If you are starting your own business there are many ways in which you can fail in your endeavour. However it is possible to avoid the major pitfalls simply by taking the time to research how to start up a small business and utilising all of the advice that is available to you. The more you know about the processes to start a small business and how to run one, the less likely you will be to find any surprises along the way that could put your business in jeopardy.

Your planning should actually start with assessing yourself and whether you are the right sort of person to successfully start up a business. This is particularly important if you are planning on going into business on your own. You can start by asking whether you have the drive and determination you need to be an entrepreneur as well as whether you have the skills you require. As well as business specific skills you also need to consider your ability to organise and plan. Within any business there will be many decisions to be made and how you make your decisions can significantly affect how well your business does. Use all of the questionnaires and tools at your disposal in order to honestly assess yourself.

Your planning will also need to encompass establishing whether your idea can be turned into a viable business opportunity by assessing the market demand and also the competition that you will be up against. You will have to decide how to market your business so that it stands out from the rest and so you will need an effective marketing strategy. Again, make sure that you use all of the tools and advice available to ensure you are heading in the right direction.

The biggest planning element though centres around finance. Not only will you have to calculate the costs associated with starting up your business, you will also have to identify how you are going to obtain the funding you need to cover those start-up costs and then calculate your forecasted business performance in order to assess whether you will be able to meet the repayments. You do not have to start with a blank sheet of paper to do this though as there are calculators and questionnaires that will provide you with the financial elements that you will need to assess along with advice about the funding options that are available to you.