How to Manage Your Business

The Secrets to Business Success

Achieving success as a business owner entails more than just conceiving a brilliant idea and working diligently. It demands adept management skills and a constant drive for growth. Along the journey, you will inevitably encounter various challenges, and your ability to surmount them will significantly impact your triumph or downfall (D&B, 2008). To significantly increase your chances of thriving in the business realm, consider the following strategies:

Familiarize Yourself with Your Business: 

It may sound obvious, but successful entrepreneurs possess an in-depth understanding of their industry—both its current state and future direction. They are well-informed about their competitors, possess the know-how to attract customers, identify the best suppliers and distributors, and comprehend the influence of technology on their operations.


Grasp the Fundamentals of Business Management: 

While a brilliant idea can serve as the foundation for starting a business, effectively managing it necessitates comprehension of various functional areas—accounting, finance, management, marketing, and production. You must play the roles of a salesperson, decision-maker, and planner.


Fostering the Right Attitude: 

As a business owner, you embody your business. Devoting the required time and energy to transform your idea into a prosperous venture demands genuine passion for your work. Firmly believing in your mission and making a strong personal commitment to your business are key drivers of success.

Secure Adequate Funding: 

Starting a business and steering it through the critical startup phase demand substantial financial resources. Even with a groundbreaking idea, impeccable marketing strategies, and a talented management team, a shortage of funds could truncate your journey as a business owner. Prepare for the long term by collaborating with lenders and investors to ensure sufficient capital to establish and sustain your business during the startup phase, ultimately facilitating expansion.


Exercise Effective Financial Management: 

The perpetual challenge of meeting payroll and other expenses requires vigilant monitoring of cash flow—incoming and outgoing funds. Cost control, timely collection of outstanding debts, and possessing the necessary financial insights are essential to running a successful business.


Master Time Management: 

Anticipate dedicating around sixty hours per week to your new business. Balancing business growth with personal life necessitates relinquishing some control and delegating tasks to others. Therefore, developing strong time-management skills and effectively delegating responsibilities become paramount.


Acquire People Management Skills: 

Hiring, retaining, and effectively managing competent individuals are crucial factors contributing to business success. As your enterprise expands, you increasingly rely on your employees. Cultivating positive working relationships, providing adequate training, and motivating them to deliver quality goods or services are vital components of a thriving business.


Delight Your Customers: 

Impressive advertising may initially attract customers, but maintaining their loyalty requires consistently providing top-notch products or services. Dedicate yourself to satisfying, and even surpassing, customer expectations.


Embrace Competition: 

Discover your unique niche in the marketplace, vigilantly monitor your competitors, and be prepared to adapt swiftly to changes in the business landscape. The annals of business (and life, to a large extent) can be summarized in three words: "Adapt or perish."


By implementing these strategies, you will set yourself on a path towards realizing your business aspirations and forging a prosperous future in the ever-evolving business world.

Main Causes of Business Failure

If you've been observant of the ebb and flow of shopping malls over the years, you must have noticed the frequent turnover of retailers. The same phenomenon occurs across various industries, including restaurants and businesses of all kinds. 

Starting a business, regardless of its scale, inherently carries risks, and while many businesses succeed, a significant proportion of them fail. Within the first two years, one-third of small businesses with employees end up closing their doors. 

By the end of their fourth year, over half of small businesses have ceased operations, and a staggering 70 percent do not survive beyond their seventh year.



While statistics paint a bleak picture of business survival, it's important to note that certain industries are riskier than others. If you aspire to maintain a business in the long run, it would be wise to steer clear of some of these high-risk industries. Even if your friends consider your macaroni and cheese pizza to be the best in the world, it doesn't guarantee success as a pizza parlor owner. 

Opening a restaurant or bar ranks among the riskiest ventures, (and securing startup funding can be challenging). Similarly, the transportation industry poses considerable risks. Owning a taxi may seem lucrative until you uncover the exorbitant costs associated with obtaining a taxi license—exceeding $400,000 in cities like New York. Additionally, establishing a clothing store can be challenging. 

Fashion trends are volatile, and a single poor season can spell doom for your business. The same holds true for stores specializing in communication devices, as every mall is saturated with one or more cell phone retailers, leading to fierce competition and sluggish business.

