Many start up ecosystem stakeholders – Startup Genome, Techstars, Y Combinator, CB Insights, Forbes, etc. – come out with these “Top X Reasons Why Startups Fail“ articles from time to time. They typically list things like, “No market for product or service“, “Ran out of money”,“Poor user experience”, “Poor customer relations“, etc. As a project manager, I look at these things, and I don’t see CAUSES of failure, I only see SYMPTOMS of failure. As someone who’s been an entrepreneur for multiple decades, who's started dozens of companies, with multiple exits in multiple industries, as well as a bachelors- and masters-degree professor in entrepreneurship, I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there has been, is, and always will be only ONE cause for startup failure. Us. WE are the cause of why our startups fail. I will delve into the primary aspects of what causes us to fail, and discuss solutions, that I have proven to work.
Read More