by Doreen Martel

Created on: January 26, 2009   Last Updated: January 29, 2012

Business failure often can be a result of common mistakes that are made when businesses are starting up. It is estimated that nearly 30 to 40 percent of businesses fail within their first five years. These are businesses that are commonly called financial failures. There are some common mistakes that are made during the start up of businesses that can help identify the reason for the business failure including:

Failed to do proper market research - One of the most common mistakes that are made by start up businesses is to not correctly assess their market. For those who fail to do the proper market research, the chances of failure are high. If you do not know if your product (or service) is in need, then chances are that the market may be smaller than you originally thought.

Unrealistic about costs/expenses - Another common reason that businesses fail is that there has been too little research put into determining what the costs involved in starting up the business. Cost of equipment, office rental, utilities, taxes, product(s), labor and more should all be carefully laid out in the original business plan. Included in this might be spending too much money on gearing up too quickly with unneeded staff, too large an office, too much equipment, etc. all of which have an impact on the bottom line.

Lack of pre-planning - New business owners do not always see the "whole picture" or take into consideration the larger picture. This would include contingency plans for periods of slow sales, properly preparing for necessary staff, failure to have a vision for the company, and surrounding yourself with too many people who will not tell you the "real"' picture, but instead will tell you that things are just as you see them. Pre-planning should include management needs, short, medium and long term goals, contingency plans for gearing up quickly for increases in work (and also for gearing down in times of slow work).

Long-term thinking - It is critical when you are starting a business that you look at your management style since you need to be able to successfully manage your entire company. If you dilute your company with too many partners, too many unnecessary staff members or others who do not share your vision, your business will more than likely be one of the statistics.

Business failure is not a foregone conclusion for new business. It takes forward thinking, careful planning and thorough research of not only your business model but your target market. If you are considering starting a business, only you can create an environment for success. Do not be one of the people who say in three years that you do not know why your business failed.

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