The most frequent complaint voiced among any business starting out is the lack of working capital. The initial, often lean years require a business to operate more frugally than at any other time. Every expenditure has to be closely monitored. In the sense of expenditures, small businesses come to learn one thing rather quickly: time is as valuable to the success of a business as is money.

Ask any small business owner what they could use more of and they’ll quickly state time and money. Where most miscalculate early on is how much time is required to dedicate to the business. Not simply creating goods, but the time needed to setup and maintain websites, create and disseminate marketing literature, remain relevant, reconcile product and marketing costs against customer purchases, and other necessities of doing business.