10 fatal mistakes starting a business on the Internet. Top 10 mistakes entrepreneurs make

More than 50% of businesses fail in the first five years. And I am sure that the main enemy of the entrepreneur is himself. Despite the fact that business owners have a huge motivation and desire to make a great product, entrepreneurs often make mistakes that could have been avoided.

Today we will look at 30 mistakes that entrepreneurs make and that destroy their business. Go!

They do not spend time on fundamental tasks

Have you heard the stories when people spend great amount money to create a site that is not popular? There are plenty of such stories. And they arise when the entrepreneur did not take care in time to identify a potential buyer, create the right content and make the site user-friendly.

Fundamental tasks cannot be skipped.

They expect fast results with little effort.

It is in human nature to hope for quick success. However, it doesn't exist. You have a long way to go, many tasks to complete before you achieve impressive success.

They don't think long term

To succeed, you must not be distracted by trifles, but focus on the goal and follow the direction towards it. Don't clutter up your time with unnecessary tasks that lead you astray.

Lack of a mobile version of the site

If the site looks bad on mobile device, then he immediately scares off the audience. Nowadays, all sites should be optimized for mobile devices and look great on iPhone, iPad and any other gadget.

They believe that if they like something, they can successfully sell it.

A business needs a manager, a salesperson, and someone who will provide services or produce goods. The "Do what you love" mindset isn't always a winner. If a person enjoys working on web design, this does not mean that he will make a good studio director.

They don't have support

They don't keep track of time

Without basic time management skills, it is impossible to build a successful business. Therefore, every entrepreneur needs to learn how to properly allocate their time and effort.

They are too focused on competitors

If an entrepreneur sees business only in the form of his own victory, which means the defeat of competitors, then this does not lead to anything good. Such behavior always causes unnecessary stress.

They don't know their audience

To succeed, you need to find your niche and become the best in it. Don't try to work for everyone. Identify your ideal customer and serve them the best.

They don't ask the right questions

Success-minded people are focused on the new experiences that can be gained from any situation. And they are constantly asking questions that help open up new possibilities.

They don't test their hypotheses

Before you run New Product and build a business, you need to test your hypothesis. Analyze the market, talk to potential buyers and find out how interested they are in your product or service. Otherwise it will be too late.

They don't know how to style content

Buyers like a clear structure - readers pay attention to listings and highlights. Make sure your note is easy to read.

They think traffic will get them customers.

Some bloggers dream of increasing traffic to their resource, but questions immediately arise: Why? What for? How will this help your business?

A large number of visitors does not guarantee big sales. Therefore, before taking care of traffic, you should take care of your product and mechanics, with which it will be comfortable for the visitor to get to know him better and purchase your product or service.

They are too focused on tools

Have you seen articles about the release of a new WordPress plugin or the emergence of a social platform that will change the world? How do you usually react to them? Don't drop everything and dive into learning new tools. Focus on current goals.

They waste energy

Successful entrepreneurs put their actions through a test called “So what?”. For example:

This month we have 1000 new followers on Facebook

Indeed, without the collection of email addresses or active purchases, this indicator almost does not matter. Don't waste your time and energy. Focus on what matters.

They avoid criticism

Successful business people know that the only way avoid criticism - do nothing, do not compete with anyone and be invisible. Fear should not be caused by criticism, but by the possibility of going unnoticed.

They are waiting for permission

Nowadays, each of us has the opportunity to learn something new, start businesses and earn money. And you don't have to wait for permission to do it!

They mishandle money

Successful entrepreneurs know that investing in growing their business is the right move. At the same time, they don't waste money in vain. Try to approach spending more consciously.

They think they don't have to study

Most successful entrepreneurs These are those who are constantly in search of new knowledge. Therefore, always pay attention to new courses, communicate with more experienced people and enjoy learning in any form.

They focus on popularity metrics

The number of followers on Twitter will not help you pay off a loan or employee salaries. Focus on the metrics that really matter.

They think tactics are more important than convictions

If you have thought of a strategy, but you are worried that something will go wrong, then it will happen. Whatever the strategy, your beliefs play an important role in business.

They don't care about the human factor

Business is people. Salesmen, accountants, assistants, buyers. Each link must perform its function correctly so that everyone is satisfied and the business continues to develop.

They view networking as a sport

Successful entrepreneurs know that networking is about building relationships, not just finding useful contacts. Having your business card other people will not be successful.

They talk a lot on social media and don't pay attention to real customers.

Social media is a powerful tool. However, first of all, you must take care of your real customers.

