Company Failures Resources

Company: Pets.
com
Select VC investors: Hummer Winblad Partners, Bowman Capital
Total disclosed funding: $110M
Almost from the start, Pets.com was a losing

proposition, despite its backers’ talk about how much
money consumers lavish on their pets. Many pet
supplies are heavy and costly to ship – cat litter, cans
of dog food – and the firm couldn’t sell enough higher-
profit items such as pet toys. Moreover, to attract
customers, the company depended heavily on
discounts, said Jupiter Communications analyst
Heather Dougherty. As a result, the firm was selling
supplies below cost the entire time.
via The Wall Street Journal
Company: COPAN Systems

Select VC investors: Globespan Capital Partners, Austin Ventures
Total disclosed funding: $108.4M
The COPAN product was well differentiated. The

weakness was their not understanding, focusing and
exploiting its sweet spot. A consequence of an incomplete
or erroneous market understanding and a sole reliance on
the internal body of experience and knowledge.
via Toolbox.com
Company: Juicero
Select VC investors: Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Thrive Capital
On Sept. 1, as many U.S. businesses closed early for the

Labor Day holiday weekend, Juicero Inc. — a lavishly
funded startup that once sold a $699 Wi-Fi-connected
juice press — announced it was shutting down forever.
Juicero’s demise was not unexpected. Its collapse was the
consequence of unsustainable costs, unflattering
headlines and a bungled product launch. After attracting
about $134 million in funding from such illustrious
investors as Google Ventures and Kleiner Perkins
Caufield & Byers, Juicero was losing about $4 million a
month. Four years after its founding, the startup was
unable to find new backers willing to fund its ambition of
making fresh juice accessible to all.
via Bloomberg
Company: PepperTap
Select VC investors: Innoven Capital, Sequoia Capital India
PepperTap – which operated in a high-competition, low-

margin market – decided to shut down its main e-grocery
business after months of rapid expansion showed no signs
of profitability and deep discounts led to high cash burn.
“Losing cash on every order (no matter how small or how
controlled or how goal-oriented the burn) meant one day
we will run out of cash – perhaps we could slow down the
process but mathematically speaking, this was a
certainty,” PepperTap co-founder Navneet Singh said
while announcing the shutdown.
via TechCircle
Company: Sprig
Select VC investors: Greylock Partners, Social Capital and Sozo Ventures
“No question, I’m sad that the Sprig model did not work
out,” CEO Gagan Biyani said in an email circulated to the
app’s users. “The demand for Sprig’s convenient, high-
quality food was always incredibly high, but the complexity
of owning meal production through delivery at scale was a
challenge.”
Sprig had raised $56.7 million to cook and deliver its own
gourmet meals in the San Francisco area, but insiders
said it was losing six figures monthly and could not expand
the service into other cities.
via PYMNTS.com
Company: Expand Networks

Select VC investors: The Challenge Fund-Etgar, Tamir Fishman Ventures
Although Expand Networks won appreciation for its

technology, its operational performance was much less
impressive. The court documents show that it was losing $
250,000 a month and had $ 11 million revenue in 2010.
Although it was a pioneer in its field, it failed to make a
breakthrough.
via Globe
Company: DoubleTwist
Select VC investors: Institutional Venture Partners, Boston Millennia Partners
Two months later, DoubleTwist bowed to the inevitable.

“No one was surprised by this,” Williamson told the San
Francisco Chronicle, “but everyone was disappointed. We
had a great product and a great team — we just didn’t
have the revenues.”
via Bio-IT World
Company: govWorks
Select VC investors: Tallwood Ventures, BlueRun Ventures
govWorks, the brilliant idea, has been bungled badly in

execution. Arrogant and overly aggressive, company
officials have alienated key government partners and
vendors. They have burned through millions in false starts
and other fumbles, and it has lost time and ground to
competitors. One of the co-founders has been forced out
by the board and other senior executives. Now directors
are looking for a more seasoned manager to help Isaza
Tuzman run the company. Harvard Business School case
study department, here they come.
via CNN Money
Company: Kitchensurfing
Select VC investors: Spark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Union Square
Ventures
The startup had originally allowed customers to book

chefs days in advance for at-home dinner parties, but last
year moved to an on-demand model. Neither version of
the service, though, produced enough demand to be
sustainable for a venture-backed business. The company
was competing in a crowded market, as better-capitalized
companies like Blue Apron and Plated pushed the concept
of meal-kit delivery while startups like DoorDash,
Postmates and Caviar started delivering meals from
popular restaurants that didn’t offer delivery on their own.
via ReCode
Company: AdBrite
Select VC investors: Sequoia Capital, Artis Capital Management
Despite claiming to be the largest independent ad

exchange and at one time being seen as a serious
competitor to Google Adwords, it seems that they were
unable to make enough money or sell the company to
potential buyers.
via Performance Marketing Insider
Company: Color Labs

Select VC investors: Bain Capital Ventures, Sequoia Capital
Nevertheless, the app simply failed to gain much traction

with users, with reviewers often commenting that Color
appeared to be an app trying to solve a problem that didn’t
seem to exist.
via PCMag
Company: Digg
Select VC investors: Highland Capital Partners, Greylock Partners
“In the soon-to-be end, Digg will become known as the

first network to die from social fatigue,” wrote Mike Phillips
in June 2010. “Facebook and Twitter are booming,
LinkedIn is holding steady and even Myspace seems to
have settled into a niche. But Digg is in a deadly,
unrecoverable tail spin.
“The fact is, people – real people – are beginning to tire.
Submit this, upload that, vote on this, ‘like’ that, be my
‘friend’, check in here, suggest this, retweet that… there’s
already so much to do. The only thing left to ‘Digg’ is a
grave.”
via The Guardian
Company: Bluesmart
Select VC investors: FundersClub, Endeavor Catalyst, Tsing Capital, Fairhaven
Capital, Pear
Earlier this year when airlines started banning luggage
with lithium-ion batteries in their cabins, smart luggage
maker Bluesmart had a problem — one that ultimately led
to the company’s demise.
Bluesmart’s bags included a battery that’s not meant to be
taken out, and customers needed to be able to remove it
in order to fly. While the company eventually posted
elaborate directions on how to remove the component on
its site, doing so rendered many of the features of the
suitcase useless.
Though Bluesmart was looking into ways to change how
its suitcases operate, the luggage ban was one that
ultimately resulted in the closing of the business. In a
statement Tuesday, Bluesmart said that the new rules “put
our company in an irreversibly difficult financial and
business situation.”
via Fortune
Company: Plaxo
Select VC investors: Sequoia Capital, Globespan Capital Partners, Harbinger Venture
Management
Comcast had hoped to turn Plaxo into a way “to bring the
social media experience to mainstream consumers,”
according to a blog post by the startup’s founders at the
time of the acquisition. Among the ideas floated:
discovering new TV shows to watch based on friends’
recommendations and sharing photos with friends and
family that they could view “online, at work, on their mobile
device, or in their living room watching TV.” But Plaxo
never expanded beyond being a utility for syncing
contacts.
via Variety
Company: ZipGo
Select VC investors: Essel Infraprojects, Orios Venture Partners
ZipGo had earlier suspended operations in Bangalore and

Mumbai two months ago, before completely shuttering
down operations in other cities including Delhi NCR,
Jaipur, Kolkata, and Pune.
Via Live Mint
forbes
6,902 viewsMay 1, 2019, 05:16am
Why Startups Fail
Denise Lee YohnContributor

CMO Network
I write about brand leadership.

