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There are some business decisions that can make * or break * the business. The biggest one is whether to spend money, and what to spend money on. The SBA says that 80% of small businesses fail in their first 2 years, and 90% by five years.

When to Spend * What to Spend

Most business owners make this decision on whether they have the money to spend. Basing business decisions on whether *I can afford it* is one of the biggest success breaking decisions a business owner should ever make. If the business needs some extra money, find a way to find it.

This can be by taking a part time or freelance job, or borrowing it. The SBA says that this is the number one reason why businesses fail in the first two years.

The business owner should be worried about what investment will give them the best return on their investment. Failure to invest in a business directly affects the future cash flow of a business.

Another question that new business owners need to ask themselves is *how much will it cost me if I don*t spend this money. Do no sit there and just write a short essay. Create a financial forecast that will estimate how much will be lost in six months, one year, and five years.

Education

Ask a successful business owner if they pay for education and they will, almost 100% say yes. Corporations pay an average of $1500 a year educating their employees. Many successful entrepreneurs invest hundreds of dollars a year into education and upgrading their skills.

Not educating yourself one of the top ten mistakes a business owners make. One of the biggest success breaking decisions is to say *I have no time to learn how to run a business.*

Networking

Who should you network with? Do not network just because you want to spend time with other people. The cream rises to the top is a very real statement. Those who succeed spend network with success stories. If your network group is advancing, growing, and sharing secrets and new resources * then you are in a good place. If they are thinking small, then you will learn to think small. If the group does nothing but eat lunch and complain, then you won*t learn to succeed.

Networking is about mentoring. It is about learning from your peers, not just meeting and trying to get a sale or two. One of the top ten success breaking decisions is joining the wrong networking group, or worse, joining no networking group at all.

Budgeting

Budgeting has two parts. The first part is regulating the cash flow. The second part is regulating it in a manner that is healthy for the business. One of the top 10 success breaking decisions is heard in every work at home and small business on a regular basis. *There is no money in the budget this month.*

Good budgeting paces money so that there is always money to spend on necessities. One of the biggest success busting decisions is spending money when you have it, without taking into account next month's bills.

Many business owners spend what they make, or withdraw it for their own use, without considering their future bills. A company should keep three months worth of expense money in their budget. They should also keep their advertising budget *in hold for one year.*
Advertising

The most overlooked success buster decision is the decision *not to advertise.* Many business owners consider advertising as a waste of money. They are not patient enough to wait six months for the advertising cycle to complete itself.

All of these decisions can break a business, ruining its chances of success.