur can be exciting and is definitely something to celebrate. However, it comes with its own set of challenges that a lot of first time entrepreneurs are not prepared for. When starting your small business, make sure you avoid these common mistakes. This way, you can ensure that it is successful.

Tags: business, entrepreneur, small business
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Deven McCray

Deven McCray

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