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Mistakes To Avoid

- Circumstances were heavily against us >

"Circumstances were heavily against us, but I’ve learnt so much from that first time round. That’s the essence of..." Alistair McLean

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- No matter how good you are at anything >

"No matter how good you are at anything, there’s always something to learn. Part of learning is making mistakes, so I..." Jonathan Wells

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- We originally had quite small ideas for... >

"We originally had quite small ideas for Chooba; we wanted to open up a little stall in a shopping centre, selling a..." Gavin Blowman

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- Luckily there’s been no major ‘gaffes’... >

"Luckily there’s been no major ‘gaffes’ made in the business, but largely as a consequence of expense, we have no..." Kaye Winship

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- We’ve made a load of mistakes with... >

"We’ve made a load of mistakes with getting the product developed, but actually that’s not mistakes that’s just working..." Jonathan Wells

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- The biggest test is >

"The biggest test is, will they pay for it? We’ve made some big mistakes with this. One of the first dehumidifiers I..." John Elliott

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- We’ve also taken on a few contracts that >

"We’ve also taken on a few contracts that, with hindsight, we really shouldn’t have. We probably went in a bit gung-ho..." James Robson

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- I often didn’t ask for expert help when... >

"I often didn’t ask for expert help when I should have done, but I just felt I was too bogged down. I should have..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- There are potential clients that we’ve... >

"There are potential clients that we’ve turned away and said “you don’t need PR, you need something else,” and as a new..." Christian Cerisola

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- I think the biggest mistake we made was... >

"I think the biggest mistake we made was underestimating how fast we would grow. When we were looking at offices, we..." Antonia Clifford

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- Mistakes are something that you have to... >

"Mistakes are something that you have to cope with; the only person who doesn’t make mistakes is a person who does..." John Hays

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- I didn’t seek enough advice to start... >

"I didn’t seek enough advice to start the business though. Now I’ve learnt that it’s good to talk about your ideas and..." Anh Mao

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- My biggest mistake is relying on one... >

"My biggest mistake is relying on one specific source of income (investment). You need to keep your options open and..." Nancy Haughey

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- We did think it would be easier to sell... >

"We did think it would be easier to sell into the education market than it was. I think I was naïve in thinking..." Anne Curtis

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- If I’d have started out on my own I... >

"If I’d have started out on my own I wouldn’t have borrowed as much money. It gives you a tremendous amount of pressure..." Jamie Greenwood

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- We were referred to several ‘so called’... >

"We were referred to several ‘so called’ enterprise agencies. I have to say that most of the advice we got from these..." Sarah Taylor

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- My biggest mistake was that when I... >

"My biggest mistake was that when I started I think I expected too much too soon. But I realised after speaking to my..." Steve Mbara

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- I’ve spent the investment on stock >

"I’ve spent the investment on stock, software and machinery to make the shoes, but I have made mistakes along the way as..." Matt Scott

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- What I shouldn’t have done is take out... >

"What I shouldn’t have done is take out non-targeted advertising. In the future I will specifically target the bridal..." Rosie Willett

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- In terms of mistakes >

"In terms of mistakes, I don’t think we’ve done many things wrong (we always made decisions based on the knowledge we..." Louise Allcroft

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- I’ve made my fair share of mistakes >

"I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. During the initial stages of my idea I literally couldn’t stop talking about it. I..." Geoffrey Johns

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- When we organised ‘The Art Garden’ we... >

"When we organised ‘The Art Garden’ we were too easily taken in by people’s promises rather than relying on our own..." Rona Askew

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- I plan to minimise mistakes by starting... >

"I plan to minimise mistakes by starting my business small and letting it grow. Initially I will design from home and..." Vien le Wood

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- I’ve made mistakes >

"I’ve made mistakes but this is all part of the learning process. Making mistakes is natural, the important thing is to..." Tom Bivens

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- I think you have to make mistakes in... >

"I think you have to make mistakes in order learn and to grow your business. I’ve worked with entrepreneurs for about..." Kari Owers

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- The biggest mistakes I’ve made have... >

"The biggest mistakes I’ve made have probably been in recruitment. It was a completely new thing for me being a..." Nickie Gott

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- We’ve spent a lot of money on... >

"We’ve spent a lot of money on advertising when we really shouldn’t have. When you’re a new company you’re often simply..." Jonathan Wells

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- The biggest howler I’ve made in my... >

"The biggest howler I’ve made in my whole career was not getting to know my business partners well enough. Getting into..." Sir Tom Hunter

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- I think a mistake was putting on a... >

"I think a mistake was putting on a class because people asked for it and said they would come but then they only showed..." Susan Pluse

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- I’ve made heaps of mistakes >

"I’ve made heaps of mistakes; I think I’ve probably made every mistake possible. One mistake cost me £180,000 so it was..." Ross Cooney

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- Making mistakes is the best way to learn >

"Making mistakes is the best way to learn. I underestimated the need to establish a clear brand. I’m now in the process..." Terry Barnett

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- In terms of employees >

"In terms of employees, I would like to think that if someone’s not doing their job properly it’s not because they’re..." Greg Phillips

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- Probably the biggest mistake I made... >

"Probably the biggest mistake I made when I was starting to take over the business was approaching a fellow director to..." Jamie Greenwood

