Having a great idea is instrumental for the success of a startup. While plenty of entrepreneurs agree with this statement, startups with great ideas have failed miserably before. But why is that? Many are quick to speculate on the fact that mistakes ruin businesses.

And whereas many do pin it on having a great business idea, making crucial mistakes will inevitably run your startup to the ground.

So for all of you newbie entrepreneurs out there, this article is for you. When the time to start your very own business comes, here are the 5 mistakes to avoid making. With all that said, let’s jump right into it.

Neglecting the Three “Plans”

Business magazines oftentimes pick the brains of successful entrepreneurs. What these magazines are interested in is finding out the key to starting a successful business. While everyone is probably aware that a successful startup requires plenty of planning, not many are aware of just how much.

Successful business owners point out that for a startup to succeed, it needs to focus on the three “plans” rule. Neglecting this will ultimately result in unplanned steps that could ruin startups. The three so-called plans are your business plan, financial plan, and marketing plan.

All three put the infrastructure in place for a startup to successfully launch with a sense of direction. Without it, startups would constantly hit all sorts of roadblocks. From failing to secure funding to not having a viable product, neglecting the three “plans” rule is a mistake to avoid making.

Thinking Blindly

Everyone looks for the formula for success. Everyone wants to be their own boss and launch a successful business that will bring them incredible financial wealth. But it’s safe to say that not everyone is meant to be a business owner. While capitalism does allow it, launching a successful business is one of the most difficult tasks in life.

If it would have been that easy, everyone would have a successful business. And the problems and reasons why many startups fail are because they don’t think logically but take advice at face value. If you’ve heard from a successful business owner that they’ve used “X” to launch their startup, that doesn’t mean it will work for you.

The startup industry is massive and what works for some will not work for others. Thus, a huge mistake to avoid making is thinking blindly. If you don’t gather enough information, don’t do your research, and simply blindly follow advice, chances are you’ll go bust very fast.

Brushing Off the Competition

You might feel as if your product is vastly superior to your competitors. But in truth, being overconfident can be your downfall.

If you’ve read books on how to start a business, the section about the competition will eventually come. And plenty of these books tell you not to worry too much about your competitors at first. While this is certainly true, as you need to focus on your own thing, simply ignoring or brushing off the competition is a mistake to avoid.

When it comes to being a new player in an industry, there are pros and cons to it. The cons are that there are established players on the scene. The pros are that you can analyze your competitors and come up with a better product. Every business has its strengths and weaknesses. No doubt someone else will analyze yours. But you’ll need to turn your competitor’s weaknesses into your strengths. Simply thinking that your product is better will not work if you don’t make it better.

Not Putting Enough Into Marketing

Marketing is king when it comes to successfully starting your business. But sadly, the advertisement costs are enough to put this one way down on the list of priorities for many entrepreneurs. However, the truth is that no business will survive without customers. And the only way to get new customers is by advertising your business.

Considering that the internet exists, there are plenty of ways to cheaply advertise your startup if your marketing budget is low. From social media to Google ads, perhaps shifting the budget more towards marketing gives you a better chance of successfully launching.

Working With the Wrong People

Plenty of startups make the mistake of working with the wrong people. Unfortunately, few signs tell us how poor a business associate, partner, employee, or investor is. Simply said, this is one of the hardest to predict mistakes out there. But the sad reality is that this mistake can ruin your startup from the very beginning. From poor investors that only look to take as much as they want to hiring bad employees, there is no telling how much damage working with the wrong people can do to your startup.

FinishingThoughts

Anyone can make mistakes. As a startup, it is your goal to prevent them as much as you can. Otherwise, you are risking the future of your startup and everything that you’ve put into it. Luckily for you, the internet is there to offer help and better prepare you for the road ahead. And we hope that our list of 5 mistakes to avoid making will help you do just that.