Working long hours and having work weekends have become a norm in a lot of companies. Everyone has a lot of competitors to worry about, and nothing can replace hard work as a way to surpass it. However, most of the time, the output isn't about the hours the employees put in, but how well they spend them.

Productivity in the workplace is rarely about working more or longer, but about the systems the company puts in place in order to bring out the best in its employees.

For every startup, the first few years are the most important. They determine whether you will survive in this overly competitive market or not.

Now, there is a plethora of steps you need to take, from analyzing the market demands and tailoring your products to them to promoting your business to the right people, through the right channels.

However, none of this would be possible if you don't learn how to manage your finances in the first place. Namely, statistics tell us that 82% of small businesses fail because of cash flow problems.

So, how to overcome the most common obstacles startups face and make your finances healthy?

Let's find out!

Startups are the jack-of-all-trades of small businesses. By definition, the difference between a startup and your run-of-the-mill small business is the fact that startups primarily aim to develop an innovative product or service for a totally new market. This means that, due to their ambitious nature, startups have to deal with a lot on their plate.

For example, if we just look at it from a marketing perspective, promoting an entirely new product on the existing market is challenging even for the top corporate giants, let alone a newly founded startup. Therefore, it shouldn't surprise us that 9 out of 10 startups fail in their endeavors. With this information in mind, startup founders should be extra careful not to bite off more than they can chew and call for some additional backup instead. After all, there are incredible benefits of outsourcing your business processes to other companies. Here's a list of 5 of these:

Whatever you've read so far on how easy it is to launch a startup overnight, just forget about it as it couldn't be further from the truth. Every project of this magnitude takes a considerable amount of time to complete.

Just take a look at movies, for example. Before they are released, they need to go through pre-production, production, and finally post-production. Ironically, the production itself only takes around a month or two to complete, and it's arguably the most important part as the actual filming takes place during this period.

However, post-production, on average, can last anywhere from six months to a full year depending on the budget of the movie in question. What's more, pre-production is even worse as it can potentially drag on for years, as was the case with James Cameron's Avatar which took almost ten years before it actually went into production. So, if you still think you have the necessary patience to launch a successful startup, then come take a look.

There are many new entrepreneurs ready to start their own business. As every startup owner, an entrepreneur wants to do as much as they can on their own in order to save up as much as they can for business development and growth. However, attempting to do everything by yourself may prove more challenging than you could imagine. Moreover, trying to do everything on your own may lead to burnouts and you might lose everything you were trying to accomplish.

Still, this doesn't stop entrepreneurs from taking on the responsibilities and managing all business-related tasks, until their startup has fully developed. Nevertheless, if you're determined to do more on your own, then at least focus on developing the skills that are needed for business aspects you want to cover. There are plenty of online courses that will help you become proficient enough to ensure your startup is on the right track. Here are a few courses startup owners should consider.