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A: It is never fun to make a mistake in business, even if they are inevitable. And worse, mistakes are both more prevalent and more dangerous during the startup phase of your business because your idea has yet to be fully cooked; the startup period is, unfortunately, usually the ‘error’ part of a ‘trial and error’ phase for you business.

That said, even though mistakes are to be expected, they need not be crippling, or even negative. Not a few entrepreneurs have stumbled into success when they discover ways to make money in their business that they didn’t know were possible. For instance, Dr. Spencer Silver was trying to create a super sticky glue for his employer, 3M, when he mistakenly came up with an adhesive that was instead sort-of sticky. What to do with somewhat sticky glue? 3M created the Post-it note, that’s what.

So no, not all mistakes are bad mistakes.

But there are some mistakes that can and should be avoided as you start your business:

1. Taking on too much debt: Most entrepreneurs have to take on some debt to fund the dream. That is expected and fine. But you simply must 1) keep that indebtedness to a minimum, and 2) have a plan for paying it back from the get-go.

It will take a while for that new business to begin to generate revenue, and while that happens your debt load will increase due to interest. And the bigger it grows, the more it threatens the lifeblood of your business, your cash flow. Keep your debt low and get out from under as soon as possible.

2. Having no marketing plan: As I am wont to say, starting a new business is like being alone in a dark room – you know you are there but no one else does. The only way to turn on the light, the only way to get people to know you are out there, is through marketing and advertising.

It need not be expensive. There are scores of ways to get the word out without breaking the bank – everything from tweeting to flyers to creating a viral video can work. In fact, over at my site, www.MrAllBiz.com, I offer a webinar called Marketing on a Shoestring (click Webinars on the homepage.)

Market and advertise your business, and then do it some more.

3. Not choosing well: This may sound a little amorphous, but it’s not – it has to do with looking before leaping, and that is always a good idea in business. For instance, some people get so excited about a business idea that they don’t really stand back and give it the proper, objective analysis they should . . . and then, for instance, they are surprised that the rent at their store in the mall makes turning a profit quite challenging, or that this franchisor is hell to work with.

Other examples of not choosing well include

• Partners: Before going into business with someone, do a project or two together. See if your styles are compatible. See if you think about money and growth the same way.
• Vendors: A contract with a bad vendor can doom your business.
• Bad location: It could be too expensive, or maybe it is too off the beaten path.

Choose wisely, grasshopper.

4. Not having a great team: There are 20 million businesses in this country that are one-person endeavors – solo practitioners, freelancers, independent contractors and so on. That is all well and good, but it still does not mean that you have to be totally on your own, and you shouldn’t be. The problem with being too independent is that there is not another person around to give you feedback and share the work.

So the important lesson here is to take advantage of the help that is out there:

• The Small Business Administration (SBA) and its Related Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) offer tons of no-cost and low-cost counseling and seminars.
• SCORE does this too.
• Business schools need businesses with which they can place interns.
• Part-time employees can be hired inexpensibvely.
• Business associates can become an informal board of advisors. Other entrepreneurs can become part of your mastermind group.

Mistakes may be inevitable, but these ones are not.

Today’s Tip: It is often true that businesspeople need forms, contracts, checklists and the like, but where do you get them? A new resource has opened that you may want to know about. DocStoc is an online marketplace of business forms that you can buy (or where you can sell your own) – everything from contracts to templates are available.

Okay…maybe that’s an exaggeration. But it’s certainly one of the best I’ve come across. It’s called SCORE "Counselors to America’s Small Business." Their About page describes them as follows:

"SCORE "Counselors to America’s Small Business" is America’s premier source of free and confidential small business advice for entrepreneurs."

Sounds pretty good to me! And from navigating a bit through the site myself, there are many great links to advice, articles, suggestions and answers to pretty much anything you can think of if you are just starting out.

Oh yeah, and did I mention, it’s FREE ?!

Here’s the link: SCORE "Counselors to America’ Small Business"

Go get ‘em tiger!

