*Why Should You Join H2i Top up earn*

👉 *To gain Financial and Time Freedom*
👉 *Another Source of Income*
👉 *To get Recharges with ease*
👉 *To help Empower Others to Be Financially Free.*

*Advantages of H2i Top Up Over Other Companies*

👉  *A viable product (MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9Mobile; DSTv, GOTv, Startimes)*

👉 *Bank withdrawal available in your local account within 24 hours*
👉  *Dual earnings for life (VTU and referrals)...even while you sleep.*
👉 *Payment on every registration you do*
👉 *Payment on any transaction your downlines do*

*- and much more...*
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If everything goes to plan, children will grow into adults but what is not readily recognized and accepted in our society is that adults carry the information they downloaded at childhood with them. The character most people develop by 20 is very difficult to change unless there is some radical change in their circumstance or environment — yet, the basic persona is there.

In the last decade we have seen an alarming increase in suicides, attempted suicides and murder as well. Many have quickly opined that these incidences are just a reflection of what has always happened in our society. I disagree.

The introduction of cable television in the early 90s in Nigeria has changed our society meaning part of a generation has been born with access to Western lifestyle which includes a tendency to glamourize violence and you guessed it — suicide as well. Let’s leave the promotion of sex and drugs for another time.

Some might argue that even till now, many Nigerians don’t have access to cable television and I agree. However, what many cannot get via cable, they can get with a set of DVDs costing as little as N100 each. Look around you, the average Nigerian youth is hooked on some American or foreign series — they call them ‘season films’. This content is rapidly dumping the mindset of the West in Nigerian youths without the support structure present in those countries (no matter how flawed they are).

Let me explain in a way that people might understand. So, a 16-year-old girl starts acting like a rebellious American kid, this will not make her parents, typical Americans, neither will it change Lagos to Los Angeles. In essence, the girl is exhibiting traits the Nigerian society doesn’t readily accept. Then, frustration begins to set in, her Western dogma tells her frustrated people usually commit suicide. To kill yourself is not easy but she reads on social media how certain people died taking certain things and it begins to look attractive.

Yes, we all get sad and depressed at some points in our lives. At this point, it is so easy for the young person to commit suicide and even write letters seeking validation and justification.

Our “yuppie” analysts give it — “Depression is real” “You don’t understand what people are going through”. Biko, be quiet for a while, some of our ancestors went through 100 years of war, others slavery, they didn’t start committing suicide for “I don’t like my life reasons”. I condemn all forms of suicide but the ones that existed in our culture in the past had certain complexities attached which I still find unjustifiable. For example, a King should not have to commit suicide, better face your enemies and die in battle.

*The Black and White Truth👁️👁️*

In my little knowledge, understanding and experience in Network Marketing Business.

 I 've realised those who do well and become  leaders that people follow, are those who figure their *WHY /REASON...* before /after saying YES to an Opportunity.

Don't be deceived or cajoled by anyone that it is easy at the beginning. No and I mean capital NO.

But the irony of it is, it is a very simple business worth dying for, if you know what to do, learning under a good leadership or Team is key.

A lazy person can't succeed in NMB...
A procrastinator can't even climb a step....
A person who sees excuses can't even get a 🏅 medal....
A fraudulent person can't go far...
A liar will fail after few months of getting started...
A proud leader will fall flat after getting to the top.
A greedy person will remain stagnant.
A distracted/unstable/unfocused  person will keep trying all new Network in town.

If there is any gold advice I can give... I will say👇👇

Know your biggest *WHY?* Why did you join network marketing business. Why do you want to change your life? It is your *WHY* that pushes you and edges you towards the crown of glory in the industry. Discover your  *WHY* and get things done quickly.

Have a strong *WHY*  to get a PASSION for SUCCESS 💖

 *TINUXY INSPIRES*
 *Telecoms

The entrepreneur.

