3 Ways You're Making Starting a Business More Difficult Than It Should Be If you make any of these three mistakes, you could get in your own way.
By Wendy Coop
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No one ever said starting a business was easy. In fact, many people would chime in with the old refrain, "If it was easy, everyone would do it." The fact of the matter is, not everyone is willing or able to start a business or side hustle. But for those who do, a winding road and roller coaster of a ride await.
In essence, it's going to be tough. It's what you signed up for. Did you also agree to make the road harder to tread by adding a 50-pound pack to your back? That's what you do when you make these three mistakes:
1. Doing everything alone
I know you want to be the Lone Ranger and muscle through every task of starting a business yourself. You reason it's because it will save you precious money you need for your startup. But is that the truth? Have you calculated the worth of your time?
It's a common misconception to believe you will save money by doing everything by yourself with little or no support. Perfectionism and Type A personalities can often get in the way of sharing the work. But if your time is better spent doing the things that will actually bring you money as opposed to obsessively checking and replying to emails, it's better you hire it out.
Related: 7 Myths About Starting a Business I That Used to Believe
2. Creating your own website
I've created many websites over the last 14 years. Some were better than others, as my skillset always improved. But unless you're also a website designer, you should not be spending weeks, months or years DIYing your website. There is a much better use of your time and money. Additionally, if you aren't a designer of any sort, you may not be familiar with best practices for websites in your industry or for achieving your specific goal.
The point is that it's not a choice between DIY or a $10,000 website. There are many website designers who exist in the happy medium who can get your site up and running. Since you're just starting, cut the fancy stuff and just go with a functional website that gets the job done. No need for fancy animations and such. Get yourself online and make the money.
Related: DIY Web Design Doesn't Cut It. Here's Why.
3. Having too many things going at once
The online space is notorious for creating FOMO (fear of missing out) and having you believe that in order to be a good and successful entrepreneur, you have to be on every social media platform and create every kind of content possible. But if you're trying to have a blog, podcast and YouTube channel all by yourself and then expect to be fully present on five other social media platforms, you're watering down your efforts. It's a recipe for disaster and burnout.
Instead, spend some time figuring out where your target audience hangs out online and look there. Maybe they're on Clubhouse. Maybe your dream client is on LinkedIn. I guarantee your audience is not equally hanging out everywhere online, so you don't need to either. Pick two social media platforms and be fully present there. Pick one form of content — either a blog, podcast or YouTube channel — and go all-in. By picking your battles wisely, you will better serve your target audience, find your dream clients, and be the solution to the things that keep them up at night.
In the end, good and wise entrepreneurs do not set themselves up for burnout. They create a plan and stick with it until they are successful. It's too easy to get distracted with the latest and greatest app, platform, piece of content or lead generation tip. Follow one course until successful, get some help and let a professional design that website. Get out of your own way and stop being the roadblock to your own success.
