Starting up a small business is a daunting task. it requires certain personal traits and clearly, not everyone is suited to become a business owner. There are many ways to fail, and here are 10 of the most obvious ones:
1. A business plan is a waste of time. Why plan when things change so quickly. I’ve always flown successfully by the seat of my pants.
2. Always spend a lot of money on a great logo. It makes the company memorable.
3. If it doesn’t work, try, try, try again. Perhaps pouring more money into the effort will surely make it work.
4. Web sites are for geeks. Normal people still don’t use them or understand them.
5. Advertise in the Yellow Pages. Most people still go there when they want to find a business.
6. Satisfy every customer. The customer is always right. It doesn’t matter what they buy or if they Buy at all.
7. Why make a decision when you can leave it for another day. Sometimes it is better to make up one’s mind later.
8. Deadlines are too constraining. We need space to be creative and to operate.
9. We have a target date to make this business a success and we will keep trying until we reach that date no matter the numbers. What the point of setting target dates if we don’t follow them.
10. Just put all the receipts in a shoe box. The tax person will figure it out. That what we pay them for by golly.