They don't mark what works and what doesn't work.

Successful entrepreneurs know where they spend their time and energy and what they get in return. That is why you should carefully monitor the metrics and note what is good for your business, and what is better to refuse.

They don't follow their own path

New opportunities are constantly coming to entrepreneurs. Some of them lead to something good, others can destroy your business. Before making a decision, always ask yourself the question: “Does this fit in with my original plan?”

They listen to the wrong people

Now there are a huge number of "experts" who are ready to do anything to help your business. For a fee. And these people do not always know how to behave correctly in a given situation, deal with the crisis and increase the company's performance. Therefore, before asking for help from an outside expert, make sure that he has experience and really understands your topic.

They avoid email marketing

How many amazing sites have you seen, but then could not remember? This happens quite often. That is why in order to build successful business you need to periodically remind potential customers about yourself. And the best way to do this is by email.

Start collecting addresses as early as possible Email to remind potential customers of yourself.

They quickly recruit a team and rarely fire

Everyone got into a situation where they saw a person and believed that he would fit perfectly into the team. And then they were disappointed. In this case, it is necessary to get rid of such an employee as soon as possible. And next time, be more careful about the process of recruiting a team.

They ignore articles like this.

Don't let these mistakes show up in your entrepreneurial life. Invest in yourself and your business, develop and become better.

So, let's start with mistakes, and then move on to how novice entrepreneurs can avoid them and bring their project to a financial result...

Greetings to all readers of our blog, Alexander and Vitaly are in touch!

In this article, we will tell you about the mistakes of novice entrepreneurs who ruined the biggest and most promising ideas of great enthusiasts.

Summarizing your entrepreneurial experience and the experience of our friends, we understood what needs to be done, and what is categorically contraindicated for novice entrepreneurs.

And now we will tell you about all this!

When beginners ask themselves the question “How to start a business”, immediately the mess begins in their heads. What to do first? Register? ? Take a loan? Find partners, clients, office? Let's talk about everything in order.

Your main task at the start stage is not to earn a million, but to stay with “their own”.

Consider the typical mistakes of novice entrepreneurs.

Mistake #1. Starting your own business with a big financial investment

We believe that this is one of the worst mistakes. Look, friends ... All undertakings when you immediately borrow a lot of money (if you do not have start-up capital), rent an office, give expensive advertising, recruit staff - these are all unnecessary costs at the start-up stage, just believe me!

World statistics says that during the first year 90% of start-up entrepreneurs go bankrupt. This, including those projects that are not even a few months old. The following year, another 50 percent of the "survivors" go bankrupt. Only 3-5 out of 100 live up to 5 years of existence!

About the need and effectiveness of large initial investments, read our article “How to open a business without investments? ". Just ask yourself: “What happens if I lose my investment?”. Okay, if you have your own, and if you also have borrowed them and interest is “dripping” on them, this is very scary! Perhaps then you will be more careful about investing each ruble.

Many people, when opening their own business, immediately begin to calculate how much they will earn in a month, a year, etc. And for some reason, a minority thinks differently, namely: "How much can I lose in a month, a year ...?" And statistics is an exact science… Dear readers, we don’t scare you at all, we just want to warn you against the mistakes that you yourself have gone through and have seen such situations more than once.

We recently conducted a survey among our friends and acquaintances who are not entrepreneurs and have never been in business. They only asked two questions:

1. How would you start your business?
2. Is it possible to start a business without start-up capital or with its minimum availability (up to a thousand dollars)?

We will not give all the answers, but simply summarize them thesis:

• I would buy such a product in bulk and start selling it at retail;
• would make such and such a product at home and sell it;
• I would register a company, then buy a product and advertise;
• rent an office, find wholesale suppliers and began to sell goods;
• would take off outlet(square), hung up expensive glowing advertisements (in order to attract more attention), hired staff, bought commercial equipment and began to sell computer components.

Let me remind you once again that these were people who had never been engaged in business.

Friends, remember! It is very important!

All entrepreneurial projects that begin with the approach: “where to buy?”, “whom to borrow money from?”, “what to invest in?” (office, furniture, warehouse, counters, cash register, goods), “whom to hire?” etc. most of the time it ends badly. Such businesses usually don't make it past their first anniversary.

So how do you start your own business then? most people ask. And here we fully agree with what he says about this. Vladimir Dovgan- famous Russian entrepreneur, success coach:

“Think about what you have that you can give people so that they pay you money for it? What is your talent, what is your skill, experience, what is your skill, knowledge, and so on?”

