This will hardly seem like earth shattering news, but a lot goes into running a business. If there’s anyone out there who thinks that creating their own startup will be simple and easy, then I have some bad news… In fact, there’s so much that goes into running a business that it can actually end up being pretty daunting.

A lot of potential startups fall at the first hurdle because they get overwhelmed at the idea of the myriad different things that they’ll need to deal with. But, as with everything, if you want to set up your own business, some things will need to be more of a priority than others. That way, instead of getting bogged down in endless details until, you can focus on what’s most important. With that in mind, here are a few things that every new startup needs to focus on.

Research

This might end up being the thing you do before anything else. For any business, you can’t actually get down to the act of running it before you fully understand it. The amount of market research that you do will have a direct impact on the quality of your business. Make sure that you’re paying close attention to who your target demographic is, as well as keeping a close eye on who your competitors are and what gaps they are leaving in the market.

Marketing

It won’t make a difference if you have the greatest product in the world if you have no way to tell anyone about it. One of the biggest mistakes that a lot of new startups make is that they leave their marketing as an afterthought. Instead, the way in which you market your business should be at the forefront of your mind from the very start. Which marketing strategies will you be using? Will you need to outsource your SEO to an outside agency? Thinking about these things as early as possible is the best way to make sure that you’re prepared to meet any marketing challenges as they appear.

Accounting

Part of the reason that accounting gets ignored by far too many new companies is that it can be extremely complicated. Another reason is that it’s often just plain boring! But no matter how dull the financial side of your business might be, you (quite literally) can’t afford to ignore. Fortunately, there are plenty of things that you can do to make it a lot easier and more convenient. Lots of different types of accounting software can take a lot of the work out of it. Of course, if you find yourself totally confused by the numbers then the best thing you can do is to hire an accountant.

Of course, these are not the only things that your startup needs, but they are some of the most important things that often get ignored. The most important thing is to make sure that you’re paying attention to the details. Everything your business needs can be broken up into smaller and smaller details. By focussing in on specific things, you can avoid feeling as though everything is piling on top of you.