Who may be considered a threat against your business?

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone was always on the side of your business and always wanted it to do well? We could simply come up with a few good ideas, work hard and, with everyone’s support, it would go from strength to strength. This isn’t exactly the case for any company.

It’s a complicated world out there, and that means that there’ll always be people who, intentionally or not, bring your company down.

You

Of course, you’re not going to deliberately sabotage your business, unless you have a self-destruct streak running through your veins. You may cause harm to your business in other ways. Your ego, for example, should be kept in check; it will lead you astray if you’re not careful.

While your brain will come up with a lot of the good ideas needed to propel your business forward, it may also trick you into thinking that you can do everything, or that you always have the best ideas. This is not the case. Stay humble, be open to the advice and wisdom of others and don’t believe your own hype.

Cybercriminals

Cybercrime has been growing considerably in recent years, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time soon. It’s something that all companies need to be aware of, though small businesses should be more on alert; they’re more likely to be targeted by criminals.

You can keep your business protected by keeping your sensitive data secure and also taking steps to prevent fraud, which you can do by verifying identities online — multiple leading brands trust Jumio to fight fraud, for instance. Moving forward, you’ll want to make sure that you’re keeping your software and practices updated to reflect new approaches for tackling cybercrime.

Your staff

While much crime is committed against companies by external sources, the majority is committed internally. When hiring staff, it’s important that you’re taking steps to make sure that they’ll be trustworthy employees should they be hired. You can do this by following up with any references they provide and also conducting a criminal background check if the position involves handling particularly sensitive data.

Your staff may also harm your business in a non-malicious way, too, such as by not working productively or talking to customers in a way that’s inconsistent with your level of customer service.

Other entrepreneurs

Things might be going well now, but there’s no guarantee that they’ll be going well forever. When you start a company, you agree to enter the great game that is business competition. It’s important that you’re forever finding ways to improve your services and move your business along with the times.

If you don’t, there’ll be someone who comes along with a company that fills the gap you’ve failed to fill. See other entrepreneurs as a way to progress your company, and you’ll be fine.