The only part they told us about entrepreneurship was that we would be our own bosses.
They never told us that we would fail many times before we succeed.
They never told us that we would work 5 times more than our employees and sometimes make losses in the process.
They never told us that this would cripple our credit score. That we will be in debt and owe alot of people money.
No one said anything about the sleepless nights trying to figure out a way forward.
No one told us about the stress and anxiety.
No one told us that this will cause conflict between us and our relatives and family members.
No one told us that we would be jokes to the society especially when we start changing from one business to another.
No one told us that sometimes we will go six months without any income. Zero. Living on the edge and surviving through borrowing money from different people.
No one told us that our doors would be shut down due failure to pay rent or staff, they can’t get to work.
No one told us we would be hobos at some point.
No one told us that our wives,  husbands and boyfriend's would leave us because they will not understand our journey.
No one told us that we will have to be more than patient.
That we would make so many mistakes and end up losing alot of money.
That at some point we would have to risk our lives in order to move forward.
We had to figure this out all by ourselves, through experience.
Many gave up on the journey.
Some died on the journey.
But some of us, after going through so much pain, decided that we were going to succeed or die trying .
Some of us are never giving up on this no matter what. We are now doing it and very aware of the circumstances.
It's win or nothing for us and it's too late to go back now.
We are entrepreneur.
DONT BE IDLE DO SOMETHING, AGAIN AND AGAIN. Stay blessed

*CHARGE FOR TODAY*

In every success story, the longest chapter is the one about determination to stay focus.

I believe by now should have crossed your T's and dot your i's on your goals for the year.


We need to consistently focus on what we want and we need to realize that without a constant focus on what we aim at for the year. Oops, you may be disappointed at the last month of the year that you missed your targets.

Have you ever ask yourself where all the good yearly resolutions disappeared to in a couple of months into the year?

Distraction becloud your focus and zapped you of your zeal to hit your set targets and desires.

The key to dealing with stress and frustration on your journey through the year is to stay focus.

Focus generates unimaginable force to overcome obstacles and challenges. It is a much needed virtue to attaining success.

So if success is that which you are aiming at this new year then *FOCUS* is a must have virtue for you.

I will submit by saying, get your focus right, keep to it and in no time you will have your target in your hand.


 _*...To your Financial Success*_
 *Team Mercy. 
_*Raising Millionaires*

_Come to think about it, Many Nigeria employees earn less and spend more. That is why an employee works for years without achieving something tangible.

You need to change your mindset from working as an employee to becoming an entrepreneur.... I am going to practically give you some wonderful package about "Leveraging" as a key to becoming a successful entrepreneur.

So what’s this got to do with Business? That’s a good question. Let me explain…
Leverage is a general term for any technique to multiply gains and losses. By applying the concept and the power of leverage you can achieve a lot more in both your business and life. Without the power of leverage your rewards are restricted to only the amount of work or energy you put into a task. You may work tirelessly but your rewards are limited to that work and you would have to continue to expend that amount of energy and time to produce the same or similar results.

OK, so are you saying I can work less and get greater rewards? Give me an example of the power of leverage…
People

Mary Kay has built an empire by engaging the aspirations and energy of like minded women.

“I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.” -J. Paul Getty, American Industrialist

Education

Why not learn from others. You can avoid learning from the “mistakes” called experience if you are willing to learn from others who have already made those same mistakes.

“Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune” – Jim Rohn

“If you want to go somewhere, it is best to find someone who has already been there.” -Robert Kiyosaki

It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction. – Warren Buffett

Technology

If you are sitting desks all day long I guess you don’t need mobile technology. However there’s no reason you should have to tell a customer you didn’t get their email or voice mail as you were out of the office. Take your office with you by leveraging mobile technology which nowadays means Smartphone’s and tablets.

One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. – Elbert Hubbard

Systems

McDonalds is the ultimate example of using systems (and other people’s money and energy) together with franchising to create leverage.

One definition of leverage is: divide to multiply. Think about divide to multiply in terms of day-to-day life, say, a tree cutting. You take a cutting from one plant, but don’t end up with half a tree; you end up with two trees. In terms of business, franchising is the easiest way to describe divide to multiply.

Marketing.

Would you rather hunt like a leopard to hunt like a spider?

Leopards hunt when hungry and in fact when they are nearly starving. Yet once they are fed, leopards will take their kill into a tree and rest on their gluttony. Leopards live a life of feast or famine!

