Why Sales is the Key to Surviving the First Year of Entrepreneurship

The first year of entrepreneurship can be both exhilarating and overwhelming. It’s a time marked by high motivation but low knowledge, leaving new business owners to face a steep learning curve. You're juggling everything—product development, technology, marketing, finances, customer service, and distribution. With so many plates spinning at once, it’s easy to overlook or shy away from the most critical element of your business’s survival: sales. And yet, for many first-time entrepreneurs, especially those without a sales background, this is often the plate they try to avoid.

The Early Trap of "Busywork"

In the emerging phase of building a business, it’s easy to focus on tasks that feel productive but don’t directly generate revenue. You might be tempted to spend your time perfecting the look and feel of your website, designing business cards, or tweaking operational processes. These activities certainly have value in the long run, but in the short term, they don’t put money in the bank. The harsh truth is, without consistent revenue, your business is on borrowed time.

The early stage is where many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of busywork. This refers to tasks that give the illusion of progress but don't actually move the needle where it matters—your bottom line. It’s no coincidence that a significant portion of businesses—around 20%—fail within the first year, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. More often than not, the reason is a lack of focus on revenue-generating activities.

Why Entrepreneurs Avoid Sales

So why do so many entrepreneurs avoid sales, the lifeblood of any business? Often, it boils down to discomfort and fear. Selling requires putting yourself out there, facing rejection, and stepping into an area that many feel ill-prepared for. If you’ve never been in a sales role before, the idea of pitching your product or service to a customer might feel intimidating. As a result, you turn to tasks that feel safer—tasks that don’t expose you to the discomfort of a “no” from a prospect.

But here's the thing: avoiding sales doesn’t eliminate the discomfort—it only delays it. In fact, the longer you avoid it, the bigger the problem becomes. Every day spent on non-sales tasks in the early phase of your business is a day that your financial runway shortens. Avoiding sales leads to inconsistency in your cash flow, and inconsistency breeds doubt, fatigue, and eventually, failure.

Sales is More Than Just Revenue

It’s important to recognize that sales is not just about generating immediate cash flow. In the emerging phase, every sale is a small victory that validates your business concept. Each sale shows that there’s demand for what you’re offering, helping you refine your value proposition and better understand your market. The process of engaging with customers, learning their pain points, and adapting your pitch is invaluable. It provides real-world feedback that you can’t get from behind a desk, tweaking internal systems or building a perfect website.

Sales also builds momentum. When you close a deal, no matter how small, it’s a win that creates energy. That momentum helps you push through the tough days. It boosts your confidence and gives you something tangible to build on. Momentum in sales is contagious—it motivates your team, attracts new customers, and helps generate word-of-mouth referrals. It’s a snowball effect that can turn an emerging business into a thriving one, but only if you embrace the discomfort and commit to sales early on.

Mastering Sales Without a Background

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you need to be a natural-born salesperson to be successful in sales. The truth is, sales is a skill like any other—it can be learned and mastered with the right mindset and approach.

Start by developing a consistent routine around sales activities. This could be making a certain number of cold calls each day, following up with leads, attending networking events, or simply reaching out to past clients. Consistency is the key here. Sales is not a one-off event; it’s an ongoing process of building relationships, nurturing leads, and staying top-of-mind with your customers.

The beauty of sales in the emerging phase is that you don’t need to be perfect—you just need to be persistent. Customers don’t expect a flawless pitch; they expect authenticity, honesty, and solutions to their problems. Lean into the idea of being a problem solver rather than a product pusher. This mindset shift can make sales feel more natural and less transactional.

The High Cost of Avoiding Sales

When entrepreneurs hide from sales, the consequences can be catastrophic. Without consistent revenue, businesses quickly run out of cash. It doesn’t matter how innovative your product is or how beautiful your website looks—without sales, those things become irrelevant.

Consider this: You’ve invested time, money, and energy into launching your business, but every day you avoid selling, you’re losing precious momentum. Worse, you’re losing the opportunity to learn and grow as a business owner. Sales teaches you about your customers, your market, and even your own resilience. Avoiding it not only starves your business of cash, but it also starves you of the lessons you need to grow.

Sales = Survival

Ultimately, sales in the emerging phase isn’t just a priority—it’s survival. The phrase “cash is king” couldn’t be more relevant in your first year. It’s tempting to hide behind busywork, but it’s essential to remember that sales is what keeps your business alive and moving forward.

Even if you’ve never sold anything before, sales is a skill you must embrace. It’s what will get you out of the emerging phase quickly. By focusing on revenue-generating activities, you’ll avoid the trap of inconsistency, build momentum, and most importantly, give your business the oxygen it needs to survive and thrive.

There’s an old saying: "Being broke is a condition, but being poor is a mindset." Your financial struggles in the emerging phase are temporary if you focus on the right activities—primarily, sales. Sales is the activity that will fix the condition of being broke. It’s what will move you from merely surviving to thriving.

Take Action: Stop Hiding and Start Selling

As an emerging entrepreneur, the best advice is simple but powerful: stop hiding and start selling. Step out of your comfort zone, make the calls, have the meetings, and pitch your product. The discomfort you feel around sales will fade with time, but the lessons and momentum you gain from embracing it will carry your business through its most challenging phase.

Remember, in the world of entrepreneurship, sales isn’t just a task—it’s the engine that drives your business. And the sooner you fuel that engine, the faster you’ll leave the emerging phase behind.

Partnering with Experts for Success

For entrepreneurs looking to master sales and accelerate growth, partnering with the right guidance and training can be the game-changer you need. At Mattson Enterprise, we specialize in helping entrepreneurs, sales teams, and business owners develop the skills and strategies needed to excel in sales. Our proven methodologies, drawn from decades of experience, have helped countless businesses overcome early-stage hurdles and thrive.

If you're ready to take your business to the next level and unlock the potential of effective sales strategies, contact Mattson Enterprise today. Whether you need personalized coaching, virtual training, or hands-on sales support, we’re here to help you grow with confidence.

Visit Mattson Enterprise Inc. to learn more about how we can support your entrepreneurial journey.