Why Your Start-Up Will Fail (And How to Be the 10%)
I've watched hundreds of start-ups launch. Most of them are dead within 18 months. And almost none of them died because the idea was bad.
They died because they built the wrong thing, in the wrong order, with the wrong technology, at the wrong speed.
The Five Execution Killers
1. Building Features Nobody Asked For
Your MVP should test ONE hypothesis. Not twelve. Every feature you add before product-market fit is confirmed is a bet you can't afford.
2. Choosing Tech Based on Your Developer's Resume
Your tech stack should match your business needs, not your CTO's comfort zone. I've seen start-ups burn $2M rewriting codebases because they picked the wrong stack in month one.
3. Ignoring Unit Economics Until It's Too Late
If it costs you $200 to acquire a customer worth $150, no amount of growth fixes that. Get your unit economics right before you scale.
4. Manual Processes Disguised as "Being Hands-On"
There's a difference between being close to your customers and doing everything manually because you haven't built systems. One is strategy. The other is a ticking time bomb.
5. Raising Money Before You Have Leverage
The best time to raise is when you don't need to. Build enough traction that investors come to you, not the other way around.
The 10% Playbook
The start-ups that survive all share one trait: they move fast on the right things. They validate before they build. They automate before they hire. They scale systems before they scale spending.
That's not luck. That's having a geek in the room.