Spiders on the other hand put all of their effort into building their web (network) and once that’s done they can stand by while their food comes to them!

“The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.” – Robert Kiyosaki

Leverage your brand. You shouldn’t let two guys in a garage eat your shorts. – Guy Kawasaki

Financial

Financial leverage refers to the use of debt to acquire additional assets.

The financial crisis of 2007–2009, like many previous financial crises, was blamed in part on “excessive leverage.” However, the word is used in several different senses. Consumers in many developed countries borrowed large amounts of money. For most of this, “leverage” is a euphemism as the borrowing was used to support consumption rather than to lever anything. Only people who borrowed for investment, such as speculative house purchases or buying stocks, were using leverage in the financial sense.

In the end the word leverage simply means ‘the ability to do more with less’. Leverage is the key to business success!

CAUSES OF BUSINESS AND SOLUTION

What can cause my business to fail? Have you asked yourself this question before? In this article you will get to know 21 factors that can cause business failure...
Many people may be wondering if their business can really fail. This can be due to how big the business has grown or how huge its annual profit is. So in this article, i will be discussing the relevant factors that can cause a business to fail.
Business failure can simply be defined as a situation whereby a business (firm, venture) is unable to meet its expected target.
Business failure can be categorized into two;
a) Economic failure
b) Financial failure

1. Economic failure : This is a situation where by the revenue generated can not take care of the cost of running the business or a period when the historical cost of investment is less than the firm's cost of capital.

2. Financial failure : This can be divided into two;

* Technical insolvency : This is a situation where the firms current income can not meet its current obligations.

* Bankruptcy : This occurs when the firm's current liabilities is far greater than its total assets.
Knowing what business failure is all about, and the various ways to which it can occur, we can now discuss the factors that can cause a business fail.
Factors that can cause a business to fail

1. Poor marketing strategy : marketing strategy is the method employed by a firm to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It helps a firm to identify ways of concentrating on products that will held more sales. But if the marketing strategy is poor, it can be disastrous and may lead to failure.

2. Over/Under placing of price on substitute goods : when price is over placed on substitute goods (goods that perform the same functions with another) buyers will definitely look for substitutes. Or when it is under placed (price) you are likely to have more sales but you may end up making loss. So just place your price a little bit higher or lower if you must do so.

3. Inferior products/ low quality products: when a firm produce inferior products that have substitutes and sell them at the same price with its substitutes, consumers will prefer buying superior ones at the same price (even you).

4. Advert Policy: how a product is advertised and the route of the advertising has a very good role to play in the consumption of the product. For example if your business is an international business, you will need a website, social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter etc, you can also make use of billboards, magazines, radio, television, newspapers or even a YouTube account. All these advertising route can help you get to your target audience.

5. Lack of sound management : when a business is being managed by inefficient or unskilled management, it's likely that the business will collapse. Therefore it is best to look for sound management with skills and experience towards the field of business.

6. Fraudulent management . This is totally different from unsound management in the sense that the management has a negative mind set. Fraudulent management can be making personal profit behind you without your knowledge. No business owner can employ a fraudulent person intentionally but they always exit in our business life. So if you notice any of them, don't be slow to issue a sack letter.

7. Lack of capital or insufficient fund: this has been a problem affecting so many businesses even some people with good business vision(plan) have also found themselves in the same problem. Insufficient fund in running a business can cause a business to die or fail to meet its expected profit margin. To avoid this you can go to your bank for a loan if you have a good business plan.

8. Government policy. Government policies can change maybe due to government instability, and this can affect a business in the sense that the government can make certain policies which may not be in favour of the firm, this can lead the business to die. For example if a policy is made against importation of certain products and your business depends on imported goods, definitely it will affect the progress of the business.

9. Unfavorable Economy: economic problems such as unbalanced exchange rate, interest rates or currency can affect the progress of the business. It can indirectly cause increase in the price of goods and services which will definitely reduce sales. So avoid places with unfavorable economic conditions before establishing your business to avoid unanticipated failure.

