8 Major Mistakes Entrepreneurs Will Make before the end of 2013

1) Not Fundraising in Q1 – if you’re planning on raising money for your business at any point in 2013, DO IT NOW. There’s a growing buzz amongst entrepreneurs and VCs about “The Series A Crunch”. The fundraising climate in 2013 will be brutal, make the most of your fundraising shot before it gets really ugly.
2) Social Media Over Maturation – you’re not going to go out of business because you’re not tweeting or on instagram multiple times an hour. Social media is a great platform to engage current customers, but has not proven itself (other than paid channels) to sustainably drive new customers. Make sure you have a kick-ass Yelp profile, monitor and respond to what people say about you on Twitter, post something interesting once a day on Linkedin or Facebook, and stop stressing about missing out on monetizing the social media masses.
3) Thinking You’re Good Enough As Is – if you’re not meaningfully improving your entrepreneurial skills, you’re going backwards. Great entrepreneurs thrive in down markets, and the next few years will challenge the best of us. This is where the herd is thinned, and better stronger business are built to last. You may not currently be among the best, but you can get there with some self awareness and dedication.
4) Being a Technology Ostrich – there are so many incredible products available to entrepreneurs online, you can’t afford to keep your head in the sand. From accounting software, to recruiting tools, and CRM, invoicing, website creators, physical credit card processors, online surveys, project management, product sourcing, product feedback, easy made design, ready made workforces, even business documents and course


5) NOT Doing Business Like its 1983 – stop hiding behind your computer! Business is done in person and over the phone, not in the safety your multi LCD screen fort. We make make fun of our parents technological ineptitude but we’re becoming a generation of entrepreneurial wimps, who devalue social skills and real human relationships at our own peril. When it comes to closing a big deal, raising money, or making your team feel special nothing can take the place of good ‘ol human interaction, and actually being good at it.
6) Still Ignoring Paid Marketing on Google & Facebook – if you’re still avoiding marketing with adwords or facebook display, you’re missing out on potentially the most cost effective ROI. Online media is perhaps the most reliable & trackable source of advertising that you can start for $10 a day and cancel anytime. It’s possible these channels may not work for you, but it deserves your attention and resources.
7) Making Excuses Based on the Fiscal Cliff, Debt Ceiling, Tax Policy, Obamacare, or Anything Else from the Government – you don’t like the policy coming out of the government, get over it. Nobody does. Stop complaining that the rules are changing. The reason so many of us became entrepreneurs is because we have disdain for other peoples’ rules. If you’re caught up in complaining about obstacles put in your way, you’ll always miss the opportunities you can create.
8) Believing Your Idea is Any Good at All - there are no good business ideas, just good execution. No idea builds a business, people do, through a lot of trial and error, blood sweat and tears, and a healthy dose of integrity, smarts, and luck.

 Jason Nazar is the co-founder & CEO of Docstoc, a top 500 most-visited website helping small businesses.  He’s also the creator & host of the live events Startups Uncensored, and a thought leader on topics about entrepreneurship, technology & small business.