In this era of unicorns and hot IPOs, it’s easy to get caught up in the stories of startup successes.
But startup failures are far more common. CB Insights found that 70% of upstart tech companies
fail. And consumer hardware startups fail even more frequently, with 97% ultimately dying or
becoming “zombies.” The CB Insight analysts wanted to understand why so many startups fail,
so they dug into the “post-mortems” written by founders, investors, and journalists of nearly 300
startup failures. Here’s what they found:
The number one reason why start-ups fail was “no market need.”
GETTY
Nine of the top 20 reasons for startup failures – and five out of the top 10 – were related to
customers – not meeting customers’ needs, not listening to them or even ignoring them.
In fact, the number one reason why start-ups fail was “no market need.” In other words, there
was no customer. That’s what the founders of the failed Treehouse Logic, a visual configurator
platform company, discovered. They wrote, “Startups fail when they are not solving a market
problem...We had great technology, great data on shopping behavior, great reputation as a
though leader, great expertise, great advisors, etc, but what we didn’t have was technology or
business model that solved a pain point in a scalable way.”
Today In: Leadership
Another customer-related challenge that felled startups was product design that didn’t meet
customers’ needs. A founder of GameLayers blamed its failure on this. “Ultimately I believe
PMOG lacked too much core game compulsion to drive enthusiastic mass adoption,” he
observed. They needed to “make something that was easier to have fun with, within the first few
moments of interaction” instead of getting caught up in more “abstruse” features.
If only the start-up founders had listened to the customers they were trying to serve. The folks
at eCrowds, a web content management system company, admitted not prioritizing customer
input, saying, “We spent way too much time building it for ourselves and not getting feedback
from prospects — it’s easy to get tunnel vision.” Similarly, VoterTide founders wrote, “It’s easy
to get tricked into thinking your thing is cool. You have to pay attention to your customers and
adapt to their needs.”
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Nearly the same number of reasons for failure – seven of the top 20 -- were related to the
people and/or culture of the company.
Sometimes failure was the result of not having the right people on board. The founders
of Standout Jobs wrote in their post-mortem, “…The founding team couldn’t build an MVP on
its own. That was a mistake. If the founding team can’t put out product on its own (or with a
small amount of external help from freelancers) they shouldn’t be founding a startup.”
Other times, the lack of alignment among the founders and/or their investors was to blame. In a
lengthy recap of what happened at web development firm ArsDigita, cofounder Philip
Greenspun explained several points of misalignment between him, other company leaders, and
the company’s VCs, including partnership deals, product new rollout timing and organizational
structure.
The lack of focus or passion or both doomed other upstarts. The postmortem for MyFavorites
observed that, “Ultimately when we came back from SXSW, we all started losing interest, the
team was all wondering where this was eventually going.”
Of note, only two of the top 20 reasons that startups failed was due to money, or lack
thereof. It’s not surprising, though, if you think about it. Business is fundamentally a human
endeavor – humans trying to connect to other humans. Products, technology, business models,
funding – success in these dimensions are the result of getting people right. So ultimately start up
success comes down to people – the people inside the organization and the people outside it
(customers).
Oftentimes the lack of integration and alignment between these two groups of people is why
startups fail. The biggest, most tragic failures happen when people inside the company don’t care
about customers, or don’t cultivate a culture centered on the customer. Take NewsTilt, a news
website for independent professional journalists. It failed less than two months after being
funded by Y Combinator because its founders weren’t interested in the domain they had built
their company around -- and that led them to produce a product that didn’t meet customers’
needs.
One of NewsTilt’s founders confessed, “I think it’s fair to say we didn’t really care about
journalism. We started by building a commenting product which came from my desire for the
perfect commenting system for my blog. This turned into designing the best damn commenting
system ever, which led to figuring out an ideal customer: newspapers…But we didn’t really care
about journalism, and weren’t even avid news readers…And how could we build a product that
we were only interested in from a business perspective.”
Let these findings serve as warnings for aspiring entrepreneurs. People must be your priority and
they must be aligned. Your customers and your people drive your business. Ignore them at your
own peril.
Infographic: The 20 Most Common Reasons

