The 8 Biggest Mistakes When Opening an Online Store That No One Talks About

Most ecommerce stores don’t fail because of bad products. They fail because their founders try to do everything at once without a plan.

The cause isn’t usually lack of effort—it’s burnout, poor prioritization, or skipping steps that would’ve saved time and money.

If you’re wearing multiple hats, this guide is for you. Below, we break down the 8 biggest mistakes when opening an online store.

1. Doing everything yourself without prioritization

Trying to do everything yourself is the fastest path to burnout. 

It’s natural to take on everything when you’re starting out: marketing, operations, customer support, website updates, and more. But if you don’t start prioritizing, you’ll never know what to focus on or what to let go of. The result is a lot of work and little progress.

Focus on the actions that move your business forward by using the $10/$100/$1,000 task framework from entrepreneur Dan Martell.

Tasks that anyone can do with minimal training, like resizing product images or sending emails, are $10 tasks. More skilled work, like writing landing pages or product descriptions, are $100 tasks. Strategic decisions—partnerships, product direction, pricing—are $1,000+ tasks.

2. Not knowing your product-market fit

If you don’t know who your product is for and why they need it, neither will your customers.

Launching based on assumptions without market validation is a fast way to miss the mark. Customers buy products that solve real problems—if you can’t clearly explain what your product does, who it’s for, and why it’s better than the rest, it won’t sell.

Tip: Need an effective marketing campaign? First, test your product idea with surveys, polls, social engagement, or even a one-page landing site before investing in inventory. With a substantial amount of feedback, messaging and promoting will be easier.

3. Focusing too much on the website design

It’s easy to get stuck in the weeds of fonts, layouts, and color palettes. But perfect design doesn’t drive sales without clear messaging and a strong offer.

Your website should do one job: convert interested visitors into paying customers. That means focusing on product clarity and user experience.

Take it from Steve Chou, entrepreneur and founder of My Wife Quit Her Job:

“A lot of the things that have to do with the sales of your store are how you design your website for conversions… It’s more than just offering things like free shipping or guarantees—it’s making them very prominent on your site. What’s also very important is telling the person what sets your store apart… right front and center and on every single landing page.”

4. Overcomplicating your tech stack early

Installing 20+ apps before your first sale, building custom tools you don’t need, or switching platforms mid-launch creates more problems than it solves.

Start with the basics. Prioritize tools that support your most important workflows like creating product listings, checkout, email capture. Add more as your business scales.

Tip: Before implementing a new tool, ask: What will this help me do today?

5. Ignoring financial fundamentals

Don’t know your margins, expenses, or breakeven point? You’re guessing your way through.

Without a clear understanding of what’s happening to your money, you’re on the fast track to join the more than two-thirds of startups that fail. 

Many founders underprice or overspend early without understanding their numbers. This means when cash gets tight, small mistakes can derail growth.

You don’t need a finance degree, but you do need to be familiar with the key metrics that signal your store’s health.

Track these three metrics from day one:

1. Customer acquisition cost (CAC): How much it costs to acquire a new customer. If CAC is higher than your profit per order, you’re scaling unprofitably.
2. Lifetime value (LTV): How much a customer spends over time. A higher LTV means more room to invest in acquisition and retention.
3. Break-even point: The number of sales you need to cover your costs. It’s the bare minimum for staying afloat. Essential for forecasting.

6. Underestimating how long it takes to gain traction

Many new online businesses expect to go viral in their first month. In reality, it usually takes months—or more—of consistent hard work to reap what you’ve sown.

The early days are about planting seeds. You’re building systems, learning what works, and earning trust.

Tip: Reframe your timeline. Instead of asking, “Why haven’t I blown up yet?” ask, “What am I building today that will pay off in 90 days?” Long-term thinking helps you stay focused and consistent.

7. Not planning for customer retention

Why spend 5x more to acquire a customer than to keep one you already have?

In ecommerce, retention is almost always more profitable than acquisition. Yet most founders obsess over the first sale and completely neglect what happens after it.

Repeat customers spend more and are more likely to refer others. Without a plan to keep them engaged, you’re constantly starting from zero. 

Here’s how to fix that:

The moment someone buys, make them feel like they just joined something special. Send a warm thank-you email, share your brand’s story, and set clear expectations for what comes next. Then, follow up with a post-purchase email flow that recommends another product and asks for a review. 

8. Hiring too late—or without a plan

Hire late and you slow down growth. Hire wrong and you move two steps back.

We get it—you want to stay “lean,” but when you’re buried in fulfillment or customer support, you're not working on growth. On the other hand, rushing into a hire without clarity leads to wasted time, mismatched expectations, and unnecessary overhead.

The key is hiring intentionally and at the right time. 

Answer these key questions for every role to ensure you're hiring with purpose, not just offloading tasks:

• What problem does the role solve?
• What outcomes define success?
• What skills or traits are non-negotiable for this role?

Mental shifts to help you run your store without burning out

Running your own store means battling self-doubt. Am I making the right moves? Is this working? But the good news is that you can transform this mental struggle into actionable steps. 

Get energized and break free from burnout with these mindset shifts:

• Set boundaries between working in the business vs. on the business. Don’t let day-to-day tasks consume all your time—schedule strategic thinking like a non-negotiable meeting.
• Give yourself permission to not be an expert at everything. The sooner you outsource or automate, the faster you’ll grow.
• Start documenting from day one. Notes, decisions, processes—your future self (or future team) will thank you.
• Build SOPs even if you're solo. Write things down as if you're onboarding someone next week—you probably will be.
• Don’t mistake hustle for progress. Busyness is a trap. Focus on leverage, not hours worked.
• Avoid decision fatigue by simplifying choices. Use templates, set defaults, and batch your work—less thinking, more doing.
• Have a realistic plan for failure or slow traction. Set exit or pivot criteria early so you’re not making emotional decisions later.

The bottom line: Aim for a sturdy foundation, not perfection

If you’re wearing every hat right now, that’s normal. But remember that the best ecommerce founders aren’t the busiest or flashiest. They don’t even do everything right the first time.

They just focus on what matters: delivering value, simplifying their operations, and learning from customers.

Get the foundations right, and you’ll give your business the space it needs to grow.