The 3 Biggest Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make & How To Avoid Them
“If only I knew this earlier! I’d have saved so much time and energy”
We all chastise ourselves from time to time when we learn something obvious. Especially when it’s hiding in plain site, right in front of our nose all along. Duh!
It’s ok, no man is an island… this offers an important lesson of the power of community, and the irony of the human mind when isolated and reliant on its own meanderings.
I’m bringing up the power of community because most entrepreneurs live in a vacuum, isolated from each other. We miss a lot of the little (and big) aha’s that come from exchanges with other entrepreneurs through daily life.
There’s no sense letting “what if’s” get you down.
The present moment onward is in your power to change…
Here are the 3 biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make and what you can do right now to turn things around and avoid them from now on.
1. Wearing Too Many Hats
The main reason multitasking doesn’t work because it makes your brain burn more calories than the survival domains will tolerate. As mental energies gather, they heat up. This is why your brain slows down and gets sluggish. It entrenches in protection mode to cool.
The next reason is that you may be trying to run your business with a “task mentality” or “job mindset”. That’s a really big mistake. You won’t have the time, energy, clarity or focus for your most important activities.
The third reason is that your either totally cash strapped, don’t know have systems, or you don’t know how to delegate. You have to get organized and overcome this or your business won’t be scalable. You’ll paint yourself into a corner of tangled complexity that you can’t train anyone in efficiently.
The stakes can’t be overstated, making the difference between building a business you love, or being consumed by your business at the cost of your quality of life. See: Wearing Too Many Hats Will Boil Your Brain
2. Putting The Demands of Others First
The main reason 4 out of 5 businesses fail in the first 5 years of business, is because the business owners have too many demands on their time.
It’s all about energy management, and creating healthy boundaries. Your business depends on your ability to decide where, how, and when to invest your energy. You must stand tall, stake your claim and set clear boundaries. Get healthy, centered and productive. Shift from reacting to the demands of others- and prioritize making your impact.
Time and energy are your greatest assets. If you are too depleted to be effective, you need to stop and regroup:
- Build your vitality.
- Re-evaluate your priorities.
- Harness your time and energy to use them well.
This includes, eating well, sleeping well and getting your exercise.
If this describes you and you want daily rituals to ‘develop high performance success habits’, and double your impact with less effort. See: How To Protect Your Energy And Gate The Demands Of Others
3. Ignoring Fear And Doubt
It’s totally normal to experience doubt, fear and procrastination. Everyone experiences it, especially if you have a big vision that fuels your passion and challenges you. The key factor is how quickly you see it, and take action. The faster you acknowledge and act, the more momentum you’ll have, and more quickly your confidence and capacity will build.
The big problems arise when you avoid your doubts and fears. The doubt demon slips in and takes control of your body, mind and spirit – tempting you to procrastinate by burying yourself in endless planning, menial tasks and the demands of others. You know… those things you do that feel productive, but you’re really doing to avoid the vulnerability of making mistakes, looking green or feeling confused.
If you need to conquer your doubts to get to the next level, See: 3 Steps To Conquer Doubt and Grow Your Business