Having an entrepreneurial spirit is not only ambitious, but also very admirable. You have the drive, ideas are flowing, a number of people believe in your seed of a company, but how do you grow and thrive as a small business in today’s economy?
There may not be a sure guaranteed way to reach success, we offer five destructive ways a business may fail according to Pedro Hernandez at Small Business Computing:
- Do not get distracted. Feel like you are coming up with new ideas every day for your business? Believe it or not, this can be a liability if you do not have the ability to remain focused. Too many ideas floating around – even really great ones – can prevent you from obtaining your goals. You will be better off choosing the top three most important priorities and directing focus solely on those three for the next year.
- Do not scare off possible investors. While you may want to protect your business idea and intellectual property it needs, make sure you do not scare off the people whose help you seek and need. Discussing your startup with others gives you more insight into where problems might arise, what does and does not resonate with people, and the strategies you can implement to get your company started.
- Do not rely on technology alone! Many startup companies today depend a great deal on technology, which is a good start for communicating and promoting your ideas initially, but building a strong, successful business also depends on human interaction. Definitely take advantage of various social media technologies, but use them supplementary to engage with your clients face-to-face or by telephone; it creates a more personable experience and trusting relationship. Human social skills are extremely valuable!
- Don’t ignore the Cloud technology. Cloud technology is extremely beneficial for the small business entrepreneur. Rather than invest money on servers, storage, networking, and software, invest in the ever so budget friendly Cloud. All your costs, such as upgrades, maintenance, and security are included in a monthly subscription fee.
- Don’t quit once you see true success. When your business is running smoothly and you see your first glimpse of success as money flows into your accounts – not just out – you may be tempted to sit back and slack a bit, but do not settle! It is commonly known that no matter what you do, there is always an aspect or detail you can improve upon.