What are the barriers to success for a start-up business?

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avoiding startup roadblocks

If you are considering starting your own business soon, there’s no doubt that you currently have a lot to think about: your business idea, market research and finance options, to name just a few. In order for it to be as successful as possible from the get-go, it’s vital that you are aware of some of the barriers that you could face throughout. You want your company to be a success, right? If so, be prepared to get creative and take risks. Here are some common reasons why a start-up won’t make it – so avoid these at all costs.

Lack of passion

If you don’t believe in what you’re selling, your customers won’t either. What are you most passionate about? When you have got your answer, take it and make it profitable. Your core beliefs will give you the boost to keep going, so utilise your ambition to drive your business.

Failure to understand your customers

Who is your target audience? And what do they want? What are you going to do to ensure that you reach them effectively? Decide on who you are going to target – their ages, geographic locations, gender and how much you think they’d be willing to spend are all relevant.

Once you have decided on the above, you can begin to market your business successfully. Here, you can determine whether social or print media will be most relevant, whether you will be spending money on advertising, or whether you will want to use high-profile individuals to shout out about your products.

Inadequate financing

One thing you’re definitely going to need is cash. Before getting carried away with anything else, ensure that you have worked out your finances. Will you need a secured business loan? If so, the likes of Nucleus are around to help. You can guarantee that your bank doesn’t run dry within the first key months by planning efficiently.

Avoiding help

Your friends, family and colleagues are all there to help you, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Need some advice from an old friend that has experience in what you’re trying to achieve? Give them a call. Know somebody that is a lot more organised than you? Ask them for tips. Whatever you do, try not to take on everything yourself. You will already be under a lot of pressure and will end up running yourself into the ground before you’re even open for business.

Ensure your success by avoiding the common mistakes above.

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Samantha Acuna is a writer based in San Francisco, CA. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and Yahoo Small Business.