Encountering obstacles is one thing we all have in common. The thing that sets us apart, however, is how we deal with obstacles. Some people allow obstacles to derail them; others have learned to jump the hurdles while running.

The majority of obstacles can be avoided. They are the result of unmanaged emotions, ingrained habits and habitual mistakes we make with other people. Unattended, these obstacles become emotional thieves that we allow into our lives. They steal our focus, sap our mental energy and, sometimes, thwart our most important initiatives. What can we do to close the door on these obstacles so we can capitalize on our opportunities to succeed? Here are eight strategies to help.

1. Listen to your gut when it comes to people.

We all have a built-in radar that tells us when we are about to make a mistake involving people. But we often choose not to heed that signal. Research shows that one in four startups fail. One of the major causes is managerial incompetence.
Choosing the right people, especially the right co-founder, is crucial. Some entrepreneurs end up picking a co-founder based on friendship, on having been like-minded buddies working together in the past. In the excitement of starting a new venture, you may ignore the feeling in your gut that tells you the person you are about to pick does not have the managerial competence for this next step. They may lack execution skills, or they may be weak on strategic thinking. Instead of bolstering your weaknesses, they compound them. Don’t let this be an obstacle to your success.

2. Make frugality a company value.

“Living too high for the business” is another cause for failure cited in research. That’s one obstacle you can easily avoid. It’s not uncommon to witness a startup that gets some funding and begins to spend like a Fortune 500 company. Euphoria and the thrill of the win replace common sense. The famous 1993 “Shrimp and Weenies” memo sent to all Microsoft employees asking them to be frugal with company money—to order weenies, for example, not shrimp, when the company pays the bill. It asked employees to think of Microsoft as “the biggest small company in the world.” Keeping the small company mentality is good advice, not only for startups but for any company.

3. Know the perils of emotional pricing.

One of the challenges small-business owners often face is having the right pricing strategies for their products and services. Sometimes, our emotions dictate the price we charge. For example, we may fear we will lose the sale and start charging too little, thereby continually lowering our profit margin. This can create insurmountable obstacles down the road. Emotional pricing can also result from a feeling of pride—what one consultant called “the joy of the hunt”: getting the contract at all costs and feeling good that you beat the competition. On closer analysis, this is a hollow win. Price with your head, not your heart. Know what your costs are, keep your ear to the ground regarding your competition and periodically reevaluate your prices.
If you regularly fail to get a positive answer to your proposals, ask customers for their feedback on your pricing. Many are happy to help, and this can yield some useful information for you on your niche market. All of this will lead you away from emotional pricing into more rational pricing.

4. Be willing to abandon what doesn’t work.

Some products or services you include in the business might not work. We tend to fall in love with our own products and services and find it hard to let something go. It’s almost as if we develop blinders that prevent us from seeing what is very clear to outsiders, but not to us. If you’re going to play the game, you need to know when to fold the cards.

5. Replace old strategies with new ones.

Some obstacles are the result of our ingrained habits—clinging to outdated modes and ways of doing business because it’s what we know best. One such example is relying on outbound marketing tactics without considering the value of inbound marketing strategies. Inbound marketing is the brainchild of HubSpot. It means attracting customers through a variety of avenues such as blogs, podcasts, videos, social media marketing and many other forms of content marketing. It is the antecedent of outbound marketing, which includes strategies such as cold calling, direct email marketing and spam, to name a few.

6. Don’t distance yourself from the sales function.

During the startup phase, entrepreneurs generally act as sales chiefs. They know their product or service best because they created it. As they grow and start to hire staff, some founders may remove themselves from the sales function. They slowly start to distance themselves as they focus on financing, people management and other operational issues. They may end up losing their grip on what matters most: sales. As we all know, sales can make or break a business.