Every week I talk with entrepreneurs. We talk about what’s working and what isn’t. We talk about successes and failures. I spend time with both complete newbies and seasoned veterans, and everything in between.
I have a pretty fantastic job.
One topic that comes up over and over again with both groups is mistakes made in starting businesses.
I was recently at a conference in Portland with 3,000 ambitious people, and dozens of conversations with both new and experienced entrepreneurs centered on common mistakes.
“What do you wish you had done differently?” “What mistakes do people make starting out?” “I wish I hadn’t…”
This guide explores the top 10 mistakes gleaned from these conversations…
We also include quotes about the mistakes from some of our favorite minds in business. Grab a cup of cofee and pull out a notebook because at the end I’ll include some ideas and links for next steps. Enjoy!
Here we go…
#1 Waiting too long to launch a product or service
When you start blogging or podcasting to build an audience, it’s easy to get stuck on the content “hamster wheel” for months or years without ever having something for sale.
There are a few reasons this happens.
Some people are waiting for some magic audience size “1,000 subscribers” or maybe “10,000 visitors” or whatever your number might be.
Some people just can’t find the time to blog or podcast or make videos AND to build a product at the same time. It’s tough.
Some people simply talk themselves out of creating a product because they’re afraid no one will buy it. They don’t want to fail a er putting in so much time creating content.
Whatever the reason, this is a fatal trap. If you’re building a business, you need to address the biggest risk head-on. The biggest risk you’ll face as a business is in creating something no one will pay for.
Plus, you need practice at building and launching products. Your first one might not be all that good. The sooner you put something out there, the closer you get to sustainable revenue.
#2 Solving an unimportant problem
If the problem your business solves is important enough, you won’t have to look hard for customers.
Imagine, for example, if you had a cure for cancer.
Businesses fail all the time because they try to solve a problem nobody really cares about.
If you put your product or idea out there and nobody buys it, there’s a good chance you should look for a more important problem, not a bigger audience.
#3 Not listening to customers
How do you know if the problem you solve is important enough?
Listen to your customers. Really listen to them.
Don’t just listen to the customers who provide validation. Listen to the ones who ask for refunds or buy your product but don’t use it. Listen to the people who tell you they won’t buy, and find out why.
Don’t just pay lip service to your customers. You don’t have all the answers, they do. There’s a reason why “the customer is always right,” because without customers you don’t have a business.
#4 Not being different enough
In most markets, customers have different options to choose from. If your business has competition, you have to give your potential customers a reason to choose your offer over another.
I see this all the time with new bloggers. They jump into a popular topic and essentially mimic or copy what other popular bloggers are already doing. I suppose they think “if it works for them, maybe it will work for me.”
But think about it from the reader or customer perspective. If they find your blog, they’ll be asking themselves “why is this site worth spending any time on?” You have to answer that question quickly and clearly, before they click the back button.
You can’t expect to grow an audience by being an inferior version of some other better known site. Even if your site or product is arguably better than the competition, “better” is subjective.
Instead of simply trying to be better, you need to be different. Then, when someone asks why your site or product is worth her attention, your answer will be objective and easy to understand.
#5 Choosing a topic you don’t care about
Whatever you choose to focus your business on, you’re going to need deep subject knowledge, fresh creativity, and unwavering stamina.
There will be competition who cares more about the topic than you do. How can you compete if the gap between your love of a topic and your competitors’ is wide?
This doesn’t mean your business has to be your #1 “passion” or life’s work (most of us don’t have one single passion in life), but don’t make things impossible by choosing something you don’t care about.
If you love your topic, stamina won’t be an issue. If you love your topic, creativity will allow, and influence will be easier to build.
#6 Starting with vastly wrong expectations
This won’t be easy, and it won’t be quick.
Building a successful business is a massive undertaking. You probably can’t do it while traveling the world. If you have a full-time job, it will be much, much harder.
If your plan involves four-hour workweeks, or if your timeline is measured in weeks or months, you will probably fail.
These are the hard truths that people rarely talk about. Overnight successes don’t exist. Your original plan will probably have to be completely re- written, maybe multiple times.
Ask yourself: will building this business still be worth it if it takes years to get there? What if building the business is harder and more stressful than your current job?
Talk to some entrepreneurs who have achieved something close to what you want to achieve. Ask them what it really took. Ask them about stress and timelines and giving up. Ask them not to sugarcoat it. Really listen. Then ask yourself if you’re prepared for your own version of that.
#7 Too much thinking, not enough doing
“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
Not much to say here that isn’t perfectly summed up in that quote from Thomas Edison.
If your ratio of thinking-to-doing is anything less than 80% doing, think again. Do more.
As Chase likes to say, entrepreneurs have two modes, CEO mode and worker-bee mode. In a one-person business, you have to be both.
Comfortably transitioning between these two modes is key to making steady progress on your business week a er week.
#8 Going it alone
The only reason my business exists today is because other entrepreneur friends wouldn’t let me quit. Seriously, I tried to throw in the towel and start over with something else, but they wouldn’t let me. They talked me out of it.
