Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make (and How to Avoid Them)

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Starting something new feels like standing at the edge of a cliff. There’s excitement, fear, hope, and doubt, all at once.

Especially when you're stepping into entrepreneurship, and while mistakes are part of the deal (they teach us fast), some are just... avoidable.

So let’s talk about a few of the most common ones, and how to sidestep them:

Trying to do everything yourself.

You don’t have to wear every hat. Delegating (or delaying) can save your sanity.

I struggle with this myself, I think we all at least like to think we can and therefore try to do everything ourselves, and it can do wonders for learning and getting experience in every aspect of your life.

But it’s not a long-term solution because either you burn out or the work starts suffering and losing quality.

My advice? Sure, try doing everything at least once for the sake of knowing how to. It might even work for you if you focus on 1 thing only, but when the work starts piling up, please get help.

-> Make a list of all the things you are in charge of. Reflect on the load you are putting on yourself, maybe it’s time for a change..?

Obsessing over the “perfect” brand.

Done is better than perfect, and I know I’m always saying that on the livestreams but seriously, launch first, polish later.

Can’t tell how much less time it took me to create the ProfitZine’s second website in comparison with the first one (that was more about my freelance work).

Ended up much more satisfied with the new one also, and analytically it performs much, much better. Meaning, take action!

You will learn so much faster aka getting a lot better when you take action sooner than later. We can theorize all we want but we never know for sure until we try.

-> Be honest. Do you have a dream/business/product brewing in your head for months if not years now? - Let the world see it!

Underestimating how long things take.

Everything takes longer than you think. Plan for that. Patience is part of the profit.

Even today I still make wrong guesses about the time something will take me, sure I’m a lot more accurate because of repetition but still, always count on it.

My advice? Plan your days on a short list. Then you make another list with the not urgent tasks you take care of when you’re finished with the must-get-done tasks for each day.

-> Try this. Put a timer every time you start a new task. Is the fastest way I know to get really good, real quick, on planning.

Ignoring marketing because it feels “salesy.”

If no one knows you exist, no one buys from you so you need to learn to show up, consistently.

This was a hard truth for me, I really needed to get into sales and marketing somehow because I was going to be my own boss but I did not want to.

At first was a whole thing, I did not understand sales, I only witnessed very bad examples of sellers, always with the impression they were just tricking people to make money.

I did not have the right mindset, or realize that selling something is solving a problem for someone else, but as soon as I got that part solved, it was just doing, doing, doing.

My Advice? Learn marketing as soon as possible, get a job as a setter, and just get your hands dirty with selling and marketing because there’s no better way of learning than practice.

-> If you can’t “get your hands dirty” you can listen to industry experts on a ton of podcasts these days. There’s no excuse for not learning.…

Thinking revenue means success.

Cash flow is what keeps you alive so track it and respect it.

Revenue does look good in presentations and it’s great for marketing purposes but don’t forget what really matters!

This is the golden first big level: having a steady and growing (almost guaranteed) cash flow. And when we talk cash flow, we talk profit, after taxes…

This is where your life will change the most. Worth reminding that making money is one thing, keeping it and growing it is another, so no matter how much you have don’t spend it all!

My advice? If you have 3 bucks, use 1, invest 1, and save 1. Of course, you adjust this to your main goals, and it’s always nice to use the 1 by giving it away.

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Last Thoughts:

Most of us make at least one of these mistakes. And it’s fine. They are all part of the game, and you learn and grow with every mistake you make.

Entrepreneurship isn’t a test you pass — it’s a skill you build.

Start small, stay flexible, and don’t be afraid to shift your approach.

You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to keep going.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." – Winston Churchill

-> Ask yourself, “What am I doing that someone else could do 80% as well as me?” That’s your first delegate.

See you in a week.

Your Zine.