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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Why Startups Fail summary
Tom Eisenmann
A New Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success
24 mins
Brief summary
Why Startups Fail by Tom Eisenmann is a comprehensive guide to the common mistakes that lead to failure in early-stage startups. Using case studies and analysis, Eisenmann provides insights into how to avoid these pitfalls and increase the chances of success.
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Why Startups Fail
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Key idea 1 of 8
To evaluate the health of your startup, you need a reliable framework.
Professor Tom Eisenmann of Harvard Business School is an expert on startups. But after over 20 years of research, he had a huge wake-up call. Looking at two ventures founded by former students of his – one of which he’d had so much faith in that he’d even become an investor – he couldn’t pinpoint why they’d both failed. It completely unnerved him.
So he started analyzing why startups fail, looking beyond typical excuses like blaming the economy. This research led him to create a framework that identifies four crucial opportunities every startup has. To achieve success, a startup needs to capitalize on these opportunities and ensure they’re working together. You can use this framework to check the health of your own venture and course-correct where necessary.
The key message here is: To evaluate the health of your startup, you need a reliable framework.
The opportunities that Eisenmann identified are your startup’s resources, which work together to create, build, manage, and sell a product or service in a profitable way.
The first is your brilliant idea. As founder, you’ll have come up with a unique solution that meets a specific customer need. It will effectively solve an important problem that customers face – and be different from anything else on the market.
The second is technology and operations. These are the systems you need to build your product, deliver it to customers, and maintain products after sale. This will include the ways you manage inventory and shipping, as well as sales and booking platforms your customers use.
Third is your profit formula. This projects the revenue you’ll earn through sales, as well as the cost of earning that revenue – including your operational costs. A solid profit formula helps you confidently manage your cash flow.
Finally, there’s marketing – how you’ll communicate with potential customers and entice them to buy your product. Hopefully your marketing strategies will be so effective that your customers will become loyal brand ambassadors, so you can rely on them for repeat sales.
These four opportunities are supported by the people involved in your startup – you and your cofounders, your hardworking team, the investors providing you with venture capital, and any partners offering guidance or expertise. If your opportunities are a racehorse, collectively these people are the jockey. To win the race, they need to complement both each other and the startup as a whole.
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What is Why Startups Fail about?
Why Startups Fail (2021) identifies six core reasons why startups fail. It presents a framework for analyzing startup failure that explores how different aspects of a business work together. Entrepreneurs can use this framework to evaluate the health of their own ventures.
Why Startups Fail Review
Why Startups Fail (2012) by Tom Eisenmann uncovers the common pitfalls and mistakes that cause startups to fail, providing valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers practical recommendations and actionable advice, helping readers navigate the challenges and increase their chances of success.
- With its thorough analysis of real-life case studies, the book provides a deep understanding of the underlying reasons behind startup failures.
- Through its engaging storytelling and relatable examples, the book manages to make an inherently complex subject incredibly fascinating and relatable.
Who should read Why Startups Fail?
- Founders of early-stage startups
- Entrepreneurs looking to scale their companies successfully
- Innovators who’ve failed to get their project off the ground
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Why Startups Fail FAQs
What is the main message of Why Startups Fail?
The main message of Why Startups Fail is understanding common pitfalls to avoid failure in startups.
How long does it take to read Why Startups Fail?
The reading time for Why Startups Fail varies depending on the reader, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Why Startups Fail a good book? Is it worth reading?
Why Startups Fail is worth reading as it provides valuable insights and lessons to help navigate the challenges of startup failures.
Who is the author of Why Startups Fail?
The author of Why Startups Fail is Tom Eisenmann.
What to read after Why Startups Fail?
If you're wondering what to read next after Why Startups Fail, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Startup Seed Funding for the Rest of Us by Mike Belsito
- How to Start a Start-up by ThinkApps
- The Startup Playbook by David S. Kidder
- The Startup Lifecycle by Gregory Shepard
- Dear Founder by Maynard Webb and Carlye Adler
- Zero to One by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
- ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- Influence by Robert B. Cialdini
- Side Hustle by Chris Guillebeau
- Shift by Ethan Kross
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