1. Too Much Advertising, Not Enough Relationship Building

• From Sherri-Lee Woycik: “Instead of thinking social media is an advertisement or promotion opportunity, build relationships and communities instead.”
• Jessica Coulthard had similar advice for enthusiastic business owners, telling them to stop throwing their pitch at people before building any kind of relationship.
• Similarly, Sara Troy wrote, “Thinking money first and not building relationships first.”

2. Lack of Strategic Business and Growth Planning

• From Calvinius Victorius: “Be cognizant of the different stages of business and be aware of where yours is. Ensure you apply the right strategies and tactics at the right time to avoid wasting your time, money and energy on something that is doomed to fail.” Wise words!
• Callan Rush encourages business owners to follow a founder-independent business model. This is where a business is not fully dependent on the business owner in order to fully function and operate.
• Joe Da Silva sees business owners struggle when they are given the tools and strategies on how to build their business but fail to do the actual implementation. So if you’re guilty of this, I encourage you to make a commitment to your company and implement what you know will help grow it
• Tammy Johnston wishes all business owners would focus more on their goals and plans instead of panicking or chasing shiny objects all the time.
• Rebeca Storck Lima had a similar observation, saying: “Entrepreneurs are creating another job for themselves instead of running a business.”
• Joe Armer sees too many listen to outside sources telling them all the new ways to run their businesses, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right way for you to operate.
• Mark Johnson encourages small business owners to stop trying to do everything themselves and work on building a team right away. Hire a bookkeeper, an accountant and web company like us. The amount of time, money and energy you’re spending on learning all of these different skill sets is taking valuable time away from actually building your business.
• Kelley Lee Rexroad cautions you not hire someone similar to yourself as your first employee. That’s the opposite of what you want to do. The best advice I received was to hire my weaknesses and focus on my strengths and that’s exactly what I did!
• Cathy Kuzel echoed these sentiments, saying she sees many business owners with the inability to delegate; as a result, they end up micromanaging.
• Dan Murray mentioned something similar: “They are the gridlock inside of every choice inside their business If they are the only person who can make a choice inside their business. They need to learn how to delegate and let go. If not, they will continue to stop the growth of their business.”
• Pamela Chatry mentioned a lack of planning and budgeting is a big issue. The business owner bases important decisions on assumptions, rather than numbers and valid information. Spontaneous decisions can be costly mistakes.
• And Rowena List and Symentha Holmes both said not being organized was a major issue they observed.
• And one thing I see is a lack of consistent branding. Too often I witness unprofessional-looking websites, social media profiles and other marketing materials not matching the business brand. This all leads to unfavourable impressions that could be costing valuable sales.

3. Not Following a Solid Sales and Marketing Plan

• From Teri Holland and Kelly Schaefer: They caution business owners to not try to be everything to everyone because they have a fear of missing out on a client instead of being really clear on what they do and who they can help. Knowing who your target market and niche is and focusing your marketing efforts on them is a must.
• On the topic of sales and selling, a few great insights were brought forward. Alice Wheaton said business owners tend to confuse marketing with selling. And then Jan Janzen said, “Many women avoid selling because it feels yucky or they have never been taught. It’s something we need to learn but a lot of the sales training available is geared to men and doesn’t really resonate with women.”
• Which leads to money … every business must pay attention to the money! Christine Odle shared, “Not having a clue what the money / numbers is telling them. Too much time focusing on sales & marketing, not enough time focusing on income and expenses. And, most importantly the proper way to pay yourself as a business owner.”

