Focus your effort on everything that will make you money (getting more clients and testimonials) and outsource all of the miscellaneous tasks that take away time from making money such as accounting and record keeping.

No one person can be excellent at everything, so spend your time doing what you do best. You may be remarkable at starting or leading a business but weak at day-to-day affairs. Remember, you have options when it comes to tasks such as bookkeeping, marketing, and sales; you can always hire an outside expert.

Clear, direct, and consistent focus on a specific, narrow audience is critical.

It can be tempting to try to create a product or service that will appeal to anyone and everyone. You can’t be all things to all people. If you try your product or service will end up getting lost or overlooked. Successful business owners explore niche markets, or subsets of markets, and how to focus on those to find success.

Ideally, you could start with an idea of what you want your business to look like, and get it to market quickly and easily. However, it doesn’t always work out that way, so be willing to adapt by coming up with many ideas and testing them out. Don’t even expect that every idea will work out. Be willing to experiment, keep exploring until you discover what works best for you.

Stay curious when other business professionals or mentors offer advice. Listen intently and try to understand what the person is trying to tell you. It’s worth your time as you may gain some valuable knowledge related to your business. You should still use your sound sense of judgment to decide if the advice makes sense to you and your situation, but at least you’ll have gained some insight.

Take a hard look at your options before hiring your family member to work for you. It can create issues with other coworkers, as some other team members may feel your family members have underserved privileges. Working together can lead to tensions between family members and even ruin relationships if things don’t work out as planned.   

This same piece of advice applies to hiring your spouse or significant other. Think long and hard if you’re considering starting a business as a couple, not every couple can work together.

As a general rule, it is better not to partner with a friend. It can be terrible for business and end the friendship. Just as it can be difficult to navigate business terms with a family member, it’s the same with a friend. Your safest bet is to stay away and keep your friendships separate from your work relationships.  

Business owners face many challenges, but by following these simple small business tips you can avoid falling into these common pitfalls.