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- Despite some setbacks >

"Despite some setbacks, I would say that the only mistake I’ve made is not starting this business some ten years earlier." Ann Oliver

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- When we sold Intelligent Database... >

"When we sold Intelligent Database marketing the first time, the biggest mistake I made was taking my eye off the ball...." Alan Timothy

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- When I was looking for venture capital >

"When I was looking for venture capital, what I should have done is go to all three companies at the same time once the..." James Robson

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- We’ve made so many mistakes in setting... >

"We’ve made so many mistakes in setting the business up. We’ve done some bad negotiations and some bad sales deals. I’m..." Chris Quickfall

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- We’ve made loads of mistakes but we see... >

"We’ve made loads of mistakes but we see them as learning experiences rather than grave errors! That’s the great thing..." Satish Shewhorak

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- We’ve both made loads of mistakes since... >

"We’ve both made loads of mistakes since starting the company, too many to even start thinking about. I believe the most..." Kevin Owens

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- Along with allowing myself more free... >

"Along with allowing myself more free time, I also should have got some administration help and developed regular..." Trudy Hindmarsh

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- We’ve made mistakes along the way >

"We’ve made mistakes along the way. I guess one of the biggest was in recruitment. I’d been really lucky that those..." Derek Curtis

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- My biggest mistake was not being... >

"My biggest mistake was not being prepared enough for the company to take off in the way that it did. Even though..." Melanie Cornish

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- In the early days we contracted a... >

"In the early days we contracted a marketing ‘expert’ whose advice led us down the wrong path, and cost us money, time..." Anne Curtis

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- Recruiting people who weren’t right for... >

"Recruiting people who weren’t right for the company was probably the biggest mistake we’ve made. We’ve lost a bit of..." Fiona Cruickshank

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- Another mistake we made was not being... >

"Another mistake we made was not being commercially sharp enough in charging the appropriate fees that reflect our..." Simon Pearson

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- We were actually successful in the... >

"We were actually successful in the first year after the dot com failure and believed that we had got it right and..." Phil Cronin

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- A mistake I learned very early on was... >

"A mistake I learned very early on was that setting up the store cost more than I thought. My projections were out. So I..." Sue Harris

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- In business >

"In business, you don’t tend to make mistakes; you just find more efficient ways of doing things. Every year we look..." Pete Hunt

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- I think one of our biggest mistakes has... >

"I think one of our biggest mistakes has actually been hanging onto people who clearly weren’t in the right job. We’ve..." James Robson

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- I’ve also underestimated the importance... >

"I’ve also underestimated the importance of networking. I did quite a bit of it, but didn’t see it for what it was; I..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- Looking back I probably could have done... >

"Looking back I probably could have done things differently. In the first year we held sixteen exhibitions, all in..." Carol Metcalfe

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- I had not thought big enough for my... >

"I had not thought big enough for my business. I’ve always had a business that was about more than just profitability...." Sheila Stokes-White

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- Part of being the boss is that you... >

"Part of being the boss is that you can’t do everything yourself, which means that other people will make mistakes as..." Jonathan Wells

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- In the mid/late ‘90s we experienced... >

"In the mid/late ‘90s we experienced rapid growth. In six years we’d grown from a turnover of £7m to £23m but we got..." Simon Pearson

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- I used to think in the early years that... >

"I used to think in the early years that I didn’t plan enough. I was constantly drawing out these long term detailed..." John Elliott

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- I probably rushed into opening the... >

"I probably rushed into opening the boutique and didn’t think through everything thoroughly. But if I had then I may..." Fiona Houghton

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- We’ve also gone on business ventures... >

"We’ve also gone on business ventures that were strategically just wrong. We did a joint venture with Newcastle United..." John Hays

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- I make mistakes all the time >

"I make mistakes all the time. Probably the biggest has been underestimating the value of my company. I now find the..." Sheila Stokes-White

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- My biggest mistake was the fact that... >

"My biggest mistake was the fact that when I first started out, I expected things to just happen. They didn’t, and..." Jonathan Grubin

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- I think the mistakes I’ve made have... >

"I think the mistakes I’ve made have stemmed from sales calls coming in offering advertising. I’ve spent money where I..." Nathan Robinson

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- What I would do differently is not to... >

"What I would do differently is not to have placed as much emphasis on employing people already in recruitment. Sector..." Peter Nixon

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- In 1997 we’d grown to somewhere between... >

"In 1997 we’d grown to somewhere between £3.5-4 million. Because the market for database marketing was catching up with..." Alan Timothy

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- I’ve made mistakes in the past >

"I’ve made mistakes in the past but it’s important to learn from these. One such mistake was spending money on..." William Ingram

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Entrepreneurs>

Simon Pearson: Pearsons

"I left school at the age of sixteen with the grand total of 3 O Levels and just went from one job to another. It..."

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Clare Tucker: 1-2-hear

"I was a radio presenter, DJ and producer and worked at Metro Radio, Galaxy 1056 and Ministry of Sound. I met pluggers..."

view Clare Tucker's story

Paul Bell: Just Think Communications Ltd.

"My dad was and still is a very successful businessman. People at school used to say to me I never had to worry about..."

view Paul Bell's story

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For more information please contact stephen@ifwecanyoucan.co.uk or call 0191 226 7491