12 Things Entrepreneurs Almost Always Get Wrong

Article Contributed by Jonathan Ensey

Believe it or not, a small business owner’s worst enemy can be them. Even if they’re totally motivated, driven and have a clear-cut vision, entrepreneurs often get it all wrong.

Below you’ll find 12 things entrepreneurs almost always get wrong and how to avoid them. We’ll uncover mindsets, facts and tactics that will help to ensure that your business is successful:

1. No Foundation

Many entrepreneurs don’t put the time in for much-needed foundational work. Spending thousands on a website that isn’t optimized or user-friendly is where many start-ups get it wrong. Why does it happen? No foundation. The website can be eye-catching, but if your users can’t navigate through it, you’ll need to take quick action.

2. Never Rolling-up Their Sleeves

Many start-ups think they can have the idea, build a site, and wait on the big bucks to start rolling in. Unfortunately, this isn’t how it works. Entrepreneurs have to roll-up their sleeves and get dirty. Get to work, and don’t stop working, because there is no quick fix for success.

3. They Put Long-term Goals on the Back Burner

Entrepreneurs have to keep a close eye on the long-term goals in order to ensure they’re heading in the planned direction. It’s important to stay on course and don’t allow yourself to become distracted on the sidelines. If you’re doing something for your business that doesn’t apply to your long-term objective, you’ve made a wrong turn.

4. No Mobile Website

Recent studies show that more people are using their mobile devices over desktop computers to browse the Internet. Whether they’re shopping, reading, researching or chatting with friends, your customers are on coming to your site while they’re on the go, from different locations throughout day. They want to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, and if your website is not mobile-friendly and responsive, you’re not only facing a potential penalty from Google, but you’re also missing out on a lot of traffic and converting customers.

5. No Idea Who Audience Is

When an entrepreneur starts up a business, they have a plan. However, many never take the time to target their audience. Who is your product for? Is your services gender-specific? Are your products intended for millennials or seniors? It’s important that you know exactly who your audience is in order to provide them with relevant content that they can relate with.

6. No Support System

Whether you’re support system be a mentor or a spouse, it’s important that you have someone to bounce off ideas and to seek advice. Even if you have a well-laid plan, you’ll need someone to vent to, someone who understands your business and can offer some direction from time to time.

7. No Traffic-Driving Plan

Many think that once they build their website, the traffic will start pouring in. Not true. You’ll need to ensure that your content is targeted, that you have keywords in place for search engines, and that you have an advertising plan set up. Without the proper optimization and marketing, you’ll be lucky to get 10 views a month.

8. Wasting Time on Wrong Tools

Whether it’s Facebook fans or Twitter followers you’re after, when you focus on these social media tools too much, you’re wasting precious time. Although it is important for your business to have a strong social media presence, don’t spend your entire day focusing primarily on growing your Facebook fan-base or getting more followers on Twitter, when you really should be focusing on growing your company. There should be a specific amount of time set aside each day for your social networking efforts.

9. Unresponsiveness to Criticism

No person wants to hear about what they are doing wrong, but when it comes to starting a business; you need to be open to receiving expert advice. Constructive criticism can help you improve the way you run your business, and ultimately become more successful. Don’t let yourself wallow in self-pity, roll up your sleeves and apply the wisdom offered to you by knowledgeable and experience professionals to help you find solutions to problems.

10. Expecting Too Much

Let’s face it, when you have an idea, you expect everyone around you to be as exciting and interested. Sadly, this is not always the case. You’ll have to not only be patient, but you also want to sell yourself. Sell your service, your product, or whatever it may be. Make sure that you create fresh, descriptive content that readers will find enticing and engaging.

11. Customer Service

Surprisingly, the number one thing that many entrepreneurs are missing is customer service. Good customer relations will make your successful. Bad customer service will kill your business, whether it’s slow response times, strict appointment schedule, etc.

12 Under-investing

You get what you pay for, and many times that’s just not enough. When you pay $5.00 for an ad space, you can expect about the same amount back in return. No, you don’t have to invest thousands of dollars for advertising, but you’ll want to consider set up a competitive campaign and prepare to invest a decent amount of time and money.

About the Author

Jonathan Ensey is the Managing Director of ARedStore.com, a website dedicated to providing real estate marketing collateral and services to Keller Williams real estate agents a Senior Partner at GoThink!, a retail marketing and business consulting company. I’ve been fortunate to work in several industries, diverse in their environments, which have given me a specific skill set. The culmination of these experiences has equipped me to manage and operate every aspect of a small business, with specialties in business development and sales, team management, product and service deployment, and marketing campaigns. My goal is simply to provide value to everyone I meet.