Startups Fail and How to Avoid Them
These do's and don'ts can make or break your startup.
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Matt Sweetwood
GUEST WRITER
Business Consultant • CEO Coach • Speaker • Photography Expert
February 7, 2018 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
So, you have a great new idea or invention, and you are ready to open your startup business. But,
you've been scared by the well-publicized statistic about startup failure -- more than 50 percent
of small businesses fail in the first four years.
Opening and operating a successful startup requires some luck hard-work and thoughtful
planning -- as well as the ability to adapt that plan. Having been involved as a consultant to
numerous startups over the past decade, I have seen some fail, some achieve a modicum of
success, and some make it big. Here are a few do's and don'ts that will help guide your startup to
the promised land:
Business plan
 Don't think that a great idea or a great product is enough. The startup graveyard is littered
with amazing ideas and products that have failed.
 Do have a business plan that includes every aspect of how you will run your operation
and how it will be successful. It should include all anticipated costs, marketing,
manufacturing, the technology required and staffing. A business plan should also include
how you will market and sell your product.
Related: How to Start a Business With (Almost) No Money
Research
 Don't think your idea or product is original and because you and your friends think it's
amazing, means that it is and there's a market for it.
 Do lots of research before you spend your money. As a consultant, I have on three
separate occasions been asked to help with a business plan for a startup, where I
discovered almost exactly what they are doing has been tried before and failed. In two of
those instances, the previous failures indicated that the idea wasn't good. In the third
instance, we were able to learn from the previous mistakes and actually make a
successful run at it. The number one reason startups fail is that there is no market for their
offering.
Funding
 Don’t assume you will get financing other than the money you start with from yourself,
family and friends. Only a very small percentage of startups get Venture Capital (VC)
funding and in fact, the funding bubble has burst. And that means early-stage startups are
getting little or no love from outside equity firms.
 Do assume the initial funding you have will be all you get, so the goal is to have the
lowest burn rate possible. Therefore, your initial business plan should have a route to
profitability and sustainability before the money runs out. The number two reason
startups fail is that they run out of money.
Related: The Complete, 12-Step Guide to Starting a Business
Investor deck
 Don't think that your expert knowledge of your business, a well-developed business plan
and proficiency in PowerPoint are enough to craft an investor deck that will get a private
equity firm's attention.
 Do hire an expert consultant who has done this before. VCs can smell an embellished or
amateurish deck 100 miles away. You typically only get one look by a potential investor,
so make sure your investor deck is the absolute best it can be.
Tech
 Don't assume that technology will be easy or come as scheduled. In almost every startup I
have been involved with, where the need for technology advancement was crucial to
success, there were unanticipated issues and delays.
 Do assume that there will be delays in technological deliveries and therefore you need to
leave a buffer for that in your business plan. Do have a competent development team and
if they are not performing, replace them as soon as possible.
Team
 Don't think that you can go at this alone or that it will be easy to assemble a winning
team.
 Do select your team members carefully, trying to add as much diversity as possible. The
most successful startups that I have seen have mixed experience and newbies as well as
the more traditional kind of diversity. The number three reason startups fail is that they
have the wrong team.
Related: Need a Business Idea? Here are 55
Ego
 Don't think customers are just waiting for your offering and investors will be lining up to
give you money simply because your idea is amazing -- even if you have been a
successful serial entrepreneur in the past.
 Do be humble and realistic about everyone you meet. Relationships are a key to success,
and like with personal relationships, if you want to be successful, be sure you see
yourself as others see you. I have witnessed a lack of self-awareness and a big ego from
owner's doom potentially successful startups.
Old-Fashioned values
 Don't think you are leaving a nine-to-five job for the easy and flexible life of being your
own boss. A startup is a seven-day-a-week occupation and now it's your money and
reputation that are solely on the line.
 Do plan to work harder than you ever have with little return on your efforts for an
extended period. Do be honest with everyone you interact with, as your reputation will
ultimately be a key to your success.
To have big success as a startup, you'll have to master all the do's and don'ts above, and that's a
daunting task. So, before you begin, the question you must ask yourself is: "How badly do you
want it?!"
The Complete, 12-Step Guide to Starting a

Business
Everything you need to know about how to start a business.
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Matthew McCreary
ENTREPRENEUR STAFF
Associate Editor, Contributed Content
There are no limits on who can become a great entrepreneur. You don't necessarily need a
college degree, a bunch of money in the bank or even business experience to start something that
could become the next major success. However, you do need a strong plan and the drive to see it
through.
If you're on Entrepreneur, odds are you already have the drive, but you might not know how to
start building your empire.
That why we are here.
Check out this step-by-step guide to help turn your big idea into a successful business.
Related: 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Starting an Online Business
1. Evaluate yourself.
Let's start with the most basic question: Why do you want to start a business? Use this question
to guide what kind of business you want to start. If you want extra money, maybe you should
start a side hustle. If you want more freedom, maybe it's time to leave your 9-to-5 job and start
something new.
Once you have the reason, start asking yourself even more questions to help you figure out the
type of business you should start, and if you have what it takes.
 What skills do you have?

 Where does your passion lie?
 Where is your area of expertise?
 How much can you afford to spend, knowing that most businesses fail?
 How much capital do you need?
 What sort of lifestyle do you want to live?
 Are you even ready to be an entrepreneur?
Be brutally honest with your answers. This will create a foundation for everything you do
moving forward, so it's better to know the truth now than later.
Related: 15 Free Online Learning Sites Every Entrepreneur Should Visit
2. Think of a business idea.

Do you already have a killer business idea? If so, congratulations! You can proceed to the next
section. If not, there are a ton of ways to start brainstorming for a good idea. An article
on Entrepreneur, “8 Ways to Come Up With a Business Idea,” helps people break down
potential business ideas. Here are a few pointers from the article:
 Ask yourself what's next. What technology or advancement is coming soon, and how
will that change the business landscape as we know it? Can you get ahead of the curve?
 Fix something that bugs you. People would rather have less of a bad thing than more of
a good thing. If your business can fix a problem for your customers, they'll thank you for
it.
 Apply your skills to an entirely new field. Many businesses and industries do things
one way because that's the way they've always been done. In those cases, a fresh set of
eyes from a new perspective can make all the difference.
 Use the better, cheaper, faster approach. Do you have a business idea that isn’t
completely new? If so, think about the current offerings and focus on how you can create
something better, cheaper or faster.
Also, go out and meet people and ask them questions, seek advice from other entrepreneurs,
research ideas online or use whatever method makes the most sense to you.
And, if you've exhausted all your options and you're still stuck, here are 55 great business
options you can start.
Related: 63 Businesses to Start for Under $10,000
3. Do market research.
Is anyone else already doing what you want to start doing? If not, is there a good reason why?
Start researching your potential rivals or partners within the market by using this guide. It breaks
down the objectives you need to complete with your research and the methods you can use to do
just that. For example, you can conduct interviews by telephone or face to face. You can also
offer surveys or questionnaires that ask questions like “What factors do you consider when
purchasing this product or service?” and “What areas would you suggest for improvement?”
Just as importantly, it explains three of the most common mistakes people make when starting
their market research, which are:
1. Using only secondary research.

2. Using only online resources.
3. Surveying only the people you know.
Related: How to Start a Business Online
4. Get feedback.
Let people interact with your product or service and see what their take is on it. A fresh set of
eyes can help point out a problem you might have missed. Plus, these people will become your
first brand advocates, especially if you listen to their input and they like the product.
One of the easiest ways to utilize feedback is to focus on “The Lean Startup” approach
(read more about it here), but it involves three basic pillars: prototyping, experimenting and
pivoting. By pushing out a product, getting feedback and then adapting before you push out the
next product, you can constantly improve and make sure you stay relevant.
Just realize that some of that advice, solicited or not, will be good. Some of it won't be. That's
why you should have a plan on how to receive feedback.
Here are six steps for handling feedback:
1. Stop! Your brain will probably be in an excited state when receiving feedback, and it
might start racing to bad conclusions. Slow down and take the time to consider carefully
what you've just heard.
2. Start by saying ‘thank you.’ People who give you negative feedback won't expect you
to thank them for it, but doing so will probably make them respect you and encourage
them to continue be honest in the future.
3. Look for the grain of truth. If someone doesn't like one idea, it doesn't mean they hate
everything you've just said. Remember that these people are trying to help, and they
might just be pointing out a smaller problem or solution that you should look into further.
4. Seek out the patterns. If you keep hearing the same comments, then it's time to start
sitting up and taking notice.
5. Listen with curiosity. Be willing to enter a conversation where the customer is in
control.
6. Ask questions. Figure out why someone liked or didn't like something. How could you
make it better? What would be a better solution?
Also, one way to help you get through negative feedback is to create a "wall of love," where you
can post all of the positive messages you've received.Not only will this wall of love inspire you,
but you can use these messages later when you begin selling your product or service. Positive
reviews online and word-of-mouth testimonials can help make a big difference.
Related: 12 Mind Tricks That Will Make People Like You and Help You Get Ahead
5. Make it official.
Get all of the legal aspects out of the way early. That way, you don't have to worry about
someone taking your big idea, screwing you over in a partnership or suing you for something
you never saw coming. A quick checklist of things to shore up might include:
1. Business structure (LLC, corporation or a partnership, to name a few.)

