A Startup Founder’s Guide to Failure
What I wish I had known then and what I know now
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If there’s one thing I’ve learned over 25 years of succeeding and failing with startups, it’s that the more I know about why I fail, the better I get at succeeding.
So I write a lot about failure — but not the standard stuff, like “You don’t know enough about X” or “Here’s a secret that every successful founder knows.” Blah.
I hope you find these posts a little more esoteric and that you get a lot of value from them. They’re all scars I’ve earned. And if you’re going to be successful, you’ll probably earn them too, if you haven’t already.
Last Updated 8/27/23
Why Startup Founders Fail: They Won’t Screw People Over
There’s a certain level of business success that I will never achieve, because I won’t pull the trigger on being cutthroat in order to get there.
Why Startup Founders Fail: The Constant Frustration
In business, the cost of sticking with a model that isn’t returning results is financial, psychological, and impacts many more people than just you.
Why Startup Founders Fail: The Hypocrisy Excuse
I see startup founders and other business visionaries with all the talent in the world fail because they can’t get out of their own, altruistic way.
