No matter what you decide to pursue as a career when you are fresh out of high school or college, being young is equivalent to being naive and inexperienced.
If you are a new teacher, you don’t know how to get a hold of your class until you experiment with different interaction methods with the children.
What if you have never worked before, and you just started at the bottom of the company ladder? In that case, you need to learn all of the job’s unique responsibilities and missed details beyond the descriptions in the job ad.
And suppose you have decided to become an entrepreneur. In that case, there are some things you can only discover through the successes and failures of the business world. Every time you think you have everything sorted out, a curveball hits you upside the head, and you need to reevaluate things to survive.
Do you wish you had known a little more about entrepreneurship before joining the working world? We’ll cover several bits of advice young entrepreneurs wish they had known before starting, such as:
- How much is commercial car insurance?
- Do I get certain write-offs on my taxes if I run a business from my home instead of a rented office space?
- Should I quit my original part-time job or wait until I have more capital behind me?
Come along to learn the answers to these questions and more.
Do I need commercial car insurance?
If you use your vehicle for delivering products or even drive to the store for your business, you should think about taking out commercial car insurance.
Most inexperienced entrepreneurs will think that you only need commercial car insurance if your company heavily depends on driving. But even the smallest work-related errands can result in a car accident that won’t likely be covered on your personal car insurance policy.
What if you have other employees who drive their own vehicles for business ventures? You need to take out an employer non-owned car liability coverage policy. These policies will protect you and your workers from getting sued if you’re in an accident that harms others.
Take out personal injury coverage to protect you and your business associates in case they get hurt in a collision.
Unfortunately, most people assume that personal coverage would take care of these types of expenses you rarely need to drive for your company. However, this omission can destroy your bottom line at a time when you need every advantage to grow your business and develop your brand strategy.
Separate Personal and Professional Bank Accounts
When you are an entrepreneur instead of an employee, it can be difficult to separate work and home life from one another. You put in so many hours and sink your entire existence into the company that you forget to take a break from your new business.
This can lead to mental, emotional, and financial stress. You must remember to set aside a certain amount of money for your personal expenses, and then create a budget for your company.
Many ambitious entrepreneurs will put their life savings into the company, leaving them in a bind at home where they are one mistake away from financial ruin.
Nobody is saying that entrepreneurs shouldn’t make sacrifices to get where they want to, but the sacrifices need to be made in the world of business, not in eating your dinner or paying your bills.
If you think you need to quit your day job because it is distracting you from the end goal of your small business, make sure that you have enough of a savings account total to go all in. Pile up your reserves before you take the plunge because going for it too soon will bring the enterprise down before it has even started.
Miscellaneous Tips for New Entrepreneurs
Insurance and budgeting are two of the most important topics that are overlooked when entering the business world from scratch. Still, there are certainly a few other tidbits to keep in mind to give yourself the best chance to succeed.
Think about whether you can apply any tax breaks to your business if you’re working from home. You can usually get a tax deduction if you count the office space you and your workers operate out of in your house, or if you mention the materials you bought for your business.
Most entrepreneurs are so excited about a new product or device they have invented that they don’t research whether it has already been copyrighted, trademarked, or patented. Selling an already-taken product may result in legal fees and lawsuits filed against your company.
Decide whether you are going to be the CEO of the company yourself or if you are bringing friends and family into the equation. Getting a helping hand from others in your life can make the difference between success and failure.
The only drawback to this is that some of the people you have loved for your entire life may not have the same motivations or techniques as you do. Remember that it is your company and that you shouldn’t let others push you around with decisions, even if these are people you think are trying to help you.
The final tip that should never be forgotten is the importance of being detail-oriented. If you think that you should double-check something, absolutely do so. Overlook nothing. Use online financial planning calculators to go over your expenses, and use actual cash value calculators when estimating the costs of assets.
You are responsible for a lot of things that ordinary employees are not used to thinking about. There is no such thing as being too careful in entrepreneurship.
If you separate your business expenses from your personal ones in your operation, you shouldn’t have as many pitfalls as the typical young entrepreneur. Enjoy the process and stay positive.
Always remember why you started a business rather than joining an established company. Entrepreneurs are excited to change the world, and they sometimes go overboard in trying to accomplish this goal. They see the results they want, but they try to skip the journey to the top.
If you keep in mind that the satisfaction behind achievement comes when you enjoy the little things, all of the hard work, and the hurdles, then the final result will be everything you’ve dreamed about.
Shawn Laib writes and researches for the car insurance comparison site, CarInsurance.org. He helps people understand the pitfalls of uneducated insurance shopping and aspires to create an atmosphere in which young people are not afraid to get some help when deciding on their policy.
