{"id":698,"date":"2016-02-24T16:25:22","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T21:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/watt-media.com\/blog\/?p=698"},"modified":"2025-01-24T03:26:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T08:26:00","slug":"top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1575 size-medium alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36-300x212.jpg\" alt=\"Business Mistakes\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Starting a business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process. It\u2019s normal to make a few mistakes along the way. Sometimes these mistakes can help you improve, or teach you lessons that prevent you from making larger mistakes down the road. Other times, business owners make mistakes that could cripple their business, or at the very least make a mess that takes a lot of work and time to clean up.<\/p>\n<p>To help you avoid common small business mishaps, we\u2019ve put together a list of the top 5 most common and detrimental mistakes small business owners make.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>1. No Clear Direction<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A common mistake new business owners make is failing to define a clear vision for their business. Many think that being a \u201cjack-of-all-trades\u201d expands their client base, giving them a greater chance at success. While sometimes it\u2019s great to offer related or comprehensive services, other times it\u2019s best to stick to a narrow specialty and perfect that area. Create a mission statement for your business that lets others know exactly what you do and why you\u2019re passionate about it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. You\u2019re a One Man Show<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When starting a business, you most likely have a very tight budget. To save money, you might think it\u2019s best if you try to handle all the operations of the business yourself. Sole proprietors can be very successful, but if you want your business to grow you will have to hire employees eventually. Hiring new people also brings fresh, sometimes better perspectives and skills that you wouldn\u2019t have otherwise \u2013 that is if you hire the right people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. Hiring The Wrong People<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finding the right people to work for you can be very challenging. If you hire the wrong people, you waste time, money, and energy, and potentially harm the reputation of your business. When looking for employees, it\u2019s important to create very detailed job descriptions and thoroughly interview each candidate to make sure he or she is a good match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. No Clear Budget<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a business owner, you need a clear operating budget to help you plan your goals and decide how you are going to fund them. Some businesses are successful without ever creating a detailed budget, but it\u2019s a risk \u2013 one that can easily be avoided. It\u2019s also a good idea to create a plan for raising funds rather than using your own money to entirely fund your start-up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5. You Don\u2019t Watch The Market<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though you might be up-to-date on the latest trends, needs, and customer base for your industry, these kinds of things can change \u2013 and quickly. Failing to stay on top of the needs of your clients and watching your competitors will catch up to you eventually as trends, economics, and technologies evolve.<\/p>\n<p>Starting a new business can be overwhelming, and it\u2019s easy to make mistakes in the hustle of it all. Take some time to research your industry, including what worked and what didn\u2019t for the pro\u2019s in your field. Sometimes finding a mentor can also be very valuable. In any case, awareness and preparation are fundamental for the success of your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting a business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process. It\u2019s normal to make a few mistakes along the way. Sometimes these mistakes can help you improve, or teach you lessons that prevent you from making larger mistakes down the road. Other times, business owners make mistakes that could cripple [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-small-business-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Watt Media Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"452\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amir Watynski\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amir Watynski\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Amir Watynski\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8a93fffcbf09cb7ac7aef9a63345016f\"},\"headline\":\"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":540,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/36-300x212.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"small business tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/\",\"name\":\"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/36-300x212.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/36.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2016\\\/02\\\/36.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":452,\"caption\":\"Business Mistakes\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Watt Media Blog\",\"description\":\"Web Design, SEO, Social Media, &amp; Telephone On-Hold Messages\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Watt Media\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/wm-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/wm-logo.jpg\",\"width\":151,\"height\":60,\"caption\":\"Watt Media\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/wattmedia.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8a93fffcbf09cb7ac7aef9a63345016f\",\"name\":\"Amir Watynski\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amir Watynski\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid","description":"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid","og_description":"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.","og_url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","og_site_name":"Watt Media Blog","article_published_time":"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":452,"url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Amir Watynski","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amir Watynski","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/"},"author":{"name":"Amir Watynski","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a93fffcbf09cb7ac7aef9a63345016f"},"headline":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid","datePublished":"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/"},"wordCount":540,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36-300x212.jpg","articleSection":["small business tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/","name":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36-300x212.jpg","datePublished":"2016-02-24T21:25:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-24T08:26:00+00:00","description":"Starting a small business takes a lot of work and is often a huge learning process, and many people often make mistakes. Here are some tips to avoid mistakes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/36.jpg","width":640,"height":452,"caption":"Business Mistakes"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/top-5-most-common-small-business-mistakes-you-can-avoid\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Top 5 Most Common Small Business Mistakes You Can Avoid"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/","name":"Watt Media Blog","description":"Web Design, SEO, Social Media, &amp; Telephone On-Hold Messages","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Watt Media","url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/wm-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/wm-logo.jpg","width":151,"height":60,"caption":"Watt Media"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8a93fffcbf09cb7ac7aef9a63345016f","name":"Amir Watynski","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d454dd68d6e984427c2e096703d197aa3ba70088f550aba619197f24ed0bd91a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amir Watynski"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1576,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions\/1576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wattmedia.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}