Jason Falco, an experienced business leader with a background in telecommunications, operations, and franchise ownership, offers a practical perspective on the challenges facing entrepreneurs today. Drawing on decades of work in business management, client development, and organizational growth, Jason Falco has overseen initiatives that strengthened vendor relationships, expanded revenue channels, and improved operational performance. His leadership experience spans corporate roles at MCI Telecommunications and CenturyLink as well as executive positions in the BPO sector. More recently, he has applied this expertise to operating Stand Strong Fencing in Colorado, where he guides strategic planning and daily operations. Through this broad professional foundation, he is well positioned to contextualize the common obstacles that emerge for small business owners and the factors that influence long term success.
Common Challenges of Small Business Owners
Starting a small business can provide entrepreneurs in the United States with incredible freedom. However, launching and operating a small business also represents a significant challenge. The US Chamber of Commerce reports that nearly 20 percent of small businesses fail within 12 months, 50 percent fail within five years, and just 35 percent continue operations beyond 10 years. To avoid being numbered among these failed small businesses, entrepreneurs should familiarize themselves with critical common mistakes that can negatively impact their bottom lines and their ability to grow businesses for a decade or more.
To start, entrepreneurs starting small businesses must prepare themselves for a litany of financial constraints. Larger, established companies have cash flows that cover basic operational needs, from payroll to utilities. Still, new businesses do not enjoy this stability and may struggle to pay bills early on. It is not uncommon for small business owners to forego salaries to pay their employees and cover other expenses. Generally speaking, small businesses do not see profitability for between two and three years, so owners must develop comprehensive business plans to account for financial challenges and payment issues before launching the business.
As if working without a salary were not stressful enough, entrepreneurs often discover they do not have the time to handle all the tasks associated with small business ownership. For small businesses, time is just as valuable as money. This leads to a conundrum that can ruin a new business: entrepreneurs often need to hire entry-level employees to handle phones and paperwork, middle management to engage with vendors, and skilled business leaders to help develop sustainable growth strategies, yet all of these employees place increasing financial pressure on small businesses. To succeed, small businesses must strike a balance between delegating tasks and fiscal responsibility.
Even if entrepreneurs have the capital to pay a talented staff, they may realize that finding reliable employees is not as easy as it seems. Americans starting their own companies join more than 30 million small businesses that already account for 47.5 percent of national employment. The average small business lacks the resources to provide employees with competitive salaries or benefits packages. Furthermore, small business owners must often seek employees who can fill multiple roles, shrinking the employment pool for each position.
Suppose small business owners manage to launch their company and continue operations for a few months or years. In that case, they may soon find themselves struggling to strike the right balance between sustainable growth and quality. Every small success represents a significant victory for small business leaders, who must immediately turn their attention to the next objective.
Yet, as more consistent success leads to predictable growth, leaders must learn to scale up operations without compromising quality. Many entrepreneurs find themselves choosing between working themselves and their employees for long hours and cutting corners wherever possible; neither solution is viable in the long term for maintaining quality.
Last but certainly not least, many small businesses suffer from a lack of web presence or one that does not fit their needs. Web presence actually represents a confluence of challenges that can hinder small business success. For instance, paid advertising is costly, and word-of-mouth marketing is slow; businesses that do not promote themselves with a simple, efficient website and social media presence exacerbate these challenges.
Setting up a basic website is relatively affordable, but small business owners need to understand the basic requirements, such as search engine optimization and responsive design. In addition to a user-friendly design, business leaders should develop websites that drive sales rather than serve as static billboards for the company. While entrepreneurs may have no personal interest in social media, platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are cost-effective, highly impactful marketing tools.
About Jason Falco
Jason Falco is a business leader with experience in telecommunications, vendor management, and franchise operations. He has held roles at MCI Telecommunications, Evolving Systems, and CenturyLink, where he supported cost savings, revenue growth, and supplier optimization. Later, he served in executive positions at MCI BPO and contributed to significant new client acquisitions. Since 2023 he has operated Stand Strong Fencing in Colorado, directing planning, staffing, and financial performance while advancing the brand’s regional presence.
Angela Spearman is a journalist at EzineMark who enjoys writing about the latest trending technology and business news.