10. Natural Causes: Over the past several years, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes erosions and other catastrophic events have devastated some countries, leaving crumbled debris and scores of broken lives in their wakes.
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In other to avoid unexpected disaster, avoid establishing your business in areas prone to natural disasters

11. Under developed capital market: capital markets provide long term finance (fund) for businesses that are lacking fund. Avoid setting up a business in a capital market that is not develop so that you (your business) can get loans when the are running out of liquid (fund).

12. Underestimating Competition. This is a very vital factor people seem to over look when running a business. Never look down on your competitors, take everything they do very serious and always strive to be ahead of them.

13. Technological Problems: if you make use of equipments or facilities that are outdated such as making use of typewriters when your competitors are using modern computers you will just end up being behind them. Try to update your facilities regularly and make use of the latest versions of them.

14. Poor business plan: poor business plan can lead to failure of a firm. For a business to function properly and successfully there is need for effective and efficient business plan.
Make use of the SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Treat) analysis. Examine the strength of the business and try to improve on them. Find out the weakness of the business and try to overcome them. Examine the various opportunities surrounding the business and capitalize on them. Then carefully examine the likely treats that can be found in your business environment.

15. Lack of selling and marketing expertise: if the marketing department of the firm is not functioning properly and lack expertise, it means that the business can't get to its target audience, therefore the revenue that may be generated may not be up to the expected target which can lead to technical insolvency or bankruptcy (as earlier discuss) if not properly taken care of. So always have the right people around you.

16. Poor Cash flow management

17. Unexpected cost (expenses)

18. New entrants to the market

19. Over trading or over expansion

20. Business cycle

21. Poor project conception.
In other to operate a successful and profitable business, you MUST overcome all these challenges if not the business is likely to fail, or may not be profitable as expected.

