Making the decision to start a business can be one of the hardest but best choices you’ll make in your life.

In the beginning, it feels exhilarating because you did it. You made the choice to bet on yourself and go all in on your dream. But when you sit down at the computer on that first day you realize, “Oh crap, I really have to do this.” Unlike starting a new job there’s no one there to train you and there’s no manual to guide you along the way. It’s you, showing up every day and figuring it out as you go. I know when I first started I made so many mistakes and I’m here to help you avoid some of the pitfalls that cost me the most time, energy, and money.

Here are 5 mistakes to avoid when developing your business.

1. Not creating brand standards

So many new businesses start off with just a logo and think that’s all they need to establish a great brand. But, there’s so much more to your identity as a business than just one graphic. Your logo should be the culmination of developing who you are and how you want to be seen by your audience. That means stopping to think about who you want to be as a brand, what level of luxury or expertise you want to convey, how accessible you want your pricing to be, how you want to sound in your communications, etc. All of that should inform the colors you choose, the fonts you pick, and the type of graphics you use on a daily basis. 

The guidelines for how you use your fonts, graphics, and colors should be documented in a brand manual. This will include things like the smallest and largest sizes your logo is allowed to appear in, what colors should or should not be used in your materials, what fonts to use as headers vs body copy, etc. It should also include the approved colorways and placement directions for your logo. For instance, our brand guide states that our logo cannot be placed upside down under any circumstances. It may seem like some of these things go without saying, but you don’t want to leave something as important as who you are to chance or interpretation. 

Developing a polished brand manual not only keeps your brand cohesive across all media, it makes it easier than ever to outsource when you need things like a new website, content development, or to onboard a new team member. It helps keep you accountable for the presence you create and sets you apart from the amateurs who are doing anything it takes to get by.  

2. Not creating a mission and core values

In the same way you spent time thinking about and developing your visual identity, you want to spend time deciding your mission and core values. If your logo and brand standards are the face of the brand, the mission and core values are the personality. They help establish what you believe in, what your goals are, and who you serve. Depending on your brand, your mission can be as short as 2 sentences up to a few paragraphs. Are you a nonprofit that aims to help an underserved population? Your mission statement should state that. Or are you a press on nail artist who helps customers feel beautiful with ease? That should be clear in your mission as well. No matter how philanthropic or abstract your work is, you should be able to boil down what you do so that people can easily understand what you’re all about. 

With the mission comes your core values. This can be 2-10 items that you hold yourself and your employees accountable for in how you run your business. These should be items that help your ideal client find you and know that you’re aligned with who they are. Now no one is forcing you to choose these core values, so you want to make sure they are things you can sustain and live up to. There’s nothing worse than a company who chooses core values and doesn’t live by them. It makes you seem like a hypocrite and kills your credibility with your audience. For example, don’t choose a core value of sustainability for the planet if you know none of your packaging is recycled or will end up in the ocean. Don’t pick a core value of life balance if you know you want to develop a team of traders who are available on a whim. Really think about who you want to be and hold yourself accountable to whatever you say. 

3. Not creating a communications plan 

It can be so tempting to whip out your phone and take and post pictures of your products or services just to get your name out there. But every communication you send should be intentionally used to drive your business forward. All of your messaging should map in some way back to either your core values or your strategic business goals. If your main goal is to increase traffic to your website, your messages shouldn’t be photos of your products with no CTA. If your core values say that you empower women in all that you do, you shouldn’t be using negative talk or backhanded humor on your posts. It’s important to message with a purpose, not just to say you’re posting consistently. Remember quality over quantity.

And once you know what actions you want to drive and how you want to sound, you need to create a calendar of when these communications will be sent. A pre-planned calendar takes the emotion out of marketing and sets you in a strategy to accomplish your goals. That way if you don’t feel inspired or motivated on any given day you already have something to point back to to keep you on track. But with this calendar you don’t just want to set it and forget it. Leave a little wiggle room to add in a pop culture or timely references. I can’t tell you how many “Don’t rely on one platform because it can fail” emails I got the day Facebook was down. Those marketers left room to adapt their strategy and used a timely reference to move the needle in their business. 

4. Not using systems

I’ve heard countless coaches utter the phrase “if you don’t have a system, you are the system,” and they’re completely correct. So many new business owners hit the ground running in their business and as a result many of the practices or important information for running the business lives in their head or somewhere in a random notebook in their house. And it’s easy to fall into this trap when it’s only you working, but the goal is to grow your business. 

Systems help you with business planning and business development. They allow you to rely on something or someone that isn’t yourself and puts a clear business structure behind it. If all of your daily tasks, important documents, client and vendor information, brand manual etc, live in a system it is infinitely easier to bring new people into the fold or delegate in a time of need.

Imagine an unexpected emergency comes up the day you have to get a huge order out. If all of the steps to complete the order live in a software that can be followed step-by-step by your team (or by your family or interns if that’s who’s helping you get started), how much easier would it be to leave the work to those in your corner and focus on the emergency? How much brainspace and mental peace would you have knowing they have everything they need to succeed? And there are plenty of business tools out there are different price points and scales to fit your needs. I personally recommend wrike and asana since they’re outstanding platforms and offer unbeatable customization. And I know you’re probably doubling down saying “it’s just me right now. I’m doing what I need to get by.” But your business development plan is there to help you get to where you want to be, not where you currently are. 

5. Not planning for the growth you’re working toward

The last mistake to avoid is one that encompasses all I’ve already touched on and more. You started a business instead of freelancing or working for someone else because you had a grand idea to grow beyond just you. Don’t wait until you’ve reached the point of 5 employees to start running your business like a real business. Lay the foundation of a business model that will grow with you as you scale your business. 

Start acting like a CEO and not a solopreneur because once your team is onboard and set in their ways it will be too late. Plan ahead, don’t build the plane as you fly it, don’t fix the car while you’re driving it, or whatever your euphemism of choice is in this scenario. Land the plane, do the work, and take off to new heights with a clear sense of direction, a foothold on who you are, and a path to reach your highest goals in business. 

If you’re ready to take your new business development to the next level, our team is here and excited to work with you. Learn all about who we are and how our services are here to help you succeed.