2. Business name
3. Register your business
4. Federal tax ID
5. State tax ID
6. Permits (more on permits here)
7. License
8. Necessary bank account
9. Trademarks, copyrights or patents
While some things you can do on your own, it's best to consult with a lawyer when starting out,
so you can make sure you've covered everything that you need.
Here are some questions you can ask when looking for a small-business lawyer.
Related: The Top 7 Legal Documents for Every Startup
6. Write your business plan.

A business plan is a written description of how your business will evolve from when it starts to
the finish product.
As angel investor and tech-company founder Tim Berry wrote on Entrepreneur, "You can
probably cover everything you need to convey in 20 to 30 pages of text plus another 10 pages of
appendices for monthly projections, management resumes and other details. If you've got a plan
that's more than 40 pages long, you're probably not summarizing very well."
Here's what we suggest should be in your business plan:
1. Title page. Start with name the name of your business, which is harder than it
sounds. This article can help you avoid common mistakes when picking.
2. Executive summary. This is a high-level summary of what the plan includes, often
touching on the company description, the problem the business is solving, the solution
and why now. (Here’s what you should include in the summary and how you can make it
appeal to investors.)
3. Business description. What kind of business do you want to start? What does your
industry look like? What will it look like in the future?
4. Market strategies. What is your target market, and how can you best sell to that market?
5. Competitive analysis. What are the strengths and weakness of your competitors? How
will you beat them?
6. Design and development plan. What is your product or service and how will it develop?
Then, create a budget for that product or service.
7. Operations and management plan. How does the business function on a daily basis?
8. Finance factors. Where is the money coming from? When? How? What sort of
projections should you create and what should you take into consideration?
For each question, you can spend between one to three pages. Keep in mind, the business plan is
a living, breathing document and as time goes on and your business matures, you will be
updating it.
Related: How to Start a Business With (Almost) No Money
7. Finance your business.

There are a ton of different ways to get the resources you need to start your business. Angel
investor Martin Zwilling, whose business Startup Professionals provides services and products
for startups and small businesses, recommends 10 of the most reliable ways to fund your
business. Take a look and consider your own resources, circumstances and life state to figure out
which one works best for you.
1. Fund your startup yourself. Bootstrapping your business might take longer, but the
good part is that you control your own destiny (and equity).
2. Pitch your needs to friends and family. It can be hard to separate business from
personal relationships, but if you’re considering asking for a loan, here’s a resource you
can use to make it as straightforward as possible.
3. Request a small-business grant. Start by checking out our guide to small-business
grants. Then, head over to Grants.gov, which is a searchable, online directory of more
than 1,000 federal grant programs. It might be a long process, but it doesn’t cost you any
equity.
4. Start a crowdfunding campaign online. Sometimes power is in numbers, and a bunch
of small investments can add up to something major. If you think your business might be
a fit for something like Kickstarter or Indiegogo, you should read up on 10 of the best-
crowdfunded businesses ever or check out the most popular crowdfunding websites.
5. Apply to local angel investor groups. Online platforms such as Gust and AngelList and
local networking can help you find potential investors who relate to your industry and
passion.
6. Solicit venture capital investors. VCs typically look for big opportunities from proven
teams that need a million dollars or more, so you should have some traction before
approaching them.
7. Join a startup incubator or accelerator. These companies are designed to help new or
startup businesses get to the next level. Most provide free resources, including office
facilities and consulting, along with networking opportunities and pitch events. Some,
also provide seed funding as well.
8. Negotiate an advance from a strategic partner or customer. If someone wants your
product or service bad enough to pay for it, there's a chance they'll want it bad enough to
fund it, too. Variations on this theme include early licensing or white-
labeling agreements.
9. Trade equity or services for startup help. For example, you could support a computer
system for office tenants in exchange for free office space. You might not get paid for
this, but you won’t have to pay for an office, either, and a penny saved is a penny earned.
10. Seek a bank loan or line of credit. Here are 10 questions you should ask before
applying for a bank loan, including whether you will qualify. If you do meet the
requirements, a good place to start for loan opportunities is the Small Business
Administration.
Related: 7 Seed-Stage Funding Sources That Might Finance Your Startup
8. Develop your product or service.

After all the work you've put into starting your business, it's going to feel awesome to actually
see your idea come to life. But keep in mind, it takes a village to create a product. If you want to
make an app and you're not an engineer, you will need to reach out to a technical person. Or if
you need to mass-produce an item, you will have to team up with a manufacturer.
Here is a seven-step checklist -- including finding a manufacturer and pricing strategies -- you
can use for your own product development. A major point the article highlights is that when
you’re actually crafting the product, you should focus on two things: simplicity and quality. Your
best option isn’t necessarily to make the cheapest product, even if it lowers manufacturing cost.
Also, you need to make sure the product can grab someone’s attention quickly.
When you are ready to do product development and outsource some of the tasks make sure you:
1. Retain control of your product and learn constantly. If you leave the development up
to someone else or another firm without supervising, you might not get the thing you
envisioned.
2. Implement checks and balances to reduce your risk. If you only hire one freelance
engineer, there’s a chance that no one will be able to check their work. If you go the
freelance route, use multiple engineers so you don’t have to just take someone at their
word.
3. Hire specialists, not generalists. Get people who are awesome at the exact thing you
want, not a jack-of-all-trades type.
4. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you don’t lose all of your progress if
one freelancer leaves or if a contract falls through.
5. Manage product development to save money. Rates can vary for engineers depending
on their specialties, so make sure you’re not paying an overqualified engineer when you
could get the same end result for a much lower price.
To help you have peace of mind, start learning as much as you can about the production, so you
can improve the process and your hiring decisions as time goes along.
This process will be very different for service-focused entrepreneurs, but no less important. You
have several skills that people are willing to pay you for right now, but those skills can be hard to
quantify. How can you establish yourself and your abilities? You might consider creating a
portfolio of your work -- create a website to show your artwork if you’re an artist, writing if
you’re a writer or design if you’re a designer.
Also, make sure you have the necessary certificates or educational requirements, so that when
someone inquires about your service, you’re ready to jump at a good opportunity.
Related: 105 Service Businesses to Start Today
9. Start building your team.

