From work too many hours to be disappointed by a supplier and underestimating the costs, a new survey advances in the greatest obstacles that the owners face when they start for the first time.
A survey of 1,000 small companies (SBO) and Freelancers identified the things they would like to have known from the beginning.
The results showed financial errors as one of the most common challenges that the SBO faced, underestimating how much things would cost and guarantee the appropriate cash flow affected in a third of the SBO (36%) from the beginning.
Wishing that they had more support or bone capable of making more marketing was the second most mentioned area (29%), while being able to maintain a good balance between work and life was something from one in four (27%) than business owners and independent workers said difficult.
While the struggle to achieve the balance between working life and life affected many new entrepreneurs, the results showed that a support community can really make the difference in eight in 10 SBO attributes much of its success to their network of partners and suppliers.
The survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of HP for its instant ink service found that, although many Sbo faced early adversity, they created confidence in their leadership capacity: the average surveyed SBO said confrek Ownars.
That experience is more expensive, the average SBO estimates that they put in approximately 50 hours a week to launch their business or establish themselves as an independent professional in their field.
A quarter (27%) or the owners said that the week of 60 hours or more was the standard, while one in six (16%) was marking more than 70 hours.
“Having a trusted technological partner is essential for small businesses,” said Diana Sroka, senior vice president of Consumer Services for HP. “With limited time and budget, it is important to find intelligent solutions, flexible and adaptable to the unique needs of each business.”
That long week show that an owner of a small company must often use many hats. In fact, the average owner estimates that they made the equivalent of three full -time roles, with a customer service, operations and sales the most common areas, SBO said they had to be administered.
That makes even more emphasis on the need for strong associations and a reliable network, however, many SBO report that they are disappointed. Two out of five (38%) said that a supplier or partner had failed them in some way that significantly impacted their business.
It is not surprising that 79% have affirmed that having a reliable network of partners and suppliers is important for their success: they even classified to have good connections in business as more important than having a sufficient cash flow. Evaluation 6 contributed to performances.
Interestingly, despite the difficulties, 41% said they would change on their business trip on their business trip felt that these experiences helped them grow more resistant and were an integral part of their learning.
And to do it alone, he needs the vision: when asked what his most indispensable resource was as an entrepreneur, Sbo cited too “my own creativity.”
“In the unpredictable world of entrepreneurship, the importance of strong associations, especially without a reliable technological partner, cannot be exaggerated,” Sroka added. “Too many owners of small businesses face setbacks due to broken trust, lost expectations and technological failures. Building a solid technological association is crucial to maintaining business in the future in a constantly evolving panorama.”
The largest obstacles faced by small businesses
- Underestimating costs (36%)
- Do not do enough marketing (29%)
- Ignoring the balance between work and life (27%)
- Product prices or services incorrectly (25%)
- It does not investigate enough about the market (15%)
- Choosing the wrong suppliers or partners (14%)
- Do not invest enough in technology (10%)
- Not delegating (10%)
- Neglect customer experience (7%)
- Non -subcontracting (7%)
- ESPATIMATE IN ESSENTIAL LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ELEMENTS (6%)
Survey methodology:
Talker Research survey 1,000 small businesses (SBO) and freelancers (divided 50/50); The survey was commissioned by HP and managed and made online by Talker Research between March 17 to March 26, 2025.