Vladimir Dovgan

How to start a business the right way.

When you start - focus on effective marketing - analyze the market, try to understand the needs of your environment. Constantly ask yourself the question: “What do my friends, acquaintances or relatives lack? What product, service, skill can I offer them, what need can I satisfy?

Next tip: When you're working on the marketing part of your project, plan and think in writing! This will help you structure your ideas logically. Make a plan for the day and try to follow it as closely as possible without distractions.

We assure you that if you follow these tips, your chances of success will increase dramatically.

Mistake #2. "Where is more money?" or spontaneous choice of business direction

Let me explain with an example: “The neighbor keeps a car service, he succeeds, but why am I worse?” And you begin to copy the scheme of his business, consulting with him.

And it seems that you do everything like him - rented a good place, hired a couple of car mechanics, bought consumables and equipment. Then they advertised. And now several months have passed, and there is still no result and no. Your business is running best case to "zero", barely beating the periodic costs of its maintenance.

What is the reason? It turns out that your neighbor, before starting his own business, worked for 4 years as a mechanic in a car service, and, accordingly, has good experience as a specialist. It also turns out that this is interesting to him and corresponds to his abilities. And most importantly, he himself is directly involved in car repairs at his service and therefore earns the bulk of the money from his activities. You have most of the profit goes to salaries of employees.

Here our favorite example about the great chemist D.I. Mendeleev about his discovery of the periodic system. Many say that they say, well done, he came up with his periodic table of chemical elements in one night, and there are even people who say that he was lucky.

Guys, and at the same time, no one forgot to mention that he had been doing chemistry for years before this night?

Remember: the quantity at a certain stage always turns into quality!

Returning to a neighbor with a car service and drawing a parallel with Mendeleev, one can say for sure that a business should not be started spontaneously, but consciously, before that, having comprehended and analyzed everything.

Mistake #3. Trying to do everything alone, quickly and globally or an idea is not everything

Even if you have an amazing idea, a lot of enthusiasm and some resources, do not immediately take on global projects in the hope of earning a million rubles or dollars in a month. Imagine you are a beginner weightlifter and already at the first lesson you want to lift a barbell of 150 kg. What will happen in this case? Yes, you just overstrain and lose all interest in this sport. So it is in business.

Take a look around, have a few meetings with familiar business people who already have a positive experience in doing business. entrepreneurial activity. Chat with them. At this stage, it often happens that you are afraid that your idea will be stolen by acquaintances. Believe me, your idea is not at all interesting to most people from your environment. The idea is not everything. Each person gives birth to a great many of them every day. An idea is only valuable when it is put into practice. And it is very difficult to do, believe me!

There is a wonderful expression:

"Quickly only cats will be born"

And business is not just much more difficult, but also not as fast as many people think. This is why only a few people out of a hundred succeed in becoming successful entrepreneurs.

Who owns the information, owns the world!

Everyone knows this famous expression, but not everyone knows how to use it.

And this means that you need to fully know what the scope of the intended activity is. Read a couple of dozen books on it, watch video courses and seminars, go to trainings and master classes practitioners who already have sufficient experience in this business. And if necessary, get a job in the company of potential competitors as an employee and see this business from the inside. All these steps will greatly increase your chances of success when starting your own business.

Mistake #4. Irresponsible attitude towards business

Successful entrepreneurs keep saying that starting a business and keeping it in the early stages is much more difficult than managing it. big company with hundreds of workers and large volumes. Since, when opening your project, everything happens spontaneously for you - “the client refused to buy”, “they called from the tax office” - you urgently need to run there, suppliers let you down with deadlines, you need to pay bills, etc.

Many people think about how to open a business, but not everyone understands the responsibility it imposes on an entrepreneur ...

From all this, you have an “explosion of the brain”, a lot of stress appears, faith in yourself and your project disappears. You begin to take a break from current affairs, as you experience great emotional overload.

Friends, in this case, many entrepreneurs say that the business is “not going” and close it. If you find yourself in such a “tough” situation, on the one hand, you need to take a break, and on the other hand, work even harder so that the business does not go bankrupt.

In this case, take a short break. Take a walk, meditate, best go with good friends on nature. It can be a park or a forest, talk to them on positive topics. We strongly do not recommend in such cases to rest very violently - with alcohol, late events, etc. It will only take away strength.

After resting and returning to your project, try to delegate some of the non-core functions to your friends or acquaintances, and if you have financial resources, to specialists in this particular field.

