Here’s the Overlooked Startup Costs that Add Up the Fastest

But when it comes to startups, since around two-thirds don’t succeed, well, it’s mostly due to the lack of funding or just losing money to where there isn’t any left. When you’re starting up, there’s approximately a million tiny expenses nibbling away at every dollar a startup has. It’s not like you’re wasting money on fun things either, like decor, it’s not even big or dramatic costs either.  Instead, it’s just the annoying ones that never seem to end.

But those tiny things, the invisible costs nobody thinks about, somehow pile up faster than anything else. Again, they’re so mslal, it’s not like you could even notice. It’s like everything costs more the second someone calls it “business-related.” Which, yeah, it’s basically true. 

Office Supplies Still Exist, Unfortunately

It’s so obvious, but at the same time, in this day and age, do people actually still use office supplies, now? Well, yeah, maybe not as often, but yes, startups, well, all businesses to some extent still do. So, yeah,  even the coolest digital-first startup still needs physical basics that no one remembers to budget for. It’s just the basic things, too, like you still need pens, you still need printer paper, HP ink for your printer, storage bins, folders, paperclips, mailing labels, trash bags, markers, you get the whole deal here. 

But even though people assume everything lives on a screen now. But as soon as a contract needs printing or someone needs to package a product, those real-life expenses roll in like a surprise; you really don’t want that.

Hiring Costs Don’t End On Day One

Which probably floors you, right? Why can it still cost as soon as you have your team hired? None of that makes any sense, right? Well, it’s not really that simple, because bringing even one person on board opens a whole new tab of expenses. So, you need to deal with training materials (including making and setting it all up), there’s the onboarding resources, a desk setup that doesn’t fall apart, and at least a tiny amount of tech support unless someone enjoys fixing random laptop issues during work hours.

Plus, there’s the legal aspect, and no, you really cut corners there either, but as you can see, there are office supplies that need to be used during the hiring and onboarding process (all processes), so it all costs money. 

Branding isn’t Just a Logo

But can’t you just go on Canva and make a logo for free, and that be that? While you can do that, it’s not entirely recommended. But even just hiring a graphic designer once on Fiverr and calling it a day isn’t enough either. A brand needs fonts, colors, templates, product packaging, and maybe business cards if in-person meetings are a thing. And then there’s the constant refreshing of graphics whenever a new idea pops up. This whole thing is ongoing, and so here and there, it can cost money.