 Causes of business failure

Choosing a business that isn't very profitable. Even though you generate lots of activity, the profits never materialize to the extent necessary to sustain an on-going company.
Inadequate cash reserves. If you don't have enough cash to carry you through the first six months or so before the business starts making money, your prospects for Success are not good. Consider both business and personal living expenses when determining how much cash you will need.
Failure to clearly define and understand your market, your customers, and your customers' buying habits. Who are your customers? You should be able to clearly identify them in one or two sentences. How are you going to reach them? Is your product or service seasonal? What will you do in the off-season? How loyal are your potential customers to their current supplier? Do customers keep coming back or do they just purchase from you one time? Does it take a long time to close a sale or are your customers more driven by impulse buying?
Failure to price your product or service correctly. You must clearly define your pricing strategy. You can be the cheapest or you can be the best, but if you try to do both, you'll fail.
Failure to adequately anticipate cash flow. When you are just starting out, suppliers require quick payment for inventory (sometimes even COD). If you sell your products on credit, the time between making the sale and getting paid can be months. This two-way tug at your cash can pull you down if you fail to plan for it.
Failure to anticipate or react to competition, technology, or other changes in the marketplace. It is dangerous to assume that what you have done in the past will always work. Challenge the factors that led to your Success. Do you still do things the same way despite new market demands and changing times? What is your competition doing differently? What new technology is available? Be open to new ideas. Experiment. Those who fail to do this end up becoming pawns to those who do.
Overgeneralization. Trying to do everything for everyone is a sure road to ruin. Spreading yourself too thin diminishes quality. The market pays excellent rewards for excellent results, average rewards for average results, and below average rewards for below average results.
Overdependence on a single customer. At first, it looks great. But then you realize you are at their mercy. Whenever you have one customer so big that losing them would mean closing up shop, watch out. Having a large base of small customers is much preferred.
Uncontrolled growth. Slow and steady wins every time. Dependable, predictable growth is vastly superior to spurts and jumps in volume. It's hard to believe that too much business can destroy you, but the textbooks are full of case studies. Going after all the business you can get drains your cash and actually reduces overall profitability. You may incur significant up-front costs to finance large inventories to meet new customer demand. Don't leverage yourself so far that if the economy stumbles, you'll be unable to pay back your loans. When you go after it all, you usually become less selective about customers and products, both of which drain profits from your company.
Believing you can do everything yourself. One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is to let go. Let go of the attitude that you must have hands-on control of all aspects of your business. Let go of the belief that only you can make decisions. Concentrate on the most important problems or issues facing your company. Let others help you out. Give your people responsibility and authority.
Putting up with inadequate management. A common problem faced by Successful companies is growing beyond management resources or skills. As the company grows, you may surpass certain individuals' ability to manage and plan. If a change becomes necessary, don't lower your standards just to fill vacant positions or to accommodate someone within your organization. Decide on the skills necessary for the position and insist the individual has them.
So, the founder's attitude, ability to be objective, willingness to bring in needed help, and share power are all crucial to success. "Most startups make the mistake of falling in love with their product or service," says Shukla. "Ultimately, it is this lack of self-criticism that causes many companies, startups and their more mature counterparts, to fail. Startups suffer this fate more often because there are more dreamers than doers."
I think that fact speaks for itself," says Jonathan Goldhill, a small-business consultant and former director of an economic development center in California's San Fernando Valley. "I would say that the primary reason for failure of startups within three years is usually...management's failure to act, or management's failure to react, or management's failure to plan."
Other reasons why businesses fail in their early years include: poor business location, poor customer service, unqualified/untrained employees, fraud, lack of a proper business plan, and failure to seek outside professional advice.
While poor management is cited most frequently as the reason businesses fail, inadequate or ill-timed financing is a close second. Whether you're starting a business or expanding one, sufficient ready capital is essential. It is not, however, enough to simply have sufficient financing; knowledge and planning are required to manage it well. These qualities ensure that entrepreneurs avoid common mistakes like securing the wrong type of financing, miscalculating the amount required, or underestimating the cost of borrowing money.
Top Ten Legal Mistakes Made by Entrepreneurs
10. Failing to incorporate early enough. One problem that arises here is the so-called "forgotten founder": a partner involved in starting the venture subsequently drops out. When the venture gets financing or is ready to go public, this partner returns, perhaps with an inflated view of what his or her contribution was, demanding equity. This problem can be eliminated by incorporating early and issuing shares to the founders, subject to vesting. As partial consideration for their shares, each founder should be required to assign to the new corporation all inventions and works related to the company's proposed business.