Here’s a list of 10 of the best business freebies,
many from well-known companies like Microsoft and Office Depot:

Business advice
The Service Corps of Retired Executives provides free business advice on its Web site. The mentors consist of over 10,000 successful entrepreneurs and executives. You can arrange to meet with them in person, via email or through online discussion forums. Website: http://www.score.org

Accounting software
It’s no secret that small-business owners often have trouble managing the company’s finances. Microsoft offers a complete accounting solution for businesses with Accounting Express 2008. You can track expenses, invoices, employee’s salaries, etc.
Website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/accountingexpress/FX101729681033.aspx

Shipping materials
Simply by asking, the United States Postal Service will send you free shipping materials. Different-sized boxes, forms and stickers are all available to help you send out shipments and prepare mailings.
Website: http://www.usps.com

Website and email

Yes, believe it or not, you can have a business website with email addresses up and running today – at no cost to you. With Live Basics, Microsoft makes getting your site live – fast and easy. You get a domain name, hosting, 500MB of website storage space, 25 company-branded e-mail accounts, web site design tools and website reports. Not bad!
Website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officelive/FX101534261033.aspx

Shopping cart

AgoraCart offers websites a free e-commerce shopping cart solution. You can choose from a simple design to a more complex one with a ton of features. AgoraCart truly makes adding a store to your site simple!
Website: http://www.agoracart.com/

Backlink checker

In order to improve your website’s ranking with various search engines, you should first know how many backlinks search engines like Google and Yahoo! have found on your URL. Simply enter your URL on the Site Reference website and you’ll have a detailed report in just a few seconds.
Website: http://www.site-reference.com/webmasterTools/backlinkCheck.php

Business cards

For a while now, VistaPrint has been offering 250 free business cards for free. True, you have to pay $5.45 for the shipping, but that is still dirt cheap. The best part is that overall consumers seem to be very impressed with the cards they receive. A great way to give your business that professional touch, without a lot of money spent.
Website: http://www.vistaprint.com

Business Courses

The Small Business Administration offers links to more than 40 free business courses. With subjects ranging from marketing, finance, advertising, management, etc., you’re sure to find something that will help to improve your company. Many of the courses were designed in cooperation with colleges and universities and offer up-to-date business knowledge. Each course is short, only taking about thirty minutes to complete.
Website: http://www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html

Content

If you want to bulk your website up with content but don’t have the time or expertise to write the articles and don’t want to pay a writer, then ArticleGeek is for you. With thousands of copyright-free articles on a wide variety of topics, you’re sure to find plenty to keep your website full of informative articles. The articles are constantly updated, so you’ll always have access to plenty of fresh and up-to-date information.
Website: http://www.articlegeek.com

Business forms

Office Depot has a web page filled with hundreds of downloadable business forms: contracts, invoices, purchase orders, non-disclosure agreements, tax forms etc. If you need any type of business form or correspondence, this is the place to look.

Website: http://www.officedepot.com/renderStaticPage.do?context=/content&file=/BusinessTools/forms/default.jsp

If you’re looking for even more business freebies, check out www.searchfreeapps.com – there’s every type of business freebie imaginable on there, many of which have been tested by the site owners.

Several thousand former small business owners or executives run SCORE. Some of these individuals might be retired while others are still working. The members of the Service Corps of Retired Executives or SCORE volunteer their time to mentor others who are trying to start up their own small business but do not know where to begin.

Many important decisions are made whenever a new business is in its beginning stages. Getting it right is important and getting the proper advice on how to do so is essential. Millions of people have taken advantage of the expertise and knowledge of the members of SCORE since its inception. More than 380 locations are scattered about the United States.

Individuals who live in nationwide locations that do not have an office near them can still access information through email. In addition to receiving counseling, budding entrepreneurs can receive reference materials to help them get started with the opening of their small business.

Furthermore, SCORE runs comprehensive workshops that are designed to provide the basics of starting your own business. Important topics such as how to write a business plan, how to hire the right employees, and how to maintain good bookkeeping practices are covered. Another important topic that has recently developed due to technological advances is one that deals with how to use the Internet to market and improve a small business to grow. A small fee is often charged for attendance at one of the workshops to help defray the cost of setting one up.

The members of the Service Corps of Retired Executives or SCORE are skilled financial and small business individuals. If the individual that you work with does not have the answers that you need, he has access to thousands of individuals who might. Why not take advantage of learning from someone who has already learned the ropes of starting a small business?