Small Business For Dummies®, 4th Edition

Chapter 21

Ten Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

In This Chapter

Getting the most out of your financial statements, annual budget, and accounting services

Making marketing work for your business

Knowing when to hire new employees and when to let nonperformers go

Taking advantage of available resources and staying organized

You can learn the lessons associated with starting and growing your business two ways. The first is by making the mistake and then cleaning up the mess afterward. The second is by observing others’ mistakes, learning from them, and then not making them yourself. Fortunately for you, we’ve made and observed many of the mistakes we’re about to talk about. It’s up to you to take the lessons we present in this chapter and apply them to your business. After all, why go through the pains of trial and error when you can get what you need from the experiences of others like us?

Failing to Use Financial Statements to Manage Your Business

A wise old sage once said that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. That statement is certainly true in business. After all, your ...