Businesses fail for various reasons, but experts widely agree that the majority of failures stem from a combination of the following problems:

Flawed business idea: 

Like any concept, a business idea can be inherently flawed, either during conception or execution. Attempting to sell snow blowers in Hawaii, for instance, would result in little competition but inevitable failure.


Cash flow issues: 

Insufficient funding plagues many new businesses. Owners may secure enough money to establish the business but lack the necessary cash reserves to sustain operations during the critical startup phase, when revenue is scarce, but expenses are high.


Managerial inexperience or incompetence: 

Numerous new business owners lack prior experience in running a business and possess limited management skills. They might excel at product creation or marketing but struggle with people management, including attracting and retaining talented employees. Poor leadership and a failure to plan ahead can also hinder their progress.


Lack of customer focus: 

Small businesses have a distinct advantage in their ability to provide personalized attention to customers. However, some fail to leverage this advantage effectively. Owners may overlook customer needs, fail to adapt to evolving markets or the customer-centric practices of competitors, ultimately compromising their business viability.


Inability to handle growth: 

While sales growth is generally perceived as positive, it can pose significant challenges. As a company expands, the owner's role evolves, necessitating delegation and the establishment of a robust business structure capable of accommodating increased volume. 


Some owners struggle to make this transition and become overwhelmed, resulting in unfinished tasks, dissatisfied customers, and ultimately, the detrimental impact of expansion on the company. Understanding these common pitfalls can help entrepreneurs navigate the treacherous path of business ownership and increase their chances of building resilient and thriving enterprises.

Fortunately, the SBA offers comprehensive support for both management and technical service tasks. These valuable resources are accessible through various channels, including the SBA's extensive website, online courses, and training programs. Moreover, a wide array of personalized services is available. 


The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) serves as a reliable partner, assisting both current and prospective small business owners in addressing business challenges and providing free training and technical guidance on all aspects of small business management. With approximately one thousand locations nationwide, many housed at colleges and universities, the SBDC offers accessible support (U.S. Small Business Administration, 2011).


If you seek individualized advice from experienced executives, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is an ideal avenue. Through the SCORE program, business professionals in need of guidance are matched with retired executives who volunteer their expertise as part of a dedicated team. 

Assistance from the SBA: Empowering Cupcake Entrepreneurs

Imagine being faced with the tantalizing choice of vanilla Oreo, triple chocolate, or latte cupcakes. In recent years, cupcake shops have emerged in almost every city, perhaps due to the challenging economy that has left people craving small, affordable indulgences. 


Captivated by the idea of opening your own cupcake shop, you have everything in place—an ideal location, necessary equipment, and a repertoire of tested recipes (with the added benefit of indulging in countless cupcakes). However, there's one major hurdle: inadequate savings to cover your startup expenses. Despite approaching local banks, none are willing to provide you with a loan. So, what's the solution? 


Fortunately, there is help available in the form of the Small Business Administration (SBA), specifically designed to support current and aspiring small business owners. While the SBA doesn't directly lend money, it significantly increases the likelihood of securing funding from local banks by guaranteeing the loan. 


Let's explore how the SBA's loan guarantee program functions: You apply for financing at a bank, where a loan officer assesses whether they can grant you the loan without an SBA guarantee. If the answer is no, primarily due to weaknesses in your application, the bank then evaluates whether they would be willing to provide the loan with the SBA's backing. 


If the bank agrees, you receive the funds and proceed with repaying the loan. In the event of default, the government reimburses the bank for its losses up to the amount guaranteed by the SBA.

In your interactions with the SBA, you will discover a range of additional programs designed to assist you in launching and managing your cupcake business. 


For instance, a well-written business plan is crucial when applying for funding. Once you secure the loan and transition into the business startup phase, you will inevitably have numerous questions that require answers, such as setting up an efficient computer system for your company. Additionally, as you navigate the operations of your cupcake shop, you'll likely require assistance in various areas. 



Key Takeaways 

Successfully overcoming the challenges of business ownership is pivotal for long-term success. As a business owner, it is essential to:


While businesses can fail for various reasons, experts agree that the majority of failures stem from a combination of the following issues:


The SBA offers a range of services to support current and prospective small business owners, including assistance in developing business plans, initiating business operations, obtaining financing, and managing organizational processes. By leveraging these resources, you can enhance your chances of building a successful cupcake enterprise.