Question: What's one thing you wish you'd done before starting a business?
Question: What's one thing you wish you'd done before starting a business?
Save More Money
"I didn't plan the timing of the creation of my first business, and only being out of college for a couple years and having recently bought a home, I had little in savings to act as a safety net. Fortunately, this made me hungry to succeed. Unfortunately, it also gave me a lot of undue stress! "
@DarrahB
Work in an Entrepreneurial Environment
"Working in a small business within an entrepreneurial environment is great practice for launching your own startup. It allows you to learn what it takes to run a successful business, without having to make all of the decisions and bear all of the responsibility. It’s a great way to prepare to be an entrepreneur without all the stress that goes along with actually starting your own business. "
@EarlyGrowthFS
Don't Waste Time or Money on Irrelevant Things
"I moved too fast on trying to organize the business structure around an idea that wasn't a business yet. By doing this, I rushed into partnerships and later had to buy out these partners because it didn't work out. This would have saved money and a lot of unnecessary work. "
@andykaruza
Work in Management
"The biggest regret I have is not having any management experience. I have made so many people mistakes -- like hiring the wrong person, not setting clear expectations, not giving feedback, and then not letting someone go soon enough. I wish I had more training and much more experience before I was experimenting with my own company. It would have saved me many stomachaches and sleepless nights. "
@sarah_schupp
Become a Power Reddit User
"Earning street credibility on Reddit is a hard-earned process that takes time and genuine enthusiasm. I wish I had been deeply involved in one of the many awesome health-related subreddits big time."
@thederek
Outsource Bookkeeping
"I wish I had looped in an accounting firm that could do our books from day one. Doing our accounting in QuickBooks was a nightmare. It took so much time and was a completely worthless skill set. You should absolutely understand accounting and finance, but bookkeeping is something you should always outsource. Your time as a founder is better spent building your product or service, not bookkeeping."
@chuckcohn
Wander Intellectually and Professionally
"People are in a rush to stay on the path to success. It's a winding path, and stepping off the path helps prepare you for entrepreneurial challenges. I wish I'd spent a year picking fruit in New Zealand, fishing in Alaska or doing door-to-door sales. A diversity of jobs and experiences have prepared me much more for the uncertainty of startup life (and life in general) than any business class."
@mitchgordongo