For example: you want to spend advertising campaign of your project and start writing, printing ads yourself, posting them, publishing them on the Internet. This is not entirely correct, since in this case the most valuable resource - time will be irretrievably lost.

Money can be earned. Appreciate time - it is an irreplaceable resource!

Always try to keep the promises you make to people. In your case, these will be clients and partners. If you know for sure that you will not be able to keep your word, do not promise. Be responsible! This is the main quality of a true entrepreneur.

Mistake #5. Quit your business at the first difficulties and failures

Go through life with the motto:

"No one can say that I have lost, if I do not admit myself defeated!"

Business is a big challenge. Such a quality of a real entrepreneur as stress resistance is on a par with responsibility, enterprise and the ability to think outside the box. Although, we know from our experience, in most cases, stress resistance comes to the fore.

Individual entrepreneurship is an area in which the threat lies to a greater extent not in external factors, but in the entrepreneur himself, his mistakes. Novice businessmen often step on a rake that has already hit many others before them. Let's try to highlight the 10 most common mistakes that can be dangerous or even fatal for a small business.

And a little thing can make a big difference

Everyone makes mistakes. But in business, even small and apparently insignificant deviations can have serious consequences. Of course, it’s impossible to do business without mistakes, but it’s important to try to avoid the most common ones that many novice businessmen have. Do not act recklessly, they say, you will not insure yourself from everything. Indeed, the same wrong actions for one business will create a real threat, and in another they will go unnoticed. But if the entrepreneur does not strive to minimize his mistakes, they will grow like a snowball. Negligence in business dealings is unforgivable.

Everyone will have to learn from their mistakes, but in the beginning you can learn from others. To do this, it is worth studying the experience of predecessors and not repeating their failures. Anyone can make mistakes, the smart one will draw conclusions from them.

Rating of the most common mistakes of a novice entrepreneur

10th place

If a friend was suddenly

Partnerships are often a stumbling block for a novice businessman.

Start a business alone? It is difficult - as a rule, there are few funds, and the experience of like-minded friends is useful: who will support you in difficult times, keep you from a hasty decision, stand shoulder to shoulder? And then, will future contractors think that a lone founder suffers from a lack of trust, since no one supports him in his activities? In a word, this path is possible only for very narrowly focused market niches. Any development and advancement will require the sharing of powers. Sometimes the way out is in the family business.

Do business equally? It would seem that 50% shares are a fair decision, but this is only at first glance. Partners with equal rights will not always be able to agree on any sensitive issues, but they will arise sooner or later. It is important that someone has the legal right to the final vote, otherwise conflicts are inevitable and even, perhaps, a division of the business. And this is the end of the joint activity.

The way out is in such a distribution of shares that one participant has a “controlling stake” of at least 51%, which will provide the required point in controversial issues.

9th place

Do not treat formalities formally

Every business starts with papers. First, the activity must be registered, and already at this stage, many annoying blunders are often made that can greatly harm the business:

• constituent documentation "from the Internet", and not drawn up for a specific case with prescribed important nuances and controversial points;
• inconsistency of OKVED codes with real activities; everything you do must be noted in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, and new activity- be entered there in the prescribed manner, otherwise the counterparty may consider you unreliable;
• work without a license in the type of activity where it is required in accordance with Art. 12 of the Federal Law No. 99 of May 04, 2011, is unacceptable, this must be carefully monitored, especially changing the profile of work somewhat - it just might fall into the licensed area;
• careless storage of documents: lack of desired paper in a controversial situation can be fatal.

8th place

Ignorance of the law is no excuse

Most importantly, the Labor Code must be respected. Unformed or incorrectly formalized employees, personnel inconsistencies, norms for wages, the regime of work and rest, and other points that a labor inspector can catch are fraught with serious troubles: fines, suspension of activities, additional checks.

Many entrepreneurs “stumble” over advertising laws: sending promotional messages, incorrect comparisons with competitors, logos and trademarks similar to existing ones, signage - all this requires legal compliance, which will have to be studied or consulted with specialists.

7th place

Don't know right? You're wrong!

In any business, inspections and unwanted contacts are inevitable. A businessman who does not know his rights is practically doomed. All types of inspections should not go beyond the legislative framework, but often frightened and inexperienced entrepreneurs themselves provoke inspectors to violate their authority or allow them to do so. What premises and documentation can be shown, and which ones are optional? What information to give, and what you and your employees are not allowed to ask about? What are the inspectors authorized to do, and what is beyond their authority? The entrepreneur must know all this himself and instruct subordinates.

6th place

"Who do I work for? But for yourself!”

