2024 Business Survival Guide: Avoid These 8 Critical Mistakes for Success

Want to avoid unnecessary mistakes when starting your own business? Eager to get ahead and start building a successful business from the start? You’re in the right spot. Starting a business from scratch is never a perfect journey. But, with the right foundational pillars in place, you can prevent costly mistakes and attract more sales. 

Let’s take a closer look at eight mistakes successful businesses avoid when first starting out. Bookmark this article and print it out for easy reference! 

Not Having a Specific Business Plan 

You’ve chosen a profitable business idea … but do you have a plan to bring it to life?

Without careful research and a strategic operating framework, you could be spinning your wheels and focusing on tasks that don’t matter. 

Instead, carve out time to conduct market research, competitive intelligence reporting, and customer analysis. You’ll also need a financial plan, an executive summary, and a company overview. 

If you’ve never created a business plan before, consider securing an industry-specific template from a business resource site like Growthink. 

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For instance, if you’re starting a trucking business, you can opt for the trucking business plan. Or, if you’re starting an HR consulting business, you can opt for the HR consulting business plan. Simply choose the right plan for your industry and fill in the template.

You can also start with a simple business plan template for the initial research phase — and then make it official with an industry-specific template.

When filling in your plan, move slowly and accurately. This will determine how your business functions in and out, so do your due diligence to complete it with intention. If you need extra support, consider meeting with a business consultant for a tailored approach. 

Choosing the Wrong Business Structure 

The business model and entity you choose determines how you’ll pay taxes and manage your financials — and what kind of asset protection you’ll have.

Choosing the wrong one may put you at risk for costly fees — or worse, bankruptcy. 

For instance, without an LLC to shield personal assets, you could lose access to your personal savings and investments in case of a business debt or lawsuit. 

Business entity descriptions also vary by state.

For example, each state has its own LLC laws, so being aware of the ins and outs of the LLC requirements in your area is critical if you choose this legal structure. 

Make sure to thoroughly research and understand the specific requirements and regulations for each entity in your state. This can help you avoid legal pitfalls and ensure your business is built on solid ground.

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Better yet, ask a registered agent to help you select the best legal structure for your specific business and goals. They’ll run through each option with you so you can understand the benefits and limitations of each structure.

Choosing the Wrong Hosting for Your Business Website

Every business needs a website, and every website needs hosting. However, not every website needs the same hosting service. 

It’s essential to choose the type of hosting that will best support your website and keep your business running smoothly. The six types of hosting you should be familiar with and consider are:

1. Virtual dedicated server (VDS) Hosting
2. Virtual private server (VPS) Hosting
3. Dedicated server Hosting
4. WordPress Hosting
5. Windows Hosting
6. Shared Hosting

Ultahost offers multiple plans for each of these six types of hosting. Each has pros and cons, from required technical know-how and scalability to expense and security. It’s vital you explore each hosting option thoroughly before deciding which to utilize for your website. 

Beyond your own research, speaking to experts is also an excellent way to gain valuable insights into which hosting option best fits your business needs. Ultahost has resources galore – FAQs, an extensive blog, a knowledge base, and more. 

Investigate thoroughly before locking in your choice. Make sure your hosting ticks all the right boxes without offering way more than you need (or blowing your budget). 

Not Having Enough Upfront Capital 

Starting a business with zero or limited funds can create unnecessary stress and limitations. 

You might: 

1. Not have enough working capital to buy supplies to fill large orders
2. Avoid hiring a (necessary) team to help you run your business. 
3. Put off running marketing and ad campaigns
4. Go into steep debt to cover initial costs
5. And the list goes on

While you can start some service or home-based businesses without much capital, many businesses have overhead costs, manufacturing costs, and other expenses. For instance, e-commerce and brick-and-mortar businesses have many moving parts. 

If you’re eager to start now but don’t have much money to work with, consider starting an online service business. 

For instance, you can start a graphic design business, a content writing business, or a virtual assistant business. These options have few operating expenses beyond a WiFi bill, an initial fee to buy a computer, and a few monthly subscriptions to online tools. 

Or, you might try running an online affiliate site or niche blog. 

