Guide

The mistakes that cost the most in the first year

10 August 2026 · 6 min read

We support new companies, but also many businesses that come to us after a few months of trading, often to get back on track. The same problems keep coming up, and they have one thing in common: none of them is a question of professional skill.

Putting off accounting until the first balance sheet

This is by far the most expensive mistake. Accounts taken over after twelve months of invoices piled up in a shoebox require reconstruction work, with missing documents and transactions nobody remembers any more. The cost of catching up far exceeds that of regular bookkeeping, and some filing deadlines have already passed.

Books kept as you go cost less and, along the way, give you visibility over your business — which is their main purpose.

Mixing personal and business accounts

Paying a supplier from your personal account because it is quicker, receiving takings into your current account: every transaction of this kind will have to be reconstructed, justified and reprocessed. Multiplied over a year, this early convenience turns into a major job.

Neglecting filing deadlines

A company’s obligations start in its very first month, not at the end of the first financial year. Delays lead to penalties with nothing in return: it is money lost, with no service in exchange.

Forgetting the company’s legal housekeeping

Change of manager, new partner, capital increase, transfer of registered office: these events require deeds and formalities. If neglected, they create a gap between the reality of the business and what its articles of association say. The problem always surfaces at the worst moment — during an audit, a financing application or a sale.

Even the annual general meeting to approve the accounts, often seen as a formality, leaves a trace whose absence gets noticed.

Investing in visibility before having a clear offer

Many young businesses spend on advertising before knowing exactly what they sell, to whom and at what price. The budget goes, the leads arrive poorly qualified, and the conclusion drawn is often that “advertising doesn’t work”.

A clear website, an easy-to-understand offer and a simple way to get in touch produce more, for less, than a campaign launched too early.

Using several providers with no coordination

One firm for accounting, another for legal matters, a developer for the website, an agency for advertising: each does their part properly, and nobody sees the whole picture. Inconsistencies slip into the gaps — articles of association that do not match the actual business, invoicing that does not reflect the model, a website promising a service the structure cannot yet deliver.

That is precisely why a one-stop shop exists.

Not getting support for fear of the cost

Support is seen as an expense, when in most cases it avoids greater costs: penalties, catch-up work, an unsuitable structure that will need changing. Over a first year, the balance usually tips in favour of getting support.

Catching up is always possible

If you recognise your situation in several of these points, all is not lost: we regularly do this kind of catch-up work. We start with an honest review — what is missing, what is urgent, what can wait — before committing to anything.