This is the first post in an 8-week series on the top mistakes emerging brands make as they build out their retail presence.

I’ll be ranking them, starting with the smallest iceberg and working my way up to the largest. The rankings are based on a deep analytical formula factoring in lost velocity, eroded profits, and decreased company valuation.

Or... they’re just ordered in a way that flows well and might stir up some friendly controversy in the comments.

Each post will call out the hazards, but I’ll spend more time offering up solutions.

Starting with the smallest iceberg…

#8: Trying to Do It Alone

Yes, this is a blatant self-serving plug for the fractional world... But seriously, you will need an excellent team to accomplish your goals.

Start by knowing you will need help with Sales, Operations, Finance, Marketing, PR, Tech, and HR. You can’t hire full-time for all of it, so unless you’re sitting on serious funding (or a trust fund), you’ll need fractional support or experienced advisors.

If you’re lucky enough to find a complementary co-founder, that’s gold. Otherwise, consider forming a board and offering a small piece of equity as compensation.

You’ll also need peers and mentors, people who can be a sounding board when things get messy (they will get messy). Build your community. There are some amazing founder support groups out there, and people are shockingly generous with what they’ll share.

Vet your partners. Start small. Especially, if you’ve got a tight budget (which you probably do).

If this is only #8… imagine the next seven. Stay tuned.