An entrepreneur cannot simply “do business” without caring about target audience and misrepresenting it. Even if he produces a quality product or performs a service, it means nothing if there is no one to buy it. You should study the target audience even before you think about starting your own business: these are the basics of marketing, without which the business is dead. Focus on the needs of this category of people by promoting your products.

An even more dangerous mistake is not enough to study the market in which you have to act: the ratio of supply and demand, prices for similar products, the presence of competitors, etc. These data are key in the organization of any business.

5th place

Do you have a plan?

This does not necessarily mean a real business plan required for lending or investing, but at least an approximate vision of the near future. What will you start with? What points should be taken into account? How much should be invested in it? How long will it take for a business to become self-sustaining? This is just an incomplete list of questions that must be answered before starting a business. Actions "at random" in business can be very costly.

4th place

Don't be overly trusting

You are an honest entrepreneur, but not all of your future partners have similar moral principles. Sometimes the goal of partners and organizations is deception, profit, sometimes you can be set up or let down, not even always on purpose. In business, you have to figure out who you're dealing with. It is better to check the possible unreliability of partners before concluding contracts with them, and not suddenly find out later along with unpleasant surprises in the form of disrupted deliveries, services not rendered, poor quality products, and also the refusal of the tax authorities to deduct VAT. There are plenty of services and other opportunities for due diligence today.

3rd place

Incorrect choice

This is the first danger that awaits a person who decides to start his own business. “What should I do?” he asks himself. Which activity he chooses will determine his future strategy. To reduce the risks of choice, an initial study of the market and the target audience is necessary (see paragraph 6).

It is also important to remember about competitors. Your product should be relevant to customers, but also unique in some way. Don't be afraid of competition: it is an incentive for development and insurance against dishonesty. If you choose a narrow sphere with no competitors at all, it means that few people simply need it.

Having chosen the type of activity, correctly enter its OKVED code when registering a business.

2nd place

Money, it's all about money!

There is never much money. But are they enough to start and run a business? If a future businessman does not know how and does not learn to count and distribute funds, he will not see profit.

Some people think that even a small business needs a lot of initial capital to start. But for many types of work, it is not necessary to rent an office, purchase equipment, or spend money on a beautiful sign and business cards. You can often get by with the bare minimum, gradually improving resources as profits come in. In a word, we need a primary plan (see paragraph 5).

Others, having received the first money, rejoice and strive to spend it on themselves, and not on business, taking it out of the business ahead of time, which does not have a financial “airbag” for unforeseen expenses. And they usually end up right here.

Finally, with all due respect to money, you can not do business solely for the sake of it. the main objective nevertheless, in bringing people a certain benefit in the form of a quality service or a product they need, for which they are ready to pay, otherwise it will turn out to be what is called the ugly word “pushing in”: such a business will not last long.

1st place

Rely on others, but don't make a mistake yourself

When creating his own business, a person expects that it will work for him, and strives to delegate as many powers as possible to third-party performers, sometimes not delving into the essence and content too much, demanding only results. Small business, especially at first, cannot work "on the machine", without the strong and active participation of its creator, no matter what the advertising of consulting services promises. At first, the business will require dedication, investment not only of funds, but also of its personal component. Otherwise, it will work for the one to whom you delegate this duty. Any brainchild in its youth needs a selfless parent.

But the second extreme is also dangerous - “Only I know how to do it!” In business, there are specific industries that require education and relevant experience, for example, legal support, accounting. You can’t do something that you don’t know how to do qualitatively, just by reading the instructions on the Web. In the same way, it is impossible to control everything and everyone.

SO! In 1st place in importance is an error that can be formulated as an incorrect distribution of responsibilities and priorities.

The most important thing is that if you make a mistake, do not give up, strive to correct it and not repeat it. The secret of the survival of any business lies in the perseverance of the entrepreneur: even if burned, he moves forward, gains experience and skills, and ultimately achieves success.

Every second person thinks about starting their own business employee, but a little more than 20% decide on real actions. Moreover, half of those who nevertheless started in business lose interest in own business when faced with the first difficulties. We have counted ten typical mistakes of novice entrepreneurs that prevent your dreams and ambitions from being realized.

Mistake One: Unjustified Expectations of Easy and Quick Success

It seems to many aspiring entrepreneurs that as soon as they start their business, everything should go like clockwork: sales will begin, suppliers will line up with tempting offers, all problems with government agencies will be resolved by an accountant or lawyer, and competitors will quietly disappear from the market. This is not at all the case, so a businessman must be prepared for difficulties and disappointments.

