I launched my business – Fuzzy Bear Media – back in 2014; at the time I was fresh out of university and only 22-years-old. Since then, I’ve come a long way – and so has my business. Over the past five years, I’ve learned a lot about what it *actually* takes to successfully run and manage a business. 

 

While my business is now going from strength to strength, over the years I have made some pretty significant mistakes. I’m not alone – ask any successful business owner, and the chances are that they will have, at one point or another, made a business mistake that they wish they could undo. 

 

Almost every new business owner will take a wrong turn every so often – yourself included. However, what you can do to limit the number of mistakes you make is to learn from others’ mistakes. The thing is, when it comes to starting a business, there’s a lot to consider – it’s not always plain sailing. There’s just so much to think about – it’s fairly common to feel a little overwhelmed. 

 

The good news is that if you take the time to research what other business owners would suggest doing and what mistakes they made along the way, you can hopefully avoid making some of the same ones. 

 

For everything that you need to know, have a read of some of my advice regarding the things I wish I had known when I first started out! 

 

Your working environment impacts your success 

 

Be mindful of where you’re working. Don’t rush the process of finding somewhere to work. If you pick the wrong place, it will – no doubt – impact your success. So, take your time to think about your options in regards to where you will work from. Take your mindset into account – ask yourself what you need to have to work through your daily list of tasks successfully.  

 

It’s also important to consider the financial side of things. Ask yourself is, when you’re just starting out and have a somewhat uncertain future, what the best option would be for you regarding your working environment. Rushing out and booking a private office may not be the best move to make. 

 

I started out working from home and I would 100% recommend it. The best thing to do is convert one of your spare rooms into a home office so that you can work productively from home. Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of working from the living room or kitchen table as this will seriously impact your success.

 

Set goals from the get-go 

 

You might be focusing simply on actually getting your business going, but it’s important to set goals from the get-go. As by having goals in place to meet, you will push yourself to work harder and achieve more.  

 

When I first launched my business, I didn’t really have any goals in place, which was most probably a mistake. If I had made a list of a number of clearly defined goals, then I probably would have found growing my business a little easier. 

 

There is financial support available 

 

When I first launched my business, I didn’t think about the fact that there was financial support available to help me. Instead, I started my venture without any financial assistance, and as a result, everything took longer. 

 

If I was to start my business again, I would 100% look into the financial support available, such as from Choice Business Loans who offer a number of support options, including merchant cash loans and advances. 

 

It always takes longer than you think 

 

There’s a common misconception that when you start a business you should expect it to be flourishing almost instantly. The fact is, that isn’t usually the case – growth takes time. Building a successful business isn’t something that happens overnight, it’s something that you need to spend time working hard on. 

 

If you are going to succeed at building your own mini-empire, you need to ensure that you have the right mindset, and starting out with the mindset that success will happen quickly is a big mistake. 

 

Launching a business, you need to be resilient. You need to realise that not everything will come easily – you will have to work hard to succeed. 

 

There you have it, everything that I wish I had known when I first started out.

 

*This is a sponsored post, written in collaboration with Choice Business Loans. All thoughts are my own.*