To scale your business, you are going to need to hand off responsibilities to other people. You
need a team.
Whether you need a partner, employee or freelancer, these three tips can help you find a good fit:
1. State your goals clearly. Make sure everyone understands the vision and their role
within that mission at the very start.
2. Follow hiring protocols. When starting the hiring process you need to take a lot of
things into consideration, from screening people to asking the right questions and having
the proper forms. Here is a more in-depth guide to help you.
3. Establish a strong company culture. What makes a great culture? What are some of
the building blocks? You can see our list of 10 examples of companies with great
cultures, but keep in mind that you don't need to have Google's crazy office space to
instill a positive atmosphere. That’s because a great culture is more about respecting and
empowering employees through multiple channels, including training and mentorship,
than it is about decor or ping-pong tables. In fact, office perks can turn out to be more
like traps than real benefits.
Related: 10 Online Careers You Can Start Today With Basically No Money
10. Find a location.

This could mean an office or a store. Your priorities will differ depending on need, but here
are 10 basic things to consider:
1. Style of operation. Make sure your location is consistent with your particular style and
image.
2. Demographics. Start by considering who your customers are. How important is their
proximity to your location? If you're a retail store that relies on the local community, this
is vital. For other business models, it might not be.
3. Foot traffic. If you need people to come into your store, make sure that store is easy to
find. Remember: even the best retail areas have dead spots.
4. Accessibility and parking. Is your building accessible? Don't give customers a reason to
go somewhere else because they don't know where to park.
5. Competition. Sometimes having competitors nearby is a good thing. Other times, it's not.
You've done the market research, so you know which is best for your business.
6. Proximity to other businesses and services. This is more than just about foot traffic.
Look at how nearby businesses can enrich the quality of your business as a workplace,
too.
7. Image and history of the site. What does this address state about your business? Have
other businesses failed there? Does the location reflect the image you want to project?
8. Ordinances. Depending on your business, these could help or hinder you. For example,
if you're starting a daycare center, ordinances that state no one can build a liquor store
nearby might add a level of safety for you. Just make sure you're not the one trying to
build the liquor store.
9. The building’s infrastructure. Especially if you're looking at an older building or if
you're starting an online business, make sure the space can support your high-tech needs.
If you're getting serious about a building, you might want to hire an engineer to check out
the state of the place to get an objective evaluation.
10. Rent, utilities and other costs. Rent is the biggest facilities expense, but check out the
utilities, as well, and whether they're included in the lease or not. You don't want to start
out with one price and find out it's going to be more later.
Once you know what to look for and it's time to start searching for a place that fits all of your
qualifications, these four tips can help.
1. Think on your own timeframe. Landlords are starting to offer shorter-term office
rentals. Don't get stuck in a long-term lease if it doesn't make sense for your business.
2. Play the whole field. There are all sorts of places to use -- co-working spaces, office
business centers, sublets and more. Keep your options open.
3. Click around town. You might be able to find the perfect place by using online
resources.
4. Do the deal on your terms. Again, you have options. Don't get roped into something
that makes you uncomfortable.
After you have a location, you can focus on the aesthetic. You can check out a few design ideas
here.
Related: 5 Best Online Businesses to Start This Year (Infographic)
11. Start getting some sales.

No matter your product or industry, your business's future is going to depend on revenue and
sales. Steve Jobs knew this -- it's why, when he was starting Apple, he spent day after day calling
investors from his garage.
There are a ton of different sales strategies and techniques you can employ, but here are four
tenets to live by:
1. Listen. "When you listen to your clients/customers, you find out what they want and
need, and how to make that happen,” says investor and entrepreneur John Rampton.
2. Ask for a commitment, but don't be pushy about it. You can't be too shy to ask for a
next step or to close a sale, but you also can't make customers feel as though you're
forcing them into a sale.
3. Don't be afraid of hearing "no." As former door-to-door salesman (and now co-
founder of software business Pipedrive) Timo Rein said, "Most people are too polite.
They let you make your pitch even if they have no interest in buying. And that’s a
problem of its own. Time is your most important resource."
4. Make it a priority. As entrepreneurial wizard Gary Vaynerchuk said, “Actually creating
revenue, and running a profitable business, is a good strategy for business. Where are we
that people think users or visits or time on site is the proxy to a successful business?”
But how do you actually make those sales? Start by identifying targets who want your product or
service. Find early adopters of your business, grow your customer base or put out ads to find
people who fit your business. Then, figure out the right sales funnel or strategy that can convert
these leads into revenue.
Related: 63 Businesses to Start for Under $10,000

12. Grow your business.
There are a million different ways to grow. You could acquire another business, start targeting a
new market, expand your offerings and more. But, no growth plan will matter if you don't have
the two key attributes that all growing companies have in common.
First, they have a plan to market themselves. They use social media effectively through organic,
influencer or paid campaigns. They have an email list and know how to use it. They understand
exactly who they need to target -- either online or off -- with their marketing campaigns.
Then, once they have a new customer, they understand how to retain them. You've probably
heard many people state that the easiest customer to sell to is the one you already have. Your
existing customers have already signed up for your email list, added their credit card information
to your website and tested what you have to offer. In doing so, they're starting a relationship with
you and your brand. Help them feel as good about that relationship as possible.
Start by utilizing these strategies, which include investing in your customer service and getting
personal, but realize your work will never be done. You'll constantly be competing for these
customers in the marketplace, and you can never simply rest on your laurels. Keep researching
the market, hiring good people and making a superior product and you'll be on your way to
building the empire you always dreamed about.
2018 In Review: 10 Of The Biggest Startup

Failures In India
Team Inc42
Inc42 Staff
29 Dec'18 15 min read

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Startups in consumer services, ecommerce and fintech saw the most shutdowns from
2016 to 2018
These were also the sectors that attracted the most investment, acquisitions, and
ventures
The reasons for shutdown include policy logjam, inability to perform, competition, a
dearth of follow-on funding, etc
This article is part of Inc42’s special year-end series — 2018 In Review — in which we
will refresh your memory on the major developments in the Indian startup ecosystem
and their impact on various stakeholders — from entrepreneurs to investors. Find more
stories from this series here.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.” — Thomas Edison
The cup of ideas runneth over in the Indian startup ecosystem. A good idea is the
genesis for any successful startup, but sometimes just having a good idea is not
enough.
According to the findings of a survey by the Institute for Business Value and Oxford
Economics, 90% of India’s startups fail within the first five years. It added that the lack
of pioneering innovation is the major reason for the failure of Indian startups — in
essence, they are copycats of startup ideas of the West, the study said.
Turns out, almost half of the Indian startups are actually not needed at all.
It is the absence of scalable ideas that makes 9 out of 10 Indian startups sink like lead
balloons, despite the best intentions of founders and investors. The lack of originality is
clear from this caveat— Despite being the third largest startup ecosystem after US and
China, the number of international patents India has applied for in 2015-16 was only
1,423 whereas Japan’s count stood at 44,235, China at 29,846 and South Korea at
14,626.
This shows the clear mismatch between the number of startups mushrooming and the
extent of innovation in the country compared to others.
As per Inc42’s The State of The Indian Startup Ecosystem 2018 report, more than 10K
Indian startups have shut their operations so far.
ORDER THE REPORT NOW
While failure is a hard pill to swallow, it is also a great teacher. For a startup founder,
there is no bigger disappointment than seeing the product of their efforts come to
nought. However there is also the flipside — if you’ve never failed, you’ll never know
what works.
With 2019 just a couple of days away, we at Inc42 have compiled a list of the biggest
failed Indian startups of the year. As late-night talk show host, Conan O’Brien said,
“Through disappointment one gains clarity and with clarity comes conviction and true
originality”
Indian Startups That Shut Shop In 2018