Incorporating early, before significant value has been created and well in advance of any financing event that establishes an implicit value for the shares - also helps prevent potential tax problems for "cheap stock." Incorporating too late, and issuing inexpensive stock to the founders at the same time that much more expensive stock is being sold to investors, can create tax problems when the IRS argues that the difference in stock price is actually income to the entrepreneur.
9. Issuing founder shares without vesting. Simply put, vesting protects the members of the founding team who take the venture forward. If people remain on the team and are productive, their shares will vest. If they leave earlier, that stock can be retrieved and given to whoever is brought in to replace them.
8. Hiring a lawyer not experienced in dealing with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.
Many venture capitalists say that they often rate the judgment of entrepreneurs by their choice of legal counsel. Lawyers who have no experience working with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists will most likely focus on the wrong things while failing to recognize some of the more subtle potential traps. It's better to hire someone who has played the game, who knows what's standard and what isn't, and who will get the deal negotiated and closed promptly.
7. Failing to make a timely Section 83 (b) election. If the advice in 9 is followed, then shares will be issued, subject to vesting, to the founders as well as new employees. If stock is acquired and it's subject to what the IRS calls a substantial risk of forfeiture, then the IRS doesn't view the purchase as being closed until that risk goes away. When the stock vests, that risk evaporates, so the IRS considers the deal closed. The IRS then calculates the difference between the price paid at the outset and the fair market value at that later date, then taxes this difference as ordinary income. An 83 (b) election allows the tax computation to be made based on the value at the time the shares are issued, which is often pennies per share.
6. Negotiating venture capital financing based solely on the valuation. Valuation is not the only thing one should consider when selecting a venture capitalist or when negotiating the deal. There are many other ways for venture capitalists to get compensated if they end up paying a high price for shares. These include requiring participating preferred with a high cumulative dividend, redemption rights exercisable after only several years, and ratchet anti-dilution protection with no cap.
One must ask, what's the reputation of this firm? Do they have a history of standing by the entrepreneur if the entrepreneur stumbles? Do they have good contacts in the industry? In trying to build alliances, do they know the big players? A no-name firm offering the highest valuation is often not the best source of equity.
5. Waiting to consider international intellectual property protection. Patents are granted on a country-by-country basis (with a single application available for the European Union). In the United States, if an invention is sold or made public, there's a year's grace period to file a patent application. Everywhere else, if the invention is sold or publicized prior to filing the patent application, the invention is unpatentable in that country. For example, if the invention is publicly disclosed to a Japanese national visiting a tradeshow in the United States, then under Japanese patent law, if no patent application has been filed, that disclosure makes the invention unpatentable in Japan. The same is true with trademarks. A tremendous amount of money might be spent in developing a brand in the United States, yet when the product is shipped overseas it could violate trademarks of companies dealing in similar goods outside the United States. One must make intelligent choices of where they think their markets are, and how much money to spend at an early stage in order to insure that the brand is available in those markets.
4. Disclosing inventions without a nondisclosure agreement, or before the patent application is filed. If patent protection hasn't been obtained, or in cases where a patent is not available, the only protection is to maintain something as a trade secret. To do so, one must show that they've taken reasonable steps to keep it secret from competitors.
Is it wise to get potential venture capitalists to sign a nondisclosure agreement? In the best of all worlds, yes, but most won't. Before disclosing to anyone, one must learn who has a reputation for integrity in the industry. In dealing with most people, it's wise to require them to sign nondisclosure agreements. It needn't be elaborate, but it should say that they acknowledge they may be exposed to trade secrets, and they agree not to use or disclose them without permission. Business plans should expressly state on the cover page that they are confidential and proprietary. That's not as strong as a nondisclosure agreement, but laws in some states suggest that if a person knows they have been exposed to a trade secret, they can't use it or disclose it without permission from the owner.
3. Starting a business while employed by a potential competitor, or hiring employees without first checking their agreements with the current employer and their knowledge of trade secrets. The law is clear that if someone is currently working for a company, particularly if her or she is a key employee, they cannot operate a competing business. Even just incorporating may spark a lawsuit from the current employer. Would-be entrepreneurs should first go to their current employer and either resign or tell them what they're doing and ask them if they'd be interested in investing. Amazingly, that's often a very smooth way of ending that relationship. Under no circumstances should they misrepresent the nature of the new business.
Even after leaving the current employer, one still cannot use or disclose the company's trade secrets. Under the so-called inevitable disclosure doctrine, if someone has been exposed to trade secrets at their job and leaves to work for someone else, and if their responsibilities in the new job are sufficiently similar, some courts will conclude that it's inevitable that they will use the information that they had from the earlier position. They could face an injunction prohibiting them from working for the new employer until a number of months go by and whatever trade secrets they had are stale.
