Business Startup Mistakes to Avoid in Kenya
Running a business comes with its hurdles, especially if it is your first time. You need to be aware of some business startup mistakes to avoid. There are many difficult decisions to make when in any business. Statistics show that most startups fail within their second year. As an entrepreneur, you need to be aware of some of the mistakes that could cost your business a fortune.
Business Mistakes to Avoid in Kenya
The following are startup business mistakes to avoid in Kenya.
1. Failure to Plan
Failure to plan is plan to fail. Failure to plan when starting a business is one of the greatest mistakes you can make. A successful entrepreneur follows a solid plan. You will need a proper business plan, a marketing plan, and a financial plan. Your ideas should be long term and you need to plan beyond a customer's satisfaction.
2. Failure to Prepare
If you want to be successful in business, you need to put your life in order. Make sure that you are in good health and have proper rest. This will prepare you psychologically to challenge any situation at hand. Talk to your friends and family. Tell them about your plans. Let them understand your dreams. If they are supportive of your vision, they can help you make the business successful.
3. Underestimating Business Demands
When starting a business, you have one thing in mind, a successful end. You need to acknowledge the challenges that come with starting and managing a business. Underestimating the demands of the business can be your greatest mistake. It is okay to be optimistic about business, but you should also be braced to face the challenges and struggles.
4. Fear of Failure
When it comes to business, nobody wants to be a failure. Many entrepreneurs have the wrong interpretation of failure. According to them, failure means there's no benefit, which is not always the case. As a successful entrepreneur, you need to have a positive mindset and embrace failure.
Failure to meet your target means you tried. Look at the failure positively and improve your business. Failure helps one to learn something new that is important in taking the next step towards business success.
5. Expanding too Quickly
Every business person wants to see success in business. When you see positive results, keep working hard and improving operations. It is at this time in business when entrepreneurs make the worst mistake; expansion. This period could be temporary. If you expand too quickly, you might hire new staff that you will not be able to pay. The best advice is to take one step at a time.
Also read: What does success mean to you?
6. Ignoring Data
Keeping a positive mind is essential in business, but you need proper analysis. You need to do the math and develop an appropriate plan on how you are going to succeed. Your data has to be realistic. It should show that your business idea is achievable. Believing you'll succeed without getting facts right will kill the business.
7. Failure to Delegate
You do not have to do all tasks alone to succeed. You will be overwhelmed and fail to carry out tasks with the required expertise. Design a perfect plan on how to do things. Delegate tasks to your employees and your business will have a natural flow of activities.
Also read: Challenges facing small businesses in Kenya.
8. Hiring the Wrong People
For a startup to flourish, you need people with hands-on experience to tackle given tasks. A mistake that many startups make is to hire the wrong people to manage tasks they have no experience in. If you want a specific job done to perfection, make sure you have a specialist. Employees with different skills will work on tasks that need diverse expertise, hence bringing in the diversity the business needs.
10. Undervaluing your Products or Services
Lack of confidence in what you are offering can make you under-price the services and products. Place a price tag to your products and services, but don't overprice. You might start by under-pricing to attract more customers, but this can undermine your products and services' unique value. To avoid this, do thorough research on the best prices for your products.
11. Clinging to the Wrong Ideas
If you are a first-time entrepreneur, you are likely to make this startup mistake. Working on hear-say may make you work towards the wrong goal. Dig deeper and evaluate how your product fits in the market. Find out what tactics work to bring in more customers. If you work on several tactics and find they are not working, you need to reconsider your original idea.
12. Failure to Understand your Market and Target Audience
Failure to understand your customers and their needs is a typical startup mistake. Understanding the market size will also help you build a business that is neither too big nor too small. Customer feedback on the product or services offered will help you know if you are on the right track.
Read more: How to make money in the music industry.
13. Assuming that Money Solves All Problems
It is almost natural that if you want to start a business, you will think that all you need is money. Many first-time entrepreneurs think that money will solve any problem that may arise.
This is one major startup mistake that you can make. If your business plan is not good, then it doesn't matter how much money you invest in it. You need an excellent business plan and appropriate problem-solving skills.
Summary of Startup Mistakes to Avoid
If you want to be successful in business, do proper research, stick to your business plan, and surround yourself with people you can learn from. Failure should not be a setback. Learn from your mistakes and you can be sure of establishing a thriving business.
