Starting a new business is exciting, challenging and rewarding, but it’s a process paved with hits and misses, trials and errors and many – often painful – learning experiences. Here are a few common pitfalls to avoid when getting your business off the ground.

Having a vague business plan: Your vision needs to be clear and crisp. There’s no room for fuzziness or ambiguities. If you want investors to be interested and clients to want your product, know exactly what it is you’re selling.

Not putting sufficient emphasis on early marketing: A marketing strategy is the cornerstone of any business that wants to succeed. Starting without one is huge mistake. You need to target relevant people in the media and the press long before your business is up and running. By the time it does, there should already be a buzz.

Being inflexible about your vision: Having a vision is great, but the business world is dynamic and you should be the same. There’s a big chance you’ll need to change direction at one point and, naturally, valuable feedback will emerge after you launch. Embrace change and keep your finger on the pulse of what investors and consumers need and want.

Mixing the professional with personal: Having passion about your business is important, but getting too caught up in it is a bad idea. Have boundaries, don’t neglect your health, your social life or your sanity. Your business will benefit from having you happy, rested and well adjusted.

Hiring Friends or Family Members: What can be better that working with people we love and trust? Well, pretty much everything. It might sound like a good idea, but when it comes to making demands, giving criticism and being harsh – it’s particularly difficult to be honest and open. Your business will suffer greatly if you’re too busy playing nice.