It also helps to know whether potential recruits are subject to covenants not to compete. States vary in terms of how enforceable they are, but one shouldn't assume they are not. One should also check to see what assignments of inventions might have been signed. Personnel files should be reviewed, and recruits should check theirs, to be certain that a covenant not to compete or an assignment of inventions wasn't tucked into a signed non-disclosure agreement.
2. Promising more in the business plan than can be delivered and failing to comply with state and federal securities laws.
If someone promises to do something and knows that they can't perform that promise, that's considered fraud. In a business plan, one must make an honest appraisal of what's doable and set forth their assumptions, so the person putting up money can judge whether they are realistic. Can entrepreneurs be sued by their funders for fraud? Yes. Trying to squeeze out a little extra valuation by fudging the numbers erodes credibility, makes investors less trusting, and ultimately impairs the ability to get subsequent rounds of financing.
Finally, anyone selling stock or other securities must comply with both the federal and state securities laws by either registering the securities (rare for a start-up) or meeting all the requirements for an applicable exemption. Ignorance of the law is no excuse. As one judge put it in a decision upholding criminal convictions for violating the securities laws: "No one with half a brain can offer 'an opportunity to invest in our company' without knowing that there is a regulatory jungle out there."
1. Thinking any legal problems can be solved later.
There's a tendency to think, "Once I get my funding, once I'm up and running, then I've got time to hire the lawyers; right now, I'm running as fast as I can to get my business plan done and raising money." This is shortsighted logic. Many of the points made here are problems that can't just be patched up later. Does that mean that one should devote all of their time, effort, and money to the legal issues? No. That's a good reason to hire a competent lawyer. Excellent legal talent can be retained for relatively little money up front at the early stages. It will cost much less to get it right at the beginning than to try to sort it all out later and correct it.
Why Small Businesses Fail
Success in business is never automatic. It isn't strictly based on luck - although a little never hurts. It depends primarily on the owner's foresight and organization. Even then, of course, there are no guarantees.
Starting a small business is always risky, and the chance of success is slim. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, over 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and 95% fail within the first five years.
In his book Small Business Management , Michael Ames gives the following reasons for small business failure:
Lack of experience
Insufficient capital (money)
Poor location
Poor inventory management
Over-investment in fixed assets
Poor credit arrangements
Personal use of business funds
Unexpected growth
Gustav Berle adds two more reasons in The Do It Yourself Business Book:
1. Competition
2. Low sales
More Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail
These figures aren't meant to scare you, but to prepare you for the rocky path ahead. Underestimating the difficulty of starting a business is one of the biggest obstacles entrepreneurs face. However, success can be yours if you are patient, willing to work hard, and take all the necessary steps.
One fact reported by SBA this year has been that "8 of 10 small business start-ups are no longer in existence after five years due to lack of management knowledge and skills." While I realize that "no longer in existence" does not translate into "absolute failure" it appears that the "8 of 10" is extremely high. These are troubling statistics.
Six Most Common Blunders That Lead to Failure
Blunder 1: Amount of Effort Exerted
The single most important factor in determining who succeeds and who doesn't is simply the amount of effort exerted. If you aren't ready and willing to work - and work hard - being an entrepreneur is probably not for you. For starters, most people are used to working and 8-to-5 job, with a "boss" directing them. When you're in business for yourself, you must have the discipline to work independently. You must maintain the same work schedule of the same number of hours virtually every day even if you don't have anything scheduled.
Also, many people assume that when they own their own business, they'll be able to work less and take more time off for recreation. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. When you run your own business, you usually have to work more hours, not fewer. You have to be willing to put in long hours and, if necessary, work weekends as well. This is especially true in the start-up stage.
Blunder 2: Inadequate Financing
A considerable number of people have unrealistic expectations when it comes to the funds needed to start a business. They often lack the necessary start-up funds and can't come up with adequate financing. Furthermore, a considerable number have virtually no cash or liquid assets and expect either a bank or the Small Business Administration (SBA) to provide 100 percent financing. In most instances, neither a bank nor the SBA will provide someone with financing unless that person is investing a significant portion of his or her own funds, boasts a good credit record and has the means to pay back the loan.
Most people wrongly assume the SBA will provide them with 100 percent financing based solely on their good ideas. But if someone has no cash at all, it usually reflects poorly on his or her ability to manage finances -something the SBA takes into consideration. Funds may be derived from cash savings, personal credit lines or family loans.
Blunder 3: Lack of Planning
Another fact rarely considered is that the majority of new businesses fail within a few years mostly due simply to poor planning or no planning at all. Most people who go into business enter a field related to their current employment or a favorite hobby. They don't do a market study first to see whether the demand for their product or service is growing, declining or stagnating.