Practice shows that for some reason people are ready to make much more efforts to build a successful career in someone's business than to develop their business. Remember how much effort and time it took you to get your current position? Years of study at a university and additional courses, internships, learning the rules of working in a team and communicating with superiors, continuous development of professional skills, etc. Why own business seems like an easier task?

But instead of one boss, an entrepreneur will have at least ten: buyers, clients, government agencies, suppliers, landlords, etc. You will need to be able to interact with all these people and structures, understand their goals and needs, and fulfill your obligations. So running your own business is no easier than working for someone, although the difficulties in it will be of a different order than in a hired job.

Mistake #2: Not having a plan of action

Business is like a car, by itself it only rolls downhill. If you have no idea what exactly you should do and what the client or buyer will pay you for, then it’s too early to start real actions. Explore all available information related to your business: business plans, books and articles, franchisor offers, real cases, etc. If you have the opportunity to at least temporarily work in a company operating in the direction you have chosen or adjacent to it, then be sure to use it.

As a user, you can get our books on the development of various business areas: retail store, beauty saloon, wholesale, a cafe. Preparing to post a book on opening law firm and online store.

TO common mistakes business planning includes:

• lack of clear goals in the form of specific figures for sales and profits and the timing of their achievement;
• unclear distribution of areas of responsibility between partners or employees;
• understatement of estimated business expenses;
• too optimistic figures of expected incomes;
• choosing only one option for a business development strategy;
• lack of plan "B", if the original plan "A" for some reason cannot be implemented;
• underestimation of entrepreneurial risks and activities of competitors.

The other extreme is the desire to work out the plan to the smallest detail, in order to protect yourself from all possible difficulties. Unfortunately or fortunately, no one in business can guarantee you anything. You should become accustomed to working in unpredictable environments, but your competitors have to work in the same conditions. In addition, unpredictability is not always a bad thing, believe that life can present an entrepreneur with pleasant surprises.

Mistake three: misunderstanding your target audience

Another mistake novice entrepreneurs make is not understanding their target audience. There is a category of businessmen who want to do only what they like. For example, you are into slalom and want to open a mountain equipment store. But think about it - are there enough solvent buyers in your locality who are interested in such goods? Maybe you should open a sporting goods store with a much wider audience, and sell mountain equipment, since you really like it so much, to order?

Ask yourself these questions:

• Who are your customers and clients?
• What are their needs and income levels?
• How many customers and clients can you serve?
• Which average check ready to leave your buyer?
• How often does a consumer need a similar product or service?
• What is the saturation threshold in your niche?

Focus not on what you can sell or offer, but on what your consumer needs and is willing to pay for.

Mistake #4: Not Selling

Any business is sales. You will make a profit only after you can satisfy the needs of your customers or customers. But the benefits of your service or product must also be conveyed to the consumer. Think about what advertising channels you will use and what marketing techniques you will use. If you have opened a store in a popular mall or provide in-demand services, then advertising costs can be minimal. Nevertheless, it is necessary to think about how you will advance in the market.

Mistake five: inability to manage money

Experience shows that the easiest way to start a business is not to waste your own money, but someone else's investments or loans. If you have a solid start-up capital on hand, then there is a temptation to spend it "for the benefit of the cause." Some start-up entrepreneurs (although there are fewer of them every year) are too fond of business attributes: an office in a prestigious location, an expensive company car, a corporate website with an individual design, etc. As an excuse, the fact is given that such expenses are the formation of an image and reputation, without which there is nothing to do in a serious business. In fact, start-up capital should be spent on organizing the first sales, building a customer base, improving the quality of a product or service, establishing business relationships.

Experienced businessmen advise beginners to start with minimum capital or without it at all. Do not immediately aim at some grandiose projects. Try to get at least modest amounts from the provision of services to start with, or integrate into the chain of wholesale and retail sales as an agent. Nothing can replace your own experience in earning income on your own.

The mistakes of novice entrepreneurs in the management of finances are not limited to the inept spending of start-up capital. As soon as the first money from the business appears, there is a desire to spend it on personal needs. Still - after all, this is honestly and independently earned income, why not buy on them new car? It is especially easy to succumb to such a temptation for individual entrepreneurs, because for them there is no statutory restrictions on the use of money received from the case. As a result, working capital is spent on personal purposes, and further business development plans are not implemented due to lack of finance.