No one can succeed in business alone. You need people to make it work. Your customers are people, your suppliers are people, your service providers are people.
Most importantly, you need support from other entrepreneurs who are at similar stages as you are, and from others with more experience.
The more connected you become with other entrepreneurs, the more normal your quest becomes. You’ll no longer feel crazy or alone, and you’ll realize that we all face obstacles just like you’re facing.
The entrepreneurs who talked me out of quitting were part of a little group that met weekly to hold each other accountable. It didn’t cost any of us a thing, other than an hour of our time each week, but it turned out to be the most valuable resource I ever used in my business.
Reach out to another entrepreneur or two, and ask them to meet weekly. Share your struggles and goals, and review your progress each week. This simple process is so powerful.
#9 Confusing a blog with a business
Repeat a er me: a blog isn’t a business. A blog isn’t a business.
A blog is an incredible platform for sharing your ideas, connecting with people and growing an audience. The same is true of podcasting, YouTubing, or any other place you might publish content for free.
Giving away free content isn’t a business. It’s a tool for building influence. Don’t count on turning that influence into sponsorships or advertising dollars. You’ll need a more direct plan for earning an income if you want your blog or podcast to pay o .
See mistake #1 in this book about launching a product/service
#10 Not starting at all
This is perhaps the biggest mistake of all. Don’t be that friend who talks and talks about starting a business for years and never does anything thing about it.
It’s easy to get so worried about all the possible mistakes that you never get started at all. But that’s the only way to guarantee failure.
Starting a business isn’t a sure thing — it takes guts and intelligence and heart and hustle — but you will get better over time ONLY if you start.
The best way to ensure you’ll succeed is simply this: don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are part of the process. So dive in, get started and find a community to support you… because you are not alone.
# 11 Only Having An “Introductory”Priced Offer
If you only have a low end priced product, like a $27/$47/$97 or even $497. You are not going to be able to “make it” long term with your advertising. In order for you to “play the long” game. You will need to have “High Ticket” offers. Meaning you are set up to earn thousands in commissions, from just one sale.
#12 Not Building A Mailing List
Have you ever heard the term “the fortune is in the follow up?”. Online it couldn't be more true. To see an example of a high converting capture page to build your mailing. Click here.
#13 Getting Into Paid Advertising With The Wrong Mindset
In a nutshell. The key to a long lasting sustainable business online. Is being able to turn $1 into $2 or more. How you do this? Paid Advertising and Conversions. The thing is. We see 9 out of 10 new business owners going into paid advertising with the losing mindset of “The Lump Sum” method. Meaning they have a limited “one time” budget expecting success. The truth is, it takes months in one method to master the conversions. So you must be able to invest in that one marketing strategy over and over again, until it's mastered.
If you would like to learn more on how you can successfully have a profitable business up and running in 28 days. Simply follow the link here and check out this brand new video revealing our $160 Million Dollar Method
Toby Black
Fun Loving Parents Who've Made It Our Mission To Assist More Parents To Stay Home With Their Kids... Decide.Act. Believe.
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I Love this blog post on The Top 13 Rookie Mistakes…Especially the one one solving
your potential clients problems…Thanks my friend.
let’s see…there are sooo many good points in here…not sure which one to address first! Not starting….good one. people don’t start because they are afraid of failing so they just don’t start. Trying to do it alone…often times, the people that live with us don’t understand, therefore, we need to be friends with people and supported by others in our industry. Lastly, I am AMAZED at how many people think that if they have a blog and write and write that things will just amazingly happen…trouble is, all too often, they FORGET to focus on PROMOTING it.
So many wonderful topics in this blog post. I am becoming both CEO and worker bee, I am engaging with my list, I am willing to invest in my marketing over and over again. I do not have to do this alone either, I am apart of a powerful team that strives for nothing but success, I totally enjoyed this engaging post. Thank you for your genius.
Yikes! I made several of these mistakes when I was starting out! This is an awesome post for people just starting out, or for anyone without the right mentors.
Something worth reading more than once, I did. Thanks for sharing such important information Toby, great value here as always.
I like it
Thank you for all of these timely tips. #9 was especially on point for me. Looking forward to more great posts from you!
Businesses fail all the time because they try to solve a problem nobody really cares about. That’s why it’s so important to know the needs of your target market. Great article!
great lineup of mistakes there, we’ve all done some or all of those! Thank you!
I have learn a lot reading this. This has given me a great mindset on the mistakes that I can make as an rookie. Like with the advertising I know I need to advertise and me thinking that I can just set an amount and not have to upgrade is silly because I can’t grow without expanding my advertising budget.
I’ve been so guilty of #7 and have dabbled in a few others as well. This is a great article, but in a way it’s refreshing to know that I’m not the only one making mistakes. Thanks Toby. You are a real asset to our team and are the most unselfish, shoot from the hip guy I know.
Let’s see…
Which of the 13 rookie mistakes have I made along the way…
Oh yeah, all of them lol. I wish I would have had someone like Toby to share this stuff with me when I first started out.Some of the things in here might seem kind of obvious, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
Great post Toby! I’m sharing with everyone I can find who has that rookie look in their eye! 🙂