If you want to start your own business, then you need to avoid these mistakes. If you don’t then you may find that you end up running your company into the ground before things have had chance to take off.
Rushing Onboarding
One major mistake that people make is that they rush the onboarding process. In the early days, you may be tempted to wear all of the hats, and do more than you should. When funding comes in, you might be relieved and take on as many staff members as you can. This is a major mistake because there are so many things to consider when building a team. You need to think about the cultural fit of each member, their skill level, willingness to learn and whether they are introverted/extroverted. In the start-up world, it’s not uncommon for new hires to start on day one without a plan at all. Sometimes they don’t even have a desk. This is the last thing you want to happen. If you want to work around this then spend some time creating an onboarding checklist, and include the names of the people who can help them to settle in. The sooner you can equip them with the tools they need, the faster they’ll be productive.
Acting without Planning
One of the great things about running a start-up is that you aren’t usually stalled by red tape, in the same way big businesses are. That being said, it’s helpful to set some guidelines. Do some competitive research and find out who you are going up against. Create a business plan and also come up with a marketing plan. These are critical components which you shouldn’t overlook. Your money and your reputation are on the line, so the more you can do to get ahead, the better. It’s also important for you to plan out what renovations you need to do, now. This could include kitting out your offices, getting the internet set up and even parking lot striping.
Operating without a Style Guide
You might think that you know who you are, but have you taken the time to put your thoughts down on paper? What is it that you care about? What are your values? How are you going to speak to your customers? If you can give thought to things like this then it’ll help out every single member of your team. Establish your brand and make sure that you are clear about what you offer. If you don’t have a clear and direct message then this will make it much more difficult for you to communicate with your customers and it may even give a mixed message. This is the last thing you need and it’s all avoidable too. Of course, your team needs to be clear as to what your message is too. If they aren’t then everyone will be operating on a different wavelength rather than as one uniform brand, so make sure that you keep this in mind if you can.
