Starting a small business is no easy task, every one knows this – or at least you would hope that everyone knows this. A small business startup takes a lot of time, effort and money. That being said, there are 3 roadblocks to a successful small business startup.

Want to know what they are so that you may overcome them?

In business, everything can be seen as a road block.  But as a business owner, with an entrepreneurial mid, you just have to know which roadblocks are easy to overcome with careful planning and which roadblocks you should take some time to deeply consider before applying a solution.

3 Roadblocks To A Successful Small Business Startup

Every business has a difficult road paved ahead of them which they must follow in order to stay on track to success. But business wouldn’t be business if it was just easy and predicable – otherwise everyone would be doing it.

In every small business startup story, there are road blocks that stop the business right in its tracks.

Knowing what to do when you come up across these roadblocks is what makes the business a successful one or not.

The 3 roadblocks that are part of our article today are:

• Business Planning
• Time
• Funding

Seems simply right?

Well, while it may seem simple – many small businesses end up failing, some miserably due to not planning, not putting in time to develop and not having enough funding.

So let’s take a look at each of the 3 road blocks to starting a small business successfully in more detail.

Business Planning – as a #1 roadblock

Everyone always says, don’t get into business without a business plan.

But why?

A business plan is the blueprint to the success of your business. While it may seem pointless to sit down in-front of a computer and answer the questions that make up a business plan, what they do is much more then you think. These questions actually prepare you for the business and the unknown or the unexpected.

It can get confusing, overwhelming and plain annoying when you’re involved in a business. So many things coming at you from every corner. Do this, write that, sign this, buy that..etc

Having a business plan is what prepares you for all of that.

A well developed business plan will tell you how much to spend, when to spend it, if you need it, how you will use it, how you will benefit and what’s next.

The reason why business planning is the number one road block in our article is because it does 2 things:

1. It prepares you for starting and running your business successfully. If you don’t have one, you are like a chicken running around without a head. Clearly a roadblock!
2. Writing a business plan takes time, effort and some skill. Clearly you have better things to do, right? This becomes the main roadblock which you just hit and failed to overcome.

Before anything else (way before you start your business), the first road block to overcome is your business plan.

Here is the easiest way to get your business plan completed.

Time – the silent roadblock to small business success

What’s that? Time can’t be a road block you say? Well if you believe that time doesn’t have an impact on your business – you are on your way down a slippery slope.

Time is a critical factor to small business success, and a very dangerous road block if you overcome it.

That being said, time can be a danger in multiple ways to a small business:

1. Not dedicating time to work on your business
2. Not allowing time for your business to succeed
3. Entering into the business at the wrong time.

Time, the silent road block has destroyed more businesses then any other roadblock known to entrepreneurs.

As a small business startup looking to achieve success, you have to dedicated a certain amount of time to making it happen.

It is said that entrepreneurs, when working on their own business need to work twice as hard as when you work for somebody else. Instead of working 40 hour weeks, be sure to invest 80 hour weeks. After all, this is your business.

While it doesn’t work the same for every type of person or business, time is needed to ensure your business can startup and grow.

Certain people hit a roadblock but not allowing enough time for their business to successfully startup. This has a lot to do with inexperience and funding. As a small business owner if you lack the funding needed, you are very careful as what you spend money – this means that if you see something not working out, you may be quicker to jump the gun and end it.

This is see often with marketing and advertising efforts. A small business owner invests some money into a search engine optimization campaign, doesn’t see results within a few days and quits. Not realizing that an SEO campaign can often takes 3 months plus for results to be visible.

The other “time” road block would be starting the business at a wrong time. This can also be broken down into many different “wrong time” concerns, but the one we will focus is deciding to start a business at the wrong time of the year.

For example: Starting a snow plowing/driveway cleaning business at the end of the winter season. Sure you will have customers come to you (next year), but what about spring, summer and fall?

Funding – as the most common roadblock

Money – one of the main reasons why people get into business, but also one of the main reasons why businesses fail.

Not having enough money when starting up is a big roadblock. If you can’t afford it, it just won’t happen.

So how do you overcome this type of road block?

You plan for it – plan for it with a business plan.

By developing a proper business plan (way before you actually start up), you would know the costs of starting up, what you need money for, you would know if you need more at which point you can turn to the banks, private investors, government funding programs..etc

Planning ahead is a big step to being successful in business – and it’s about time that you start planning for it.

These are the 3 major road blocks that stop a business right in it’s tracks; being prepared for them can save you and be the difference between success and failure.