Starting a business is without a doubt one of the most empowering things you will ever do, but there’s no denying it has its fair share of challenges too. Between the big ideas and every day logistics of actually running it are a series of hurdles that you need to get through. Once you do, you’ll be more resilient, focused and know your business is heading in the right direction. No matter what it is you’re launching, whether this is a brand, a creative studio, or a side hustle, we’ve put together some of the top obstacles you might come across when starting a business and how you can overcome these.
Photo by Ylanite Koppens: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pen-on-a-black-journal-book-934062/
Finding the right idea and direction
The first major hurdle is often the most daunting: knowing exactly what kind of business to start and how to position it. Many aspiring entrepreneurs have endless ideas, but struggle to pinpoint one that’s both profitable and personally fulfilling. You might find yourself wondering whether or not your idea is unique enough, or if people will pay for it, and it’s very easy to get stuck in your head about it, but try not to overthink.
Instead of thinking of it this way, consider your idea as the solution to a problem rather than just a product. Businesses thrive when they solve real issues for real people. Conduct market research, talk to potential customers, and test your ideas on a small scale before committing. If you have a food or drink product for example, get your glass bottles manufactured and customized on a sample basis to see how it looks and where it could be tweaked for the future.
Managing your money and cash flow
Financial uncertainty is one of the biggest reasons new businesses fail. Even with a great idea, poor financial management can derail progress quickly. It’s easy for a new founder to underestimate startup costs and overestimate early revenue. There are things you might not even consider you have to buy, such as software subscriptions, packaging, marketing such as your photography, website design and advertising, and more. Invoices can also take a lot longer to come in than you might think, so you need to always have a spare lot of savings in the bank to cover your monthly bills. Before launching, outline your expected costs and income for at least six months ahead.
Create a detailed budget that includes both fixed expenses (rent, insurance, website hosting) and variable costs (marketing campaigns, materials, travel). You might also consider diversifying income streams. For instance, if your main business is a product-based brand, you could add digital downloads or workshops as extra revenue sources. The more you can smooth out your cash flow, the more freedom you’ll have to focus on growth rather than just trying to survive from month to month!
Building visibility for your brand and attracting customers
Even the most brilliant business can’t succeed if no one knows it exists. Visibility is everything, but cutting through the noise in a crowded digital world is one of today’s biggest entrepreneurial challenges and something you need to get through. New business owners often underestimate how much time and effort marketing requires. You might spend weeks perfecting your branding and website, only to realize you still need a strategy to actually reach your audience.
Start by looking into where your ideal customers spend their time, looking at whether they’re on Instagram, LinkedIn or TikTok. Instead of trying to spread yourself too thin and aim for every channel, aim for two or three key ones that you can do really well. Invest in your online presence early with things like building a professional website, claiming your Google Business listing, and developing a clear social media strategy. Content marketing (blog posts, videos, newsletters) helps establish your authority, while paid advertising can amplify reach once you’re ready to scale.
Balancing your work-life balance
Starting a business is amazing, but also really exhausting. You can spend a lot of long hours slogging away, faced with stress and constant problem-solving. This can lead to your emotional and mental wellbeing taking a hit, something which you don’t want! It’s important you learn to manage your time and set boundaries. Use digital tools like Trello, Notion, or Asana to plan tasks, set realistic goals, and priorities what truly moves the needle. Build routines that include rest, downtime is not laziness; it’s recovery.
Ensure you take time to recuperate with friends and family, spending time with loved ones and giving yourself time off. It can be easy to feel like you need to work all the time, but you need to take a rest – you’ll be much more productive after a rest!
Scaling without it becoming out of control
Once your business starts to gain traction, new challenges emerge. Growth brings opportunity, but also complexity. You might find yourself juggling more orders, clients, or team members than you ever anticipated. This can actually be just as risky as if you don’t have enough clients. This is because you don’t want your customer service, product quality or communication to slip. Think about scalability from the beginning. Create repeatable processes for common tasks, whether that’s client onboarding, social media posting, or order fulfilment. Invest in automation tools where possible, and document your workflows so that, when the time comes to hire help, you can onboard easily.
Starting a business is never easy, no matter how prepared you are! But being able to recognize obstacles as something inevitable that you can overcome, as opposed to something that can break you, can make it a lot easier to get through the tough times. From refining your concept, to sorting out your finances, building your confidence and sorting your work life balance.
The key is to stay adaptable and resilient and not let anything knock you down. Success doesn’t happen overnight, so be patient and good things will happen for you. What are some top tips you have for starting a business and overcoming the hurdles that we are all likely to battle? Let us know in the comments below.
