When you work either part-time or full-time but wish to also start a small business of your own to see where it takes you, then it can seem like you’ll have to climb a mountain to move ahead. Don’t be discouraged though as there are many skills from the employed world that are transferrable.

Here are four hurdles to overcome when starting a small side business.

Getting Rid of ‘Imposter Syndrome’

Almost everyone, unless they have serious previous experience or are supremely confident in themselves, ends up feeling like an imposter in their own business at the beginning.

It’s difficult to not feel that way because you may have only worked in large businesses before, so a one-person operation may feel too small to you. Or, you just find it difficult to put yourself out there and present the business as a valid entity.

The reality is that you must get past ‘Imposter Syndrome’. The best way to do this is to accept that to make the first sales and build some momentum, it’s necessary to display confidence in your goods or services. Otherwise, no one will buy from you. Your doubt becomes their doubt! Therefore, fake it until you can make it if it comes to that.

Failing to Present a Professional Image

When you’ve not run a small side business before, then it’s easy to be too lackadaisical about it.

It’s possible to print your letters and mock-up a letterhead, but what you can produce on a home laser or inkjet printer won’t look very professional. Above all else, the smaller you are, the more professional it’s necessary to appear.

Accordingly, it makes sense to get proper stationery printing to look the part. The higher the quality, the better. Also, if you’re doing marketing and plan to send out or hand out leaflets, then reliable leaflet printing is necessary to make a strong first impression. Using a reliable printing facility like Butterfly Print And Design sets you on the right road for success.

Not Stopping Being a Perfectionist

While paying keen attention to detail is extremely useful in many roles within a business, it can also lead to serious issues. Namely, a first product never gets launched or is seriously delayed because a decision-maker insisted it wasn’t good enough to go to market.

There’s a big difference between a product being good but not having every feature of a competitor’s product versus one that’s low quality and shouldn’t be released. It’s important to recognise this key difference.

Perfectionism has ruined thousands of new businesses that never went anywhere because the founder wouldn’t allow it. Understand that there are multiple iterations of most products released to the marketplace – rarely does any company stick to version 1.0 alone – and your business won’t be any different.

Being Underfunded from the Start

Without sufficient funding to pursue the goals that the founder has, then it’s almost not worth getting going in the first place. It can so seriously hamper the progress of the business that it barely even gets out of the starting gate.

Certainly, it’s critically important to correctly assess what funds a business will require to pursue its goals. When there is less capital available, then the business plan must reflect this reality otherwise it will never work out.

Consider all approaches to getting the necessary funding. This might be a business loan, gaining the interest of venture capital or angel investors, or waiting until there are more savings built up to invest in the business. All of these solutions can result in a more favourable outcome.

When having overcome all the major hurdles to starting a business, then the first year is less turbulent than it would otherwise have been. That’s not to say it’s easy but it’s survivable!