10 Business Surprises that Shouldn’t be Surprises

1: You get what you pay for. 

You think this would be a no brainer, but yet people are still surprised by this. 

Time and time again, new business owners are looking for the cheapest way to do things when getting started. 

I mean, I understand why. When you are starting out you may not have as much funds, maybe think you can do it yourself, or don’t see the value of the other options. 

My advice. 

Take some time to do the math and properly weigh your options. 

Ask yourself: 

• Why is this cheaper? 
• Will I be upgrading to the more expensive option in a year’s time? 

Oftentimes cheaper options lead to incurring more costs. Whether it is fixing mistakes and paying twice over for the same thing or not having key information available when you need to make better decisions. You’re often better off with one of the options you label “too expensive” at the start. 

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;2. It takes you longer than you think it will…

Thriving and successful businesses aren’t built overnight. They take a lot of work to get off the ground and get in motion. If you think the below will happen right away, maybe think again and start building a realistic timeline. 

1. To get revenue 
2. To hire the right people 
3. To get funding 
4. To scale to the next level 
5. Did I mention…get funding? 

Yes, I did mention getting funding. Twice. This can take way longer than people expect, and is a major contributor to stress experienced by capital intensive start ups. For some, you can’t build your company and hire the right people to help you scale and get revenue, if you have no funding to start. 

3: You need help and cannot do it alone. 

I did mention hiring the right people? 

Don’t hire your uncle just because he needs a job and you need help. If you are looking for a Marketing Manager, or an Accountant, whatever the role is, take the time to interview qualified people and see if they are a good fit for what you are building.

Remember this:  Qualifications are important, but also making sure the right attitude and cultural fit with your business is equally important. Equally it is important to understand that not all people are a good fit for #startup life. Most actually aren’t. Just because your family and friends were successful working in larger organizations, doesn’t mean that they can hack it at yours.

4: Taking too long to fix things can cost you more. 

It’s always worth trying to fix an issue yourself. Especially when it’s a quick fix and you have the know-how. But there’s a fine line between troubleshooting and spending three hours Googling a problem that should have taken 20 minutes.

The longer an issue goes unresolved, the more it can cost you in lost time, productivity, and potentially bigger problems down the road. So, give it a shot, but know when to call it. If you’ve tried the obvious fixes and the problem is clearly outside your scope, bringing in the right help sooner can save you money (and a lot of frustration) in the long run.

Sometimes the most efficient solution is admitting, “Yep, this is above my pay grade,” and handing it off to someone who knows exactly what they’re doing.

5. You need to hold people accountable much more than you thought you would. 

Sometimes you gotta hold people’s hands, even when you don’t want to. Holding people accountable is hard. Especially if you are in a remote environment and you don’t physically see them working on the daily.

But at the end of the day, we all signed up for our jobs, so we gotta do them. Just make sure when you are holding people accountable you ask yourself the following: 

• Have I clearly laid out the expectations of the job? 
• Does this person have the right support they need to be successful in their role?
• Do they know and understand their roles and responsibilities?   

If you say no to any of these, it’s not a failure on your part… or theirs necessarily. But it means you need to have some clear conversations and create structures to ensure these can be appropriately addressed. 

If the answer is yes and they still aren’t doing their job. Holding them accountable is key. But again, make sure you have the right framework in place to hold them accountable. A RACI chart that outlines roles and responsibilities goes a long way. As well with a clear performance management program to get people back on track. 

6: Surprises happen at the worst time and typically in threes. 

Birthday surprises are fun. Surprised you have a huge unexpected cost, or are suddenly losing an important employee? Not as fun. 

Unexpected surprises can fuel critical business decisions that help make your business better. We can only learn from surprises and the things that happen around us and plan better for the future. 

You will never have a crystal ball that will show you every surprise coming your way. But you can build yourself a business that can endure and survive any surprise that comes your way. 

7: Yes, people can really be horrid. 

Wanting to see the good in people and expect that everyone has good intentions sounds really nice. But sometimes people really are just awful. 

Yes, we are going to give people the benefit of the doubt, and assume good before bad. But don’t let it be a surprise if every now and then, whether an employee, customer, or partner turns around and is horrid to you, your business, or team. 

Unfortunately you cannot always foresee issues coming, and frankly it sucks. But don’t let it fester and don’t dwell on it. You’ll likely have more of these situations over the years to come. Use them as an opportunity to learn and make improvements in your business.

8: No one will ever be as driven as you are about your business…ever. 

You are the best person to sell your business because of this. Afterall, you know exactly what you are selling, how you want it sold, and why it is so important for the world.

This isn’t to say you can’t train people to do this for you. But at the end of the day, you are your business’ best spokesperson. 

My advice? Make sure you put the effort into creating a fun and appreciative work culture. That goes a long way to promoting a happy and successful team that does care to the (near) level you do.

9: There will always be too much on your plate and unless you are building a lifestyle business… you’ll never get it all done or have a peaceful vacation until you can get things going. 

Nothing wrong with a lifestyle business and I am sure they’ve also got lots on their plate. But assuming that now that you are “your own boss”, you will have so much free time… you might be living in a fantasy world. 

Building a business will take more time and energy than you probably have, and you need to be prepared for that. Learn to prioritize. Stay focused on the most important things.

10: Yes, it’s worth it. 

Don’t look at this as a list of complaints.

Take this as a reality checklist or warning. Building a business will take a lot out of you and your life. But in the end it can be one of the most rewarding things you ever do. The things you learn, the relationships you build make it all worth it. 

Yes, it will be hard. Yes, sometimes it costs more. Yes, it takes longer. And yes, one thing for sure is that people will drive you absolutely insane! 

Ask me again… yes I would do it all over again if I had to. The rewards certainly outweigh the challenges. We’ll save the rewards for another post…