4. Avoiding Leadership Responsibilities and Possibilities

• Also the topic of leadership and communication came up. Trish Springsteen said the lack of communication and not speaking up was an issue. Melody Stevens also mentioned, “Lack of communication, throwing noodles at the wall instead of intense focus on core competencies.”
• Tony Malyk wrote a thoughtful response that’s worth repeating, “While writing my book I spent a lot of time reflecting on the 1000+ meetings I had with over 100 business owners and it became very clear that their leadership skills was the bottleneck of their business. They struggle with communication, delegation, motivation and often lack vision. So to answer your question directly, the one thing that frustrates me about business owners is when they blame everything and everyone around them for their frustrations instead of working on their own leadership. Business owners who do work and invest in their leadership tend to have dynamic and successful businesses.”
• Janet Zaretsky wants to remind business owners not to ignore what seems to be insignificant instances that could blow up to be something much worse if ignored. She cited an instance where a female partner ignored a sexist comment and is now suffering the consequences of not nipping that in the bud when it first happened.
• Similarly, Jennifer Sieck encourages business owners to trust their intuition on how to build their business. She encourages us to not give away our power by believing in one-size-fits-all methods. This is so true. Just because some guru makes it sound so easy if you follow their 10-step program, doesn’t mean that is what your business needs right now.

5. Having a Mindset that’s Working Against You

• Christel Crawford generated an interesting topic on feeling some entrepreneurs are not choosing to succeed. Do you feel this could be true for you? Success is a choice! Do what you need to do to stop whatever it is that’s holding you back from success and get help if you need it. Our minds can play serious games on us that interfere with forward movement success.
• In the same light, which could be very much related, Kelley Lee Rexroad asks entrepreneurs to stop treating their business like a hobby. You’re not going to reach your goals if it always takes second fiddle with too many distractions getting in your way.
• Erica Ross-Krieger cautions: “Holding onto the money mindset that got them to the current level and not seeing that the next level of success requires them to shift their mindset first.”
• Kristie Purner shares seeing unsuccessful entrepreneurs mindlessly following gurus without thinking if it’s right for them first.
• Connie Mundy-Talbot sadly sees too many trying too hard and not believing in themselves
• Joan Bell observes entrepreneurs not believing in themselves to the point where they second-guess their every move. Which is sad because it often leads to giving up.

What are your thoughts? Did any of this resonate with you?

Aside from possibly hiring any of these coaches to help you along the way, here are some recommended books to read. There are plenty of others but this will help tremendously:

Related resources:

Past Tea Time Tip Shows

Recommended Reading:

• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Business Don’t Work and What to Do About it (Michael Gerber)
• Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)
• Think and Grow Rich for Women: Using Your Power to Create Success and Significance (Sharon L. Lechter)
• The Thank You Economy (Gary Vaynerchuk)
• Start With Why (Simon Sinek)
• Content Marketing for PR (Trevor Young)
• The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win (Leif Babin, Jocko Willink)
• Marketing Rebellion: The Most Human Company Wins (Mark W. Schaefer)
• Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen (Rita McGrath)
• The Small Business HR Crash Course (Katherine Hartvickson)
• Connected Strategy: Building Continuous Customer Relationships for Competitive Advantage (Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch)
• Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs (John Doerr)
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert Cialdini)
• Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don’t (Simon Sinek)
• Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! (Robert Kiyosaki)
• Success and Something Greater: Your Magic Key (Official Publication of the Napoleon Hill Foundation) (Sharon L. Lechter)
• Clone Yourself: Build a Team that Understands Your Vision (Jeff Hilderman)
• The One Page Business Plan: Start with a Vision, Build a Company! [With CDROM] (Jim Horan)
• Leaky Bucket of Profits: Plug the Holes That Drain Your Business of Cash, Profits & Your Happiness (Tony Malyk)
• Business Planning 101, A Simple Guide to Writing a Business Plan (Pamela Chatry) Complementary if you need a simple approach to writing a plan and getting organized. Email Pamela from her website.

About the Author, Susan Friesen

Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, and founder of British Columbia’s premiere boutique web development and digital marketing agency, eVision Media.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, she is an expert in helping businesses establish their online presence and create a strong brand identity.

Her passion for empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners to succeed in the digital world has earned her a reputation as a leading authority in the branding and marketing industry.

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