VW Caddy report compiles common business errors made by ambitous enterprise owners

According to a new study published by Volkswagen today, taking a chance on hiring someone who ultimately turned out to not be right for the job was named as British bosses’ most common business mistake. It suggests that a third of small and medium sized enterprise (SME) owners would describe themselves as ambitious risk-takers, but it’s important to remember that with all risk-taking having a downside as well as an upside.

The Volkswagen Caddy ‘However Big Your Ambition’ report, commissioned to understand the common mistakes business owners regularly make, and to help prevent bosses from continuing to make costly blunders, revealed that mistakes and bad decisions cost UK businesses an average of £2,340 every year. To help SMEs develop their business skills, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has launched an online mentoring service on its Facebook page featuring successful SME owners sharing advice.

Alex Smith, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles says: ‘Running a business isn’t easy and having the best staff working for you is critical, so training and investing in people will always pay dividends in the future. It’s hard to get decisions right every time, and even successful business owners will have made a mistake at some point in the past. The key thing is to avoid repeating them.’

1,000 SME owners were interviewed for the Volkswagen Caddy ‘However Big Your Ambition Report’ and Volkswagen Commercial has just released the results of the 'Top Business Mistakes' (see the list below).

Top business mistakes

1. Hiring someone who wasn’t right for the job

2. Making a pricing error

3. Not taking advantage of an opportunity

4. Giving too much discount on something

5. Taking a friend on to work for you

6. Taking a relative on to work for you

7. Firing someone

8. Trusting someone/a business partner that didn’t work out

9. Investing in equipment which didn’t work

10. Ignoring good advice

11. Allowing a junior more responsibility than they could handle

12. Acting on bad advice

13. Declining a pay rise which meant a good member of staff left

14. Giving someone a pay rise and regretting it

15. Investing in another business which didn’t work

The Volkswagen Caddy van is a light commercial vehicle that was first introduced in Europe back in 1982. It has seen a few design changes since its early days as a derivative of the VW Golf. Today's Caddy is available in short- or long wheelbase with state-of-the-art fuel-efficient diesel engines, plus VW call it a van that has, "city-friendly dimensions and a car-like feel". From the classic Caddy panel van to the recent limited edition anniversary special, the Volkswagen Caddy Edition 30, Caddy has been a hardworking partner to businesses for over 30 years.

We offer all models of VW van on lease or contract hire and offer great deals against the UK list price. Have a look and give us a call.