Just Buy Live: May Not Rise From Ashes After All
Overview
Just Buy Live connected retailers to buy goods directly from brands across multiple
categories such as food, drinks, personal care, auto, smartphones, fashion, stationery,
etc. The startup also offered an unsecured credit lending to small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) to facilitate the transaction on its portal and provide working capital
to small retailers. In August 2017, the startup raised $100 Mn (INR 699.25 Cr) Series B
funding from a Dubai-based investment firm, Ali Cloud Investments.
Why it failed
Various reports claim that Just Buy Live may have shutdown due to an unscalable
business model and negative cash flow. As per Entrackr’s report in March this year,
Just Buy Live’s cofounder said that the company has temporarily been shut down and
would resume operation after raising fresh funding. Its website is currently down.
Shotang: It Tried But Failed
Overview
Shotang was a business-to-business (B2B) online marketplace that connected

retailers, distributors and manufacturers to discover, transact and manage their
business online using their platform. Its main products were mobiles and apparel. It
earned revenue through commissions paid by distributors per transaction.
Why it failed
At its peak Shotang had a $40 Mn (INR 279.7 Cr) market valuation. It had last raised
$864K (INR 6.8 Cr) from Patamar Capital in February this year, and $5 Mn (INR 35.94
Cr) from Exfinity Venture Partners in December 2015. Techcircle cited an anonymous
person saying that the money it last raised was “primarily meant to pay off creditors,
employees, partners. It tried but failed.”
It is likely that the business was forced to scale down its operation amid fierce
competition from the likes of Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm Mall.
PortDesk: Cause Of Death Unknown

Overview
PortDesk provided an e-procurement software solution for logistics management for

port-related operations such as accounting, cash management, ports DA estimate and
voyage, layout and contract management.
Why it failed
In June this year, it was reported that PortDesk has shutdown its business, however,
the reason is still unknown. Only a year earlier, the startup had raised $2 Mn (INR 13.98
Cr) in a seed funding round from a Singapore-based maritime services company,
Alphard Maritime Group. The startup’s founder Pushpit Pallav was not reachable for
comments.
Zebpay India: Shut Down Over Policy Stalemate

Overview
Undoubtedly India’s largest crypto exchange, Zebpay (till its closure) enabled users to
buy and sell Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Ethereum,
and Litecoin, or to purchase airtime and gift cards. According to its website, it had over
3 Mn users.
Why it failed
Zebpay decided to down its shutters in the aftermath of the circular issued by the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on 6 April 2018, restricting banks and regulated payments
companies from extending any services to crypto exchanges and wallets.
Many Indian cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as crypto groups, soon knocked the
doors of the Supreme Court which, after multiple hearings, has listed the matter for
further hearing in January next year.
However, amid the lack of crypto rules and regulations in India, Zebpay, on September
28, 2018 announced its closure. In a statement, it said, “At this point, we are unable to
find a reasonable way to conduct the cryptocurrency exchange business.” The crypto
exchange, however, continues to allow users to deposit and withdraw coins/tokens into
their wallet.
Related Article: 2018 In Review: Top New Startups That Made The Most Buzz This
Year
Since then, the situation has only worsened — the founders of Unocoin, another leading
crypto exchange, were arrested on October 23 by Bengaluru Police over a Bitcoin ATM
installation.
Not only Zebpay, a slew of exchanges including Coinsecure, BTCXIndia, MoneyTrade,

Bitconnect and more shut down for various reasons this past year.
BabyBerry: Missing In Action

Overview
Online parenting app Babyberry helped parents of a newborn baby to provide the best
possible care for their child’s holistic growth and development from physical, cognitive,
social to emotional growth. The app included features such as digital vaccination chart
and reminders, health records management and access to the nearest doctors based
on geolocation.
Why it failed
It is uncertain as to what lead BabyBerry to shutdown its operations. Its website is

pulled down, it hasn’t posted any feeds on its social media since October last year, nor
any queries to the founders could elicit any response. In August this year, a report had
cited its founder saying that the startup is currently looking to solve technical errors on
the platform after many of its customers reported the glitches. Notwithstanding, the
startup had raised $1 Mn (INR 6.99 Cr) in 2016 meant for product development and
marketing.
Mr Needs: Has Anybody Seen MrNeeds?
Overview
MrNeeds offered consumers an online subscription-based service for the delivery of

products such as milk, bread, eggs, and other grocery items. In June 2017, ET had
cited Wadhwa saying that its “per delivery costs are 50% to 70% lower than the industry
standard,” and was serving 36K monthly orders for 9K families across Noida.
Why it Failed
The startup has pulled down its website, and is mobile application is not found anymore
on Google’s play store. It is, however, not clear as to what lead the startup to shut its
operations. It is likely that the startup closed down its shutters amid fierce competition
from the likes of BigBasket, DailyNinja, and others. Inc42’s efforts to reach out to the
founders have gone unanswered.
Tazzo Technologies Shuts Amid Funds Crunch
Overview
Bike rental startup Tazzo was focussed on point-to-point commuting service and
charged INR 5 per km. Its mobile application was integrated using GPS technology and
tracked every movement of its entire fleet in real-time, including overspeeding, theft, etc.
Why it failed
According to Deepak Shahdadpuri, founder and MD of DSG Consumer Partners — one

of Tazzo’s investors — the startup failed to prove a profitable product market fit which
led to drying up of funding. In October 2016, the startup had raised about $225K (INR
1.5 Cr) seed funding from DSG , but the capital-intensive nature of the sector it catered
too, and the lack of profitable business model, forced the startup to halt its operations in
September this year.
Ezytruk: Dearth Of Follow-On Funds