Mistake #6: Ignoring Your Competition

If you chose profitable direction business, then you will definitely have competitors. And, of course, a part of the market will be occupied by those who started before you, invested their money and efforts and expects a certain profit. The presence of competitors should not immediately stop you from starting a business, but you cannot ignore them either. To understand how competitive your chosen niche is and how you can stand out, you can order marketing research or conduct a quick analysis yourself. An example of such an analysis when opening a beauty salon can be found in our book, it is available at personal account user.

Mistake seven: lack of special legal knowledge

An entrepreneur must know well not only his product or service and methods of their promotion, but also have at least general idea on the laws governing business activities in Russia. To help you understand the basics of this knowledge, we have prepared a series of articles for you, which we highly recommend reading:

In the process of activity, you will gradually begin to understand these issues, but at the start of a business, the mistakes of novice entrepreneurs when choosing the legal form, tax regime, registration of employees and relationships with partners can lead to serious financial losses and even become fatal.

Mistake eight: inability to delegate authority

“If you want everything to be done well, do it yourself!” - this phrase has ruined more than one startup. What happens if an entrepreneur believes that no one can do anything better than him? He himself has to look for and serve customers and customers, negotiate with suppliers, accept goods, deal with accounting, documents and other routine. The workers are all, as if by choice, slow, irresponsible and stupid.

Perhaps it is so, but hiring the wrong employees is the mistake of the businessman himself. Remember Steve Jobs: "We hire smart people to tell us what to do." It is impossible to build a business without a well-coordinated team of professionals, so finding and attracting such people is one of the main tasks of a novice entrepreneur.

Define areas of responsibility and assign them to employees. Part of the functions, for example, accounting, can be given to Where possible, introduce a flexible wage system - a small fixed salary and percentages for meeting indicators (sales, services, production volume). And moderate your perfectionism a bit - even if something is not done as perfectly as you think, but the business is developing, then everything is in order.

Mistake nine: unwillingness to enter into a business partnership

About 70% of LLCs in Russia are registered by a single founder, i.e. the partner business model is not taking root well with us. Moreover, partnerships are avoided even where it would be justified. Why? First of all, start-up entrepreneurs are unwilling to share the expected profit, although at the start of a business this is tantamount to sharing the skin of an unkilled bear. Another good reason is possible disagreements in joint management business and personal problems in communication. To a certain extent, it can be recognized that the specificity of the Russian mentality is to mix personal and business relationship, and this is not always beneficial. But there are many successful projects, especially in the West, is developing precisely according to the partnership model.

Let's see what a good business partner can offer you:

• resources and investments;
• business experience;
• business connections;
• skills you don't have, such as sales;
• unique business idea, invention, patent;
• emotional support.

Yes, it is possible that it is not so easy to choose your business partner, but to refuse profitable cooperation just because you are afraid possible problems, not right. Of course, all conditions joint business must be carefully discussed before the start of activities, be sure to fix them in writing. Also keep in mind that an equal partnership, when the shares in the company are distributed equally, can lead to a stalemate in case of disagreement. It is desirable that one of the partners be the main one and bear the main responsibility for business development.

Mistake #10: Giving up early

If you have read the inspiring success stories of famous entrepreneurs, you know that almost every one of them has had to go through a series of big and small failures. But only the one who gets up one time more than he falls wins. You don't have to look far for examples - the business portal you are on now also developed through crises. Learn firsthand - from team leader Alexander Raptovsky.

We would love to hear from you stories of overcoming difficulties and successes, and perhaps it will be you who will someday tell aspiring entrepreneurs about the mistakes to avoid when starting a business.

Inconsistency of the organizational and legal form with the goals and objectives

Many start-up entrepreneurs (limited liability company): this is supposedly more solid than an individual entrepreneur (individual entrepreneur). If you are a designer, a private developer, a photographer, or your small business is creative, IP status is optimal. To work in a team, and unite on the basis of a contract.

Today, large and serious organizations are actively resorting to outsourcing. No one will be embarrassed by the contract with the IP. Many companies take copywriters and photographers out of staff and conclude contracts with them as individual entrepreneurs. But last month, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a ruling, recognizing cooperation with individual entrepreneurs as a tax evasion scheme.

To register an individual entrepreneur, constituent documents, a seal and an authorized capital are not required. But individual entrepreneurs are prohibited from certain types of licensed activities (for example, retail strong alcohol), and for obligations they are liable with all their property. If you want to open branches, subsidiaries or plan to merge with other companies, then register an LLC.

Study the issue in detail and choose the optimal reporting and taxation system in order to avoid problems in the future.

