companies house made easy

We all make mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with admitting that. It’s a way of learning stuff when you don’t already know the answers. You can also try and learn stuff by listening to others who have already made mistakes.

Sue's jacket potato stand is open for business

Here’s my list of the most common small business mistakes I make and see others make:

1. Pretending to be “big”
   Definitely my number 1 pet hate. I’ve done it, and I bet you have too. The problem with pretending to be big, is that you can’t embrace who or what you are. There’s nothing wrong with being a small business. People don’t mind dealing with small businesses. Some even prefer it. No more pictures of skyscrapers on your websites please.
2. Micro Analysis
   Mon: “We got 2 hot leads today, let’s start recruiting.”
   Tue: “No leads today, let’s think about firing people.”
   Wed: “3 leads today, screw it I’m going to order that conservatory.”
   Thu: “Somebody just cancelled; I’m going to hang myself.”
   You get the idea anyway. Micro Analysis is not good for the fingernails or the heart.
3. “Working in the business, not working on the business”
   Yes it’s a stinky cliché, but incredibly meaningful.
   Working in the business pays the mortgage.
   Working on the business pays off the mortgage.
   Working in the business is easy because you feel productive, useful and like you’ve done a days work.
   Working on the business is hard because results can take a long time to come. You can easily end up feeling lazy, useless and stupid because you didn’t make anything today.
4. Being lazy with recruitment
   It takes time and effort and a bit of money to find the right people, however basic the job role. The right people will make your business a success; the wrong people will drag you under. It’s that simple. Get some help, get some advice, it’s one of the best ways to spend your precious start-up pennies. I eventually discovered this because my wife works in HR, and one day I decided to listen.
5. Listening to the negative voices
   Anybody can criticise. It’s easy. We can criticise social workers, MP’s, professional athletes, Aid organisations; in fact all people who do incredibly difficult jobs and get things wrong sometimes. Not everybody will agree with your business model, initiative, marketing plan, etc. Creative thinking is difficult. Criticising creative thinking is easy, and makes you sound disproportionately credible. Don’t let them (you probably know who they are) drag you down (unless it really is a truly cr*p idea!).

So those are my 5. What are the biggest mistakes that you have made, or you see others making?