17 Business Planning Mistakes You Should Avoid

Avoid the planning mistakes that trip up most first-time founders

This course was built directly from the recurring mistakes business owners make when writing a business plan. Rather than teaching business planning from a blank page, it works backward from 17 specific pitfalls, showing what they look like and what to do instead.

Most new founders make these mistakes simply because they lack the experience to recognize them in the moment — not because they're careless. Naming and explaining each mistake up front is meant to close that experience gap before it costs you time or credibility with investors, lenders, or partners.

Who it's for

• First-time founders writing a business plan for the first time, who want to skip avoidable errors
• Business owners who've already written a plan and want a refresher to sharpen it

A compact, practical check against common planning pitfalls rather than a full business-planning curriculum.