They also fail to allot the proper time for administrative tasks. Most new business owners assume the majority of their time will be spent producing and marketing their product or service. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. An inordinate amount of time is spent on administration - talking on the phone, purchasing supplies and equipment, filling out government forms, and taking care of other mundane duties. Internet business-to-business services are helping to cut down the time factor of some of these duties; however, it's still a relevant oversight.
Blunder 4: Unrealistic Expectations
Many individuals assume not only that most businesses succeed, but that they're lucrative from the get-go. This is definitely not the case. Generally speaking, it usually takes at least a year to develop a profitable business. The first year's goal is usually earning back your investment. Even then, the money has to be reinvested in the business. In other words, in your first year, you should have other sources of income to live on.
Blunder 5: Inability to Commit
Even though most people would like to start their own business, only a small percentage actually do it. When push comes to shove, most lack the self-confidence to make a decision and act on it. In order for the business to succeed, they must be able to gather information, weigh the facts and then make a prompt decision.
Blunder 6: Unwillingness to Take Responsibility
A business owner is 100 percent responsible for his or her mistakes. There's always a risk of a business failure or less-than-expected financial return. If that should happen to you, you can't blame it on someone else. If you would like to start a small business, you must thoroughly and objectively analyze the feasibility of your idea. Failure to do so can have a tremendous personal cost on finances, relationships and family ties.
So What is Business Failure? How can you tell when your business is going to fail, and make corrective action? Business failure is the last stage of an organization's life cycle. Organizational decline, leading to failure is characterized by management who has become reactionary. The result is inadequate or nonexistent planning and inefficient decision-making. The most common reasons for business to underperform (low productivity, low profits) or fail (bankrupt, cease being) are as follows:
Poor cash flow management.
Absence of performance monitoring.
Lack of understanding or use of performance monitoring information.
Poor debtor management. A combination of not paying your debtor on time and not coordinating payments with incoming cash flows.
Overborrowing. The company is overleveraged and debt is not being reduced.
Over reliance on a few key customers.
Poor market research leading to an inaccurate understanding of the target customers wants and needs.
Lack of financial skills and planning.
Failure to innovate.
Poor inventory management.
Poor communications throughout the organization.
Failure to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses.
Trying to go it alone. Trying to do everything yourself and not seeking external help. Whether this external help be as simple as hiring additional staff or going to professional services such as a lawyer, accountant, banker or business coach.
Younger companies are more likely to go bankrupt because of shortcomings in managerial knowledge and financial management abilities. In contrast, older firms are more likely to fail because of an inability to adapt to environmental change. These are the conclusions of a new research paper that examines factors underlying corporate bankruptcies, and compares the main causes of failure between young and old firms.
It sounds simple, but the number one reason why businesses succeed or fail is because the business owner did not take the time to conduct a feasibility analysis, market and business plan. Why? Sometimes an idea is developed that the business owner thinks is good but no one else does. Sometimes an idea is formulated that the business owner believes is so good that the potential customers will find it themselves. And sometimes the business owner thinks that everyone is a potential customer.
A clear and consistent finding of prior research is that firms face the highest failure risk when they are young and small. But if there are factors other than the liabilities of newness and smallness that contribute to firm failure, what are they and how can their influence be mitigated? From the perspective of the resource-based view of the firm, firms will fail if they are unable to generate self-sustaining levels of organizational rents. For new firms, the critical challenge then is to establish valuable resources and capabilities before initial asset endowments are depleted. Among older firms, which have survived the liabilities of newness, it is imperative to ensure that resources and capabilities continue to provide value as the competitive landscape changes. Thus, we should observe different causal mechanisms between firms that fail early and those that fail at a later stage. Young failures should be attributable to inadequate resources and capabilities (relative to initial endowments). Older failures should be attributable to a mismatch between resources and capabilities and strategic industry factors.
The main reason for failure is inexperienced management. Managers of bankrupt firms do not have the experience, knowledge, or vision to run their businesses. Even as the firm's age and management experience increases, knowledge and vision remain critical deficiencies that contribute to failure. A second key deficiency occurs in the area of financial management. Some 71% of firms fail because of poor financial planning. Three particular problems that arise in this area are an unbalanced capital structure, an inability to manage working capital, and undercapitalization. Both old and young bankrupt firms suffer this deficiency. This confirms other findings that initial problems in financial structure are difficult to overcome and continue to haunt firms as they age. This study suggests that the underlying factor contributing to financial difficulties is management failure rather than external factors associated with imperfect capital markets. Many bankrupt firms face problems in attaining financing in capital markets; but, it is the internal lack of managerial expertise in many of these firms that prevents exploration of different financing options.