The 10 Most Common Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs

Rated: 5

Nice and informative video, part of the 2010 conference on Entrepreneurship, held at Standford Graduate School of Business. Here you can learn about the top 10 mistakes made by entrepreneurs around the world. This will help you improve your entrepreneurial skills and gain some experience from some great lecturers and experts on this topic. Some of the mistakes are really easy to avoid if you knew about them previously. If you are a beginner in business, I highly recommend to take the time and watch this video. It’s around an hour long, but it will be a nice invested hour, if you are serious about business.

We will publish some more great lectures from this conference, which you should be able to find in the “Entrepreneur School” category of the site.



Starting a business is a challenging endeavour, and most entrepreneurs experience their share of bumps in the road. Understanding where you may have gone wrong can help you to avoid costly errors in the future. Here are some mistakes made by entrepreneurs.

1. Not doing enough research: Before launching a business, it’s important to thoroughly research the marketplace, competition, and potential customer base. This includes analyzing the competition as well as analyzing your own product and target market. Without this valuable information, it’s hard to make informed decisions about your business.

2. Not starting with a business plan: Having a comprehensive business plan is essential for the success of any business. A plan can help entrepreneurs to determine the financial requirements of their venture, identify which markets to target, and set clear objectives. A plan also outlines the steps to be taken to meet these objectives, and provides a timeline for when key tasks should be completed.

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3. Underestimating startup costs: It’s easy for entrepreneurs to underestimate the cost of starting a business, especially if they have not previously conducted extensive market research. Be sure to include all costs associated with launching a business in your business plan, such as branding, advertising, legal, and office rent.

4. Failing to build a network: Finding potential customers, investors, and partners is much easier when you have a strong network. Establishing relationships with industry insiders and influential people who can act as mentors and advocates can help to boost your business’s success.

5. Not having a clear vision: Many entrepreneurs enter into a new venture without having a clear vision of what they want to achieve. Having a clear idea of what you want your business to be and how it will develop over time is essential. Establishing both short and long-term goals is important for the success of any business.

6. Lack of focus: With so many tasks to complete, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Sticking to one goal at a time will help you to stay focused and on track.

7. Not learning from mistakes: Mistakes are inevitable when launching a new business, but it’s important to learn from them. Not taking the time to reflect on what went right or wrong can lead to costly errors in the future, so be sure to identify successes and failures and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Overall, starting a business requires hard work and dedication. By avoiding these common mistakes and learning from your experiences, you can ensure that your venture is successful.