Overview
Trucks and logistics platform Ezytruk connected carriers, shippers and original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs), to enable systematic transportation of goods. It
offered services such as price comparison between carriers, real-time information of the
goods, warehouse space management, etc.
Why it failed
Ezytruk had raised a seed funding of $147K (INR 1.02 Cr) from Dubai-based investors
Ajith Nair and Anish K in January 2017. However, the startup could not scale and grow
further as it was unable to raise further rounds of funding, reported Techcircle, which
ultimately led the founders to shutdown the operation this year.
Wydr: Slips On Falling Performance
Overview
B2B wholesale marketplace Wydr offered a range of products across categories like
fashion, home, automotive and electronics to manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
The platform allowed sellers to customise their requirements, negotiate prices, and
instantly close deals. As at February 2018, the startup claimed to have added over 10K
manufacturers and distributors across cities in India.
Why it failed
A report by Entrackr on November 3 cited ShopClues cofounder Sandeep Aggarwal

and an early investor in Wydr as confirming the shutdown. The report said that “the
company (Wydr) was scaling down for the past three months and finally pulled the plug
a couple of days ago.” An email query sent to Wydr did not elicit any response. Its
official website (www.wydr.in) is currently pulled down.
Monkeybox: Not An Out Of Box Idea?

Overview
Monkeybox provided Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) – approved vegetarian

meals for kids in the age group of 3-18 at school. As on July 2017, the company
claimed to be supplying over 1,500 meals per day to more than 85 schools in
Bengaluru, with over 2K subscribers on its platform.
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Why it failed
The Blume Ventures-backed foodtech startup shut down its operations amid much
surprise and speculation. On one hand, the startup had been making quite a few
acquisitions — such as food delivery company 75 In A Box, juice delivery startup
RawKing — and, on the other, there was speculation that it was shutting down as it had
failed to garner the required revenue to stay afloat amid fierce competition. On March
23, Monkeybox published a statement saying that “the operation will be temporarily
terminated.”
However, the termination was final. Its official website (www.monkeybox.in) was pulled
down.
Companies That Closed Their India Operations

Apart from Indian startups that shut shop, there are some companies that ceased their
operations in India after facing stiff competition and declining revenue. Here are the top
top international companies whose India operations were shut down this year.
eBay Bows Out Of India

Overview
Walmart-owned ecommerce company Flipkart acquired the Indian arm of global retail
company eBay in March 2017 for an undisclosed amount. Like any other ecommerce
platform, eBay facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales
through its website.
However, the big difference between eBay and the others is it enables trading on its
platforms both in an auction or a fixed price sale. In a buyer’s auction, buyers bid for a
specific product and in a seller auction, different sellers bid their fixed price for a single
product and the buyer chooses the best offer.
Why it failed
In May this year, eBay announced that it was ending its partnership with Flipkart and
also forbade the latter to use the eBay.in brand. As the partnership ended, Flipkart
migrated eBay India sellers and customers to its platform. Although being among the
first players in India’s ecommerce space, eBay couldn’t actually rake in much revenue
and faced fierce competition from Flipkart and Amazon.
As the company slowed down, and before Flipkart took over, eBay India had fired more
than 350 employees from its Indian arm.
The reasons for eBay’s failure in India have been many: the marketplace model was
ahead of its time (eBay launched in 2005); there was no guarantee of product quality for
either the buyer or the seller, and Indians never really warmed up to the idea of online
auctions.
The company CEO, Devin Wenig, has announced eBay will be relaunched with a new
business model in India.
Ofo: India Gamble Backfires

Overview
The Alibaba-backed Chinese dockless bike rental company, Ofo, offered bicycles for
rent on campuses and gated communities across New Delhi, Indore, Bengaluru,
Ahmedabad, Pune, Coimbatore, and Chennai. At the time of announcing its India
operations, the company claimed to have completed 1 Mn rides across seven countries.
Why it failed
Ofo’s move to shut down its dockless bike renting service in India is part of company’s
strategy to scale down its operations in international markets, including countries such
as Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, and Israel.
Ofo maintains that the move is aimed at remaining profitable. Techcrunch cited Ofo
France general manager Laurent Kennel as saying that the company would focus on
“mature and promising markets” such as Singapore, the US, the UK, France, and Italy.
Moving forward, it is believed to be communicating with local markets about its plans.
Acquisitions And Shutdowns

Tapzo
Overview
Tapzo was an “all-in-one” app that used to aggregate more than 35 different apps in
one place, across categories such as cabs, food, recharge, bill payment, news, cricket,
horoscopes, and more. Tapzo’s numbers were definitely impressive: 14,000 daily user
base, 55K daily transactions, and an annual run rate (ARR) of INR 210 Cr in
GMV/bookings.
Tapzo’s reduced valuation at its last funding round can be considered as a trigger
towards its shutdown. Tapzo raised $1.9 Mn (INR 13.28 Cr) in December 2017 from
existing investors RB Investments Pte Ltd and Ru-Net South Asia at a post-money
valuation of $47.3 Mn (INR 308 Cr) — nearly 50% less than its valuation in the previous
round — $85.54 Mn (INR 600 Cr).
Around mid of 2018, in August, the startup got finally acquired by Amazon. After the
acquisition, Amazon has merged the entire Tapzo team with Amazon Pay, and it was
working in the backend. Media reports said that Tapzo’s founders are likely to get on
board Amazon Pay’s team in India.
Holachef
Overview
HolaChef was a food aggregator that connected customers with chefs across the city,
offering a new menu selection every day as per its website. Before shutting its
operations three months back, the company was managing packaging, storage and
delivery of the food.
The startup was shut down around May 2018 amid a cash crunch. A media report in
August has suggested that Kalaari Capital and India Quotient had already resigned from
the board of directors of HolaChef earlier in the year.
With the increased dominance of players like Foodpanda, Zomato and Swiggy in the
online food delivery market, investors lost interest in the startup. This was coupled with
a market correction to make things worse. The last funding raised by Holachef was in
February this year when it raised $28,602 (INR 20 Lakhs) in Series B round.
Foodpanda pounced on the chance, acquiring the startup for cheap — the deal was
said to fetch minimal returns HolaChef investors. For Foodpanda, the acquisition was
an attempt to test waters in the cloud kitchen space, which its bigger rivals Swiggy and
Zomato were already exploring.
A Parting Thought
A cursory glance at the startup shutdowns reported by Inc42 in the past three years
shows that of the 32 startups that ceased their operations, most of them were from
sectors such as consumer services, ecommerce, and fintech sectors. However, these
sectors were among the top trending sectors in 2018, attracting investment, mergers,
acquisitions, and new ventures. In fact, these are sectors that are expected to do better
than all other sectors as well.
Goes to prove that it’s not all about the idea, doesn’t it?
What startups can learn from these stories is to buckle up their business strategy, take
stock and identify even the most minuscule problems, and start rectifying them,
immediately. They can also sleep on the fact that an idea — or even market demand —
doesn’t alone make a brilliant startup. It’s also about execution and the right time, right
place. As Edison also said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t
work.”
(Cowritten by Dipen Pradhan, Meha Agarwal and Suprita Anupam)
Update 1: Holachef and Tapzo have been acquired and not shutdown as was wrongly
stated in an earlier version of this article.
Update 2: Bike rental startup Tazzo was unable to raise additional funding as it failed to
prove a profitable product-market fit. We have updated the article to ensure clarity.
STARTUP STATISTICS – The Numbers You
Need to Know
Mar 28, 2019 by Matt Mansfield In Startup 40
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Each year, thousands of ambitious entrepreneurs start new businesses. These
entrepreneurs feel bright and full of hope. And plenty of small business statistics show
that by the end of four years more than half of them will be gone.
Small business failure rate aside, many small businesses make it past that critical
period and thrive. How many make it and what industries fare best? We’ve collected
these startup statistics for small businesses from a variety of sources to answer those
questions.
GENERAL STARTUP STATISTICS

