5 Struggles Every Small Business Owner Knows

It's no secret that owning your own business, while rewarding, comes with its own challenges. If you're a small business owner, you've faced a wide variety of frustrating moments, from being short in staff to lack to funds to being overworked.

1. You're in unfamiliar territory.

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While you may be familiar with your passion, you might not be familiar with all the aspects of running your business. Maybe you’re not a financing whiz or marketing expert. Or maybe you’re awesome at managing people and balancing the books but not the best salesman. Whatever the case, try not to fret. Finding a mentor or looking up online resources can help you manage the confusion.

2. You carry a lot of extra risk.

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Owning your own business is risky. You’re putting your livelihood, finances, and reputation on the line. However, with this risk comes benefits. You can discover what works for you and your business and what works. You have control over your business and how it’s conducted. You answer to no one but yourself (and perhaps clients).

3. You're short-staffed.

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If you’re able to take on staff, that’s awesome. However, you might not have as many employees as you’d like. This means more workload for you and your employee(s), which could potentially lead to burn-out. Consider hiring part-time staff or using freelancers or consultants for the time being. It can be tough to forge ahead, but remember why you opened your small business in the first place. Your passion and drive will keep you going until you can hire more full-time employees.

4. You need funding.

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Money may not make the world go ‘round (that’s love), but it definitely determines the success of your small business. When you don’t have the cash you need to get new equipment, hire new staff, or to get out of the red, it can be extremely stressful and scary. However, there are plenty of ways you can get funding. From traditional banks to online lenders to crowdsourcing, you should be able to find people who believe in you and your business and who will want to support you.

5. You're overworked.

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When you open your own business, you’re in charge of everything (and I mean everything). All decisions need to go through you, and for a while, you might be the only one working for your business. This means 12+ hour days with little-to-no breaks. However, this won’t last forever. As your business grows, you’ll be able to delegate more work to employees, thus saving you from those long days.