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14 Big Surprises Brand-New Business Owners Often Face

Forbes Coaches Council

While starting a business is an exciting endeavor, many new business owners are surprised by the unexpected obstacles that they encounter along their entrepreneurial journey. These surprises can derail even the most well-prepared entrepreneur, leaving them feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.

Below, 14 Forbes Coaches Council members share some big surprises brand-new business owners often face and may not have considered before launching their companies. By being aware of these potential pitfalls, you can better prepare yourself for the road ahead and increase your chances of finding sustainable success.

1. Cash Flow Is Very Important

Many brand-new business owners are surprised by the importance of cash flow and the stress it can cause. Creating a plan to ensure that expenses and investments are strategically scheduled is critical. It can be difficult to forecast until the business has historical revenue data, so starting out conservatively can be a more comfortable approach until analytics are available and accurate. - Lindsay Miller, Reverie Organizational Development Specialists

2. Everything Is Personal

It’s a big surprise to find out how much you care when it is your name above the door. The highs are higher, the lows are lower. It is an emotional roller coaster. A tip for coping with this is to make sure you don’t neglect family, friends or hobbies. These are the things that will keep you sane when you’re tempted to lose perspective or become too single-minded. - Dr. John Blakey, The Trusted Executive

3. You Will Face Feelings Of Doubt

All successful leaders—especially new business owners—question their leadership at some point because they are experiencing many new challenges for the first time. This can often lead to surprising feelings of doubt in their leadership abilities. Doubt is debilitating and can cause leaders to get stuck unless they can recognize it. When doubt can be defined, it can be solved. - Robin Pou, The Confident Leader

4. Raising Capital Is A Separate Job

Raising capital along the way rarely happens smoothly, and investors don’t line up for early-stage rounds. As a business leader in a quantity of one, you must focus on one major goal at a time. And if your current goal is fundraising, then everything else should be delegated to the team you’ve (presumably) already built. - Alla Adam, Alla Adam Coaching


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5. Scaling A Business Is Emotionally And Mentally Taxing

The thought of embarking on entrepreneurship is quite exhilarating, but the stress and uncertainties that come with being an entrepreneur can be overwhelming for many new business owners. Starting and scaling a business can be emotionally and mentally taxing, and maintaining motivation and managing stress can be extremely difficult. A lot of people are not prepared for it. - Adesola Adesakin, Smart Stewards

6. There Is Profit And Loss Across The Board

With a new venture, managing your finances as it relates to your business is often something new owners don’t have expertise in leading. Everything is tied to finances, and not knowing where you are spending your money can lead to a quick demise. - Joshua Miller, Joshua Miller Executive Coaching

7. Previous Business Contacts Can Be Valuable

Business owners often need to tap their existing network, as the affiliation score for recency is high. The “surprise” is that they may have inadvertently dismissed old contacts because their last known point of engagement seemed irrelevant. That assumption is fallacious because circumstances might have changed for older business contacts, and those connections might now yield collaboration opportunities. - Thomas Lim, Technicorum Holdings

8. Product Success Is Not Organizational Success

Many startup owners assume that product success is the most important factor in achieving overall organizational success, but surprisingly, this turns out to be a small part of it. Crafting standard operating systems and developing strong processes are some of the essential cornerstones for brand growth; without them, even stellar products can fall short when trying to reach long-term goals. - Daphne Michaels, Daphne Micheals International

9. Administration Time And Cost Can Be High

When solo business founders have an idea, they do market research and make business plans. Still, even the most educated entrepreneurs hit the administration wall. When you’re doing administrative tasks, you’re not promoting, selling or performing. If your value proposition is in line with your market, you will quickly need a specific resource for administration. - Krumma Jónsdóttir, Positive Performances

10. Partner Relationships Are Fragile

There is fragility in the relationship between partners or cofounders. Business success is strongly dependent on the founder team. However, a lack of transparency, cash flow pressures or shifts in priorities can lead to disintegration even before the business has achieved momentum. - Gitanjali Saksena, LagomWorks

11. Customer Acquisition And Retention Is A Top Priority

Many entrepreneurs focus on developing a great product or service, but they often underestimate the importance of marketing, customer service and building relationships with customers. As a result, they may struggle to attract and retain customers, leading to slower growth or even failure. It’s crucial for business owners to prioritize customer acquisition and retention from the very beginning. - Jonathan H. Westover, Human Capital Innovations, LLC,

12. Someone Has To Handle ‘Non-Core’ Tasks

Entrepreneurs need to account for non-core tasks. These include administrative tasks, such as human resources and bookkeeping, as well as building and maintaining good relationships with suppliers, vendors and other key partners. Individuals can save themselves from the curse of hindsight by planning the minutiae in the business proposal. - Savannah Rayat, Rayat Leadership Coaching

13. Business Ownership Can Be Isolating

New business owners are typically keenly aware of the financial and managerial responsibilities associated with their new undertaking, but they can be taken off guard by the isolation that comes with venturing out on their own. Even businesses with high traffic and multiple employees can leave the boss feeling disconnected or alone if steps are not taken to build a support network. - Joanne Valli-Meredith, BeyondAdmissions, Inc.

14. You Must Do Many Ugly Tasks Yourself

Some tasks aren’t big enough to hire for or outsource, and are too demeaning to delegate to team members who weren’t hired to do them; so you do these tasks yourself. There are many ugly things you must do to get your business rolling and off the ground. - Jamie Flinchbaugh, JFlinch

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