1. Incorrect definition of activities in the charter

   LLC and JSC ( Joint-Stock Company) in their charter sometimes incorrectly define the types of activities. The company was selling stationery, and then began to provide legal services.

   Violation is punishable under Art. 14.25 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation “Violation of the legislation on state registration legal entities and individual entrepreneurs. The prosecutor's office will turn a blind eye for the first time, but for a repeated offense they can be disqualified for a period of one to three years.

   Children's institutions (camps, clubs, etc.) are strictly checked. If your organization is engaged in educational or medical activities without a license, there will be serious problems.

2. No license

   Sometimes entrepreneurs shift the profile of unlicensed activities and work in the direction of an adjacent, but licensed one. For advocacy, it is enough to obtain the appropriate status, and for a detective, a license is needed.

   Educational activities in the play center or children's section are educational, licensed activities. Some IT services are licensed. So, Cisco received a license from the FSB for encryption. Computer equipment, on which it is impossible to work without a license, is determined by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 313 of 04/16/2012.

   Article 12 federal law About Licensing certain types activities” there is a corresponding list: production of medicines, aviation equipment, weapons, provision fire safety, communication services, educational and much more - more than 50 positions in total.

   The activity specified in the list without a license and causing damage to third parties threatens with a fine of up to 300 thousand rubles or arrest for up to six months (Article 171 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

   Illustration: istockphoto.com

3. Confidence in your own legal competence

   Small businesses often save on legal services. Experienced entrepreneurs believe that they do not need help and conclude contracts themselves. The result is litigation costs.
   Aspiring entrepreneurs handle marketing, advertising, bookkeeping, and legal paperwork themselves to control all business processes. Solving all issues alone is difficult. IN good companies all processes take place with the participation, and sometimes under the guidance of a lawyer.

4. Inattention to reporting when participating in tenders

   According to many, public procurement tenders are a direct way to enrichment. But the companies whose goods and services they buy budget organizations are subject to counter tax audits. Your accounting and legal documentation must be in perfect condition, all taxes and fees have been paid, and debts to the budget have been closed. Otherwise, problems cannot be avoided.

5. Non-Compliance with Advertising Laws

   In advertising, the use of images of children is limited. If you manufacture goods and provide services to minors, you must comply with the law "On the protection of children from information that is harmful to their health and development."

   Any word in an advertisement must be documented, and in the first place - "the most", "best", "No. 1", "leader", "absolute", "only" and the like. In order to avoid FAS claims, many companies add: “probably”, “possibly”. “Probably the best coffee in the world,” is how they write.

6. Violation of labor law

   Companies violate the regime of work and rest, wage rates, conclusions, changes and termination employment contract, including upon dismissal, do not comply with the law when hiring foreign workers. Violation Labor Code entails not only large fines (for improper storage work books- a fine of 50 thousand rubles), but also criminal liability.

   With individuals who are not individual entrepreneurs, instead of labor, they often conclude civil contract, exempting the employer from contributions to the social insurance fund. Payment for work under such an agreement is made upon completion, the main and study leave, sick leave, night and overtime work etc. The fine for such a violation can reach up to 100 thousand rubles - if the labor relations are proven in court.

7. Working with an unverified partner

   Products or services can be sold on credit (sometimes without a contract). It is still at the preparatory stage: check the extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities / EGRIP on the website of the Federal tax service. The partner may change management or liquidate the firm, which is not reflected in the register. Therefore, you need to find out from the filing cabinet of arbitration cases, whether the partner is going bankrupt, and check the status of the company on the website of the Federal Bailiff Service.

   The FAS also maintains a "black list" of unscrupulous service providers. Perhaps in public procurement your partner has shown himself on the negative side. Zero should alert you tax reporting companies. In the contract with the partner, provide for interim measures: forfeit, surety, pledge, retention of the debtor's property. Then the probability of sueing at least part of the debt increases.

8. Solving problems through "trusted" people

   Many entrepreneurs turn to lawyers and go to court when they have been robbed by "tested" people. "To negotiate" is illegal, short-lived and dangerous. The well-being of business is built not on bribes, bribery and false documents, but on the law.

9. Ignorance of their rights and freedoms

   If inspection bodies, police, investigators came to your office - no checks without relevant documents. Seizure of your documentation is possible, on the basis of a decision of the investigator, interrogating officer or with the approval of the court.

   According to Art. 51 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, no one is obliged to testify against himself. According to Art. 48 of the Constitution, everyone is guaranteed the right to receive qualified legal assistance. Remember: silence is not only golden, but also your freedom.

Read us at