If you could do it all over

A large majority of entrepreneurs, 86%, would remain entrepreneurs if they had a chance to start over, according to a new survey — but they would invest their time and money differently.

Conducted by The Alternative Board, a Westminster, Colo.-based consulting firm, the survey shows business owners would put more emphasis on sales, strategic planning and marketing if they could do it again. “We found that entrepreneurs are confident in their products and services, but feel they would have benefited from better planning and more guidance,” The Alternative Board CEO Jason Zickerman says in a release.

For example, 24% of respondents say better coaches and mentors would make the single biggest difference in their businesses if they did it over, the survey found. That's against 2% who say a better product would be the difference maker.

Another change entrepreneurs would make: Invest more money in their business, and put it in different places. More than one-third would increase budgets for marketing, sales and lead development, the survey reports, while 20% would invest more in hiring and training employees. At least one-fourth, 27%, would put more hours into strategic planning.

One more if-I-knew-then-what-I-know-now nugget: Nearly four out of 10 survey respondents, 38%, wish they had delegated more to others.