One of the hardest things in the world to do is to start a business. I’ve watched several people start a business and some have succeeded and, quite frankly, some have failed. For those that have succeeded, I’ve noticed a handful of things in common and I’d like to share them with you.

Connections!

That’s right the connections you have and make can make your business a success. Consider if you meet someone that’s a mover and shaker in what you want to do. That’s where The Entrepreneur Meetups come in, we all know that mentors are a good thing and that’s because they’ve been where you’re going and they can help you not fall into the same potholes as they did. Very often the problem is, people don’t want to listen and they get stuck in the do-it-themselves mentality. Which is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people do, the lone ranger will never work out in business. Why? Because no one ever truly does it alone. You always need help or your business won’t make it!

Time!

Allow yourself plenty of time to do the work that needs to be done. When you start your company and expect everything to work out in the first weeks and months, you’re probably going to be let down. Things like video’s, marketing and hiring the correct employees for the position all take time. You may have to go through 10 people to find that perfect fit. That takes time and isn’t going to be done overnight, no matter how much you want it to be.

Also, you will need to look at having lots of long hours when everyone else is at home doing their life, in order to make your business happen. Why? Because there are hours and hours of work that need to be done in the first 3 years of a new business to give it a chance of working. If you don’t do the time, you’re almost assured that your new company won’t be making it.

Focus!

Another big mistake I’ve seen people make is to focus on things that just aren’t that big of a deal to people in the long run. For example, I’ve seen someone spend 2 years worrying about their logo and the color of it. Who cares? Most companies change their logos as they grow and move forward. They want to change the focus, so they change the logos. In most cases, it’s a good thing, sometimes not so much. But to spend 2 years worrying about your logo when the competition is passing you by is wasting your time and your investor’s money. Keep the main thing the main thing and disregard the distractions that will come your way! People will be more patient with you if you’re a small company and they know you don’t have everything nailed down. If you act like a big company and you’re not, then people will expect big company results and you’re not in a position to give them that, so why pretend that you are. It will let them down and give you a bad reputation!

While it’s not where you start that counts, it’s where you finish. What’s in between and what you do in between can make all the difference in the world. So, get out there and do what you want to do and find the connections and resources that you need to be a success!