For the man or woman running a smaller business in 2016, there are countless things to be on the lookout for, one if which is how well your finances are holding up.

While there are countless success stories dotted all across this nation, there are also numerous ones that are not as rosy. As a result, those companies can be nearing the red or even in there currently, potentially just weeks or months from having to close their brands down.

Business start-ups require a multitude of individuals in order to operate successfully. Here are five examples of people who you want on your team.

Visionary

Any venture needs a strong idea in order to be started, and ideas don't simply grow on trees. An innovative visionary is not only able to challenge his or her team, but is extremely active and passionate about their idea. Furthermore, a visionary will know what to get done, along with when and how to do it, and they will not allow the start-up to run without a clear plan-- for the present and future. They are ultimately willing to take risks, but only calculated and rational ones.

Before the advent of smartphones (and the public’s subsequent obsession with them), office technology was controlled by the IT department. However, now that tech culture has shifted from the educated few to mainstream society, it seems that almost everyone is carrying the latest technology — and they want to bring those devices to work. While there are a number of benefits to allowing employees to use their own laptops and smartphone, there are also some concerns to be addressed.

Whether you are a hands-on boss or someone who doesn’t monitor all that much of what your employees do on a daily basis, making sure you have Internet security is crucial in today’s world of hackers and identity theft thieves.

As too many business owners have discovered in recent years, it just takes one hacking event to throw one’s business into disarray. When that happens, not only can it turn into a financial nightmare, but the negative public relations fallout can be equally devastating.

Creating a successful start-up that allows a person to pursue their passions and make a profit is a popular dream in the business world. However, there are plenty of businesses that fail each year due to lack of planning and poor decisions. Here is what you need to ensure that your start-up stands out and succeeds.

Assemble a Talented Team

Running a start-up by yourself is exhausting, difficult, and sometimes impossible. Any entrepreneur needs a team of talented and trustworthy individuals who can help the start-up to achieve its goals.

Starting a business is no easy feat. And when you factor in all of the hidden costs that go into growing and scaling a successful company, it’s enough to leave any entrepreneur running back to the confines of a stable 9-5 job with a guaranteed paycheck and benefits.

But chances are that you would not be an entrepreneur if you weren’t a bit of a risk taker. Luckily for you, there are a plethora of free resources out there to mitigate the risks of growing your business. We’ve rounded up a couple of our favorites below.

Invoicing can be one of the biggest headaches for small businesses. It's time-consuming to put together these invoices and to manage their path from creation to billing to fulfillment. Plus, there are always a certain amount of customers each month who either don't pay their invoice on time or who don't pay it at all. Then you have to add in the burden of contacting these clients to get them to pay and perhaps taking the issue to the next level if they refuse.

No business can function without proper advertising. Marketing is probably the main business buzzword of the new age. It can be observed as an umbrella term for a number of various strategies for winning your customers' attention and gaining their trust. What matters most along the marketing alley is staying imaginative and creative. Beginners will take the middle-of-the-road lanes, while experienced marketers will go for the following shortcuts to a perfect marketing agenda.

Have you ever wondered what might happen if just one online criminal got his or her hands on some of your company’s most important data?

Sad but true, many businesses have had to deal with this issue, an issue that can end up dealing a terrible public relations and/or financial blow to companies everywhere.

Every entrepreneur dreams of major league success, but many settle for less than their share. The top performers in life, while indeed very knowledgeable in their fields, all share one similar characteristic: the success is in the thinking. 

While average performers think about how to survive with the least amount of pain and struggle, the most successful people think big and plan their brilliant futures.