Why Startups Fail: And How Yours Can Succeed For the want-to-be entrepreneur thinking about taking the leap, the boot-strapped entrepreneur trying to energize a business three or four years in, and the venture-backed entrepreneur trying to scale, Why Startups Fail shows you the key mistakes new ventures make—and how to avoid them. Nearly everyone has an idea for a product they could build or a company they could start. But eight out of 10 new businesses fail within the first three years. Even only one in ten venture-backed startups succeeds, and venture capitalists turn down some 99% of the business plans they see. The odds appear to be stacked against you! But entrepreneurs often make the same avoidable mistakes over and over. Why Startups Fail is for the aspiring entrepreneur who wants to avoid the key mistakes that have caused hundreds of thousands of companies to fail. Why Startups Fail will appeal to venture-backed technology entrepreneurs. It will also appeal strongly to boot-strappers and those who have, by hook or by crook, survived their first three or four years and are starting to hit speed-bumps. It’s an excellent choice for entrepreneurs who want the know-how to make themselves and their companies successful for the long term. Table of ContentsPart 1—Market, Product, and EntrepreneurChapter 1: Poor Product-Market Fit Chapter 2: Bad Products Chapter 3: The Missing Entrepreneur Part 2— Sales and Marketing Chapter 4: Investing in Sales and Marketing Too Early Chapter 5: Losing Money on Sales Chapter 6: Invisible Startups Part 3—Execution Chapter 7: Failing to Communicate Chapter 8: Not Getting Started Chapter 9: Failing to Execute Part 4—Capital and Liquidity Chapter 10: Pitches That Fail Chapter 11: Managing Liquidity Chapter 12: From Failure, Success |