Some other business ideas with low upfront costs include the following:

• Social media management business
• Cleaning service business
• Print-on-demand business
• Maintenance business 
• Gardening business

And speaking of online tools …

Investing in Too Many Digital Products

It’s tempting to sign up for every app and analytics tool that promises your business the world. 

But a cumbersome tech stack can weigh your operations and operating budget down. 

Instead, focus on signing up for all-in-one tools whenever possible — or at least look for options that offer integrations. 

While this isn’t always possible, there are a few apps that function as holistic platforms. 

Here are some examples:

• A Work OS: Some work operating systems, like monday.com, help you create and manage every operational workflow you could think of. 
• Social media scheduling software: Some social media scheduling apps allow you to plan and schedule content across all your social media profiles. 
• Website and marketing platform: Some apps, like Kajabi, offer a “business in a box” platform that allows you to create a website, sales landing pages, email marketing campaigns, online courses, and more marketing materials. 

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Choosing the right tech stack can help you create an efficient business that doesn’t overspend or over-complicate its processes. 

And speaking of processes …

Operating Without Strategic Systems and Processes 

How you operate — from your daily schedule to the way you work with your clients — affects every aspect of your business’ potential success. 

For instance, without a strategic schedule, you might miss deadlines, forget about a meeting, or burn yourself out. 

Without a client management plan, you could miss out on long-term relationships, underdeliver, or lose a significant growth opportunity. 

And without repetitive procedures, you might deliver inconsistent products or services. 

That’s why it’s pivotal to create a system and process for everything you do. 

For instance, consider creating workflows and templates for:

• Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks 
• Product and/or service management 
• Invoices and bookkeeping
• Manufacturing/production 
• Employee management
• Marketing campaigns
• Client management
• Routine projects

Not Having Clearly Defined Target Market Segments

While having some target market trial-and-error experiences when you first start is normal, not recognizing customer segments can hold your business back. 

For instance, you might misunderstand your audience’s core needs and pain points — and struggle to show how your product or service can bring them value. 

For example, if you offer digital marketing services to online business owners, you might focus your value proposition on helping them save time or money. 

However, after digging deep into their needs and experiences, you might learn that saving time and money is only a pain point for one of your customer segments — solopreneurs with affiliate marketing sites.

You might learn that your women’s telehealth customer segment‌ struggles with creating high-converting sales funnels. Or you could find out that your SaaS customer segment often needs help creating custom designs and illustrations for blog posts, landing pages, and ad campaigns. 

With clearly defined segments, you can tailor your value proposition and messaging style to each unique market to win them over. You can also refine your products and services to better appeal to each customer group. 

Not Creating a Strong Business Identity and Marketing Plan 

Building your reputation from the start is pivotal to generating demand and attracting leads to your business.

But you can’t do that without a brand identity and a marketing plan. 

At the very least, make sure you have an online presence foundation, such as a website, online portfolio, and social media profiles. 

Create a business logo, choose a color palette, and firm up your mission statement. Add these across your marketing channels to establish a consistent identity. 

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Next, you need a strategic marketing plan to spread the word about your new business venture. 

Depending on your business type, you might:

• Join affiliate marketing programs and guest post on websites with high domain authority 
• Run ongoing PPC ads as well as ads on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook
• Create an SEO plan and use it to create optimized blog and website content
• Start and grow an email list with automated, segmented campaigns 
• Hire influencers to start user-generated-content campaigns 
• Create your own affiliate marketing or referral program
• Create and schedule organic social media content
• Set up lead magnet funnel campaigns

To create a cohesive business identity and targeted marketing plan, reach out to experts for support. For instance, a graphic designer and marketing director can help you create an online presence that aligns with your business goals and your target audience’s core needs.

Wrap up 

Having an entrepreneurial spirit is an admirable quality. 

But an idea without a plan is just a dream.

By creating a business plan, choosing the right entity, and having enough upfront capital, you can launch your own business in 2024. 

To create a business that thrives, you’ll also need:

1. A strong business identity and marketing plan
2. The right hosting for your business website
3. An efficient and helpful tech stack 
4. Strategic systems and processes
5. Defined target market segments 

Remember to save this article and screenshot or print it out for easy reference. Then, work through each point on our list until you’ve set up your foundational pillars and launched your new business. 

That’s it for now. Here’s to your success!