 69 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs start their businesses at home.
 According to the National Association of Small Business’s 2017 Economic Report, the
majority of small businesses surveyed are LLCs (35 percent) followed by S-corporations (33
percent), corporations (19 percent), sole proprietorships (12 percent), and partnerships (2
percent).
 51 percent of people asked, “What’s the best way to learn more about
entrepreneurship?” responded with “Start a company”.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER STATISTICS
Who’s starting small businesses today? Here’s a look at small business owners:
 Gender:
 73 percent identify as male; and
 25 percent identify as female.
 Age Range:
 50-59 years old: 35 percent;
 18-29 years old: 4 percent; and
 70+ years old: 4 percent.
 Education:
 High School / GED: 33 percent;
 Associates Degree: 18 percent;
 Bachelor’s Degree: 29 percent;
 Master’s Degree: 16 percent; and
 Doctorate: 4 percent.
 Reason for starting business:
 Ready to be his/her own boss: 26 percent;
 Wanted to pursue his/her passion: 23 percent;
 The opportunity presented itself: 19 percent;
 Dissatisfied with corporate America: 12 percent;
 Laid off or outsourced: 6 percent;
 Not ready to retire: 6 percent;
 Other: 5 percent;
 Life event such as divorce, death, etc.: 3 percent.
 Ethnicity:
 White/Caucasian – 71 percent;
 Hispanic/Latino – 6 percent;
 Black/African American – 7 percent;
 Asian/Pacific Islander – 11 percent;
 Other – 5 percent.
 82 percent of successful business owners did not doubt they had the right qualifications and
proper experience to run a company.
STARTUP FAILURE RATE STATISTICS

 Of all small businesses started in 2014:
 80 percent made it to the second year (2015);
 70 percent made it to the third year (2016);
62 percent made it to the fourth year (2017);
 56 percent made it to the fifth year (2018).
 Given those numbers, a bit more than half of all startups actually survive to their fourth year,
while the startup failure rate at four years is about 44 percent.
 Top 10 causes of small business failure:
 No market need: 42 percent;
 Ran out of cash: 29 percent;
 Not the right team: 23 percent;
 Got outcompeted: 19 percent;
 Pricing / Cost issues: 18 percent;
 User un-friendly product: 17 percent;
 Product without a business model: 17 percent;
 Poor marketing: 14 percent;
 Ignore customers: 14 percent; and
 Product mistimed: 13 percent.
STARTUP FINANCE STATISTICS

Money is a key ingredient to the small business success rate. Here’s a financial
snapshot of small business startups:
 A third of small businesses get started with less than $5,000 and 58 percent got started
with less than $25,000.
 In addition, 65 percent admitted to not being fully confident they had enough money to
start their business and;
 An overwhelming 93 percent said they calculated a potential run rate of shorter than 18
months.
 The most popular small business financing methods in 2018 were:
 Personal funds 77 percent;
 Bank loan 34 percent;
 Borrowing from family/friends 16 percent;
 Other funding 11 percent;
 Donations from family/friends 9 percent;
 Online lender 4 percent;
 Angel investor 3 percent;
 Venture capital 3 percent;
 Crowdfunding 2 percent.
 40 percent of small businesses are profitable, 30 percent break even and 30 percent are
continually losing money.
 Having two founders, rather than one, significantly increases your odds of success as you’ll:
 Raise 30 percent more money,
 Have almost 3X the user growth, and
 Are 19 percent less likely to scale prematurely.
 82 percent of businesses that fail do so because of cash flow problems
 27 percent of businesses surveyed by the NSBA claimed that they weren’t able to receive
the funding they needed.
FASTEST GROWING SMALL BUSINESS

INDUSTRIES
The industries with the top number of small business startups in 2018 were:
 Business services: 11 percent;
 Food/Restaurant: 11 percent;
 Health/Beauty/Fitness: 10 percent;
 General retail: 7 percent;
 Home services: 6 percent.
INDUSTRIES WITH THE BEST STARTUP

STATISTICS
The 10 most profitable small business industries by net profit margin (NPM) are:
 Accounting, Tax preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services: 18.4 percent NPM
 Lessors of Real Estate: 17.9 percent NPM
 Legal Services: 17.4 percent NPM
 Management of Companies and Enterprises: 16 percent NPM
 Activities Related to Real Estate: 14.9 percent NPM
 Offices of Dentists: 14.8 percent NPM
 Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers: 14.3 percent NPM
 Nonmetallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying: 13.2% NPM
 Offices of Other Health Practitioners: 13 percent NPM
 Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories: 12.1 percent NPM
INDUSTRIES WITH THE WORST STARTUP

STATISTICS
The 10 least profitable industries in the US by net profit margin (NPM) are:
 Oil and Gas Extraction: -6.9 percent NPM
 Software Publishers: -5.1 percent NPM
 Beverage Manufacturing: -3.7 percent NPM
 Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing: -0.3 percent NPM
 Forging and Stamping: 0.4 percent NPM
 Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers: 0.9 percent NPM
 Beer, Wine, and Distilled Alcoholic Beverage Merchant Wholesalers: 2.1 percent NPM
 Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers: 2.8 percent NPM
 Grocery Stores: 2.2 percent NPM
 Bakeries and Tortilla Manufacturing: 2.3 percent NPM
Bottom Line
So, if you want to start your own business, don’t let the startup statistics above put
you off. After all, you’re more likely to succeed if you’ve failed than if you’ve never tried:
 Consider, founders of a previously successful business have a 30 percent chance of
success with their next venture, founders who have failed at a prior business have a 20
percent chance of succeeding versus an 18 percent chance of success for first time
entrepreneurs.
Checklist: How to Start a Business with No

Money
Last Updated: May 15, 2018 by Shubhomita