3 Simple Mistakes to Avoid When Starting a Business

Starting a business is both exciting and challenging. There’s no perfect roadmap, but after years of starting and scaling businesses, I've learned that some mistakes are more common—and more avoidable—than others. Below are three simple mistakes to avoid when starting your entrepreneurial journey.

1. Overthinking and Overanalyzing Every Detail

Having a business plan is essential. You need a roadmap for where you want to go, a clear sense of the problems you aim to solve, and how you'll approach your market. However, it’s easy to get stuck overthinking every little aspect.

The reality? You will never have all the answers upfront, and part of what makes a business successful is the ability to adapt on the fly. Some of my most valuable lessons came from just getting started, falling down, and learning how to get back up. For example, in one of my earliest venture, I spent months fine-tuning, planning, and overthinking details about websites, titles, and other details before launch. But the real learning and growth only happened after we started getting client feedback and really seeing what was working for us as a firm and what areas were really a distraction. You don’t need perfection; you need momentum.

Key Tip: Have a plan but be flexible. Know the direction, but don't overanalyze. Execution matters more than perfection.

2. Picking the Wrong Partner

Starting a business is often exciting, and many times we make decisions driven by that excitement, including choosing the wrong partner. In my experience, this can be one of the most critical mistakes.

I've had situations where my business partner seemed like the perfect fit for the venture. But when it came to the behind-the-scenes work like organization, problem-solving, and communication, they were simply the wrong fit the time and space we were entering. Also, what is critical is making sure that partners you chose have the financial baseline as well for scale and growth. One thing that was a challenge was having a partner who had a poor credit score - that created complexity in securing loans, leases, and other business basics as we scaled. So, picking the right partner means choosing someone who complements your weaknesses and brings real value to the table.

At the same time, the right partners can really be the foundation of growth and long-term success.

Key Tip: Look beyond the excitement. Consider the long-term and assess whether your partner has the maturity, commitment, and skill set to grow alongside you.

3. Being Afraid to Pivot

The entrepreneurial journey is never a straight line. Mistakes will happen. You might pick the wrong partner, your initial idea may not resonate with customers, or market conditions might change. The ability to pivot is crucial.

Early on, I was too afraid to make changes, even when it was obvious things weren’t working. It was fear of failure, fear of having that tough conversation, or fear of uncertainty. But the truth is, the businesses that thrive are the ones that aren't afraid to pivot, make changes, and adapt quickly.

Key Tip: Be ready to pivot. Don’t hesitate to course-correct when necessary. Growth and improvement often come from making difficult decisions and adapting to change.

"Starting a business isn’t about avoiding failure—it's about learning from it and adapting quickly. Focus on progress over perfection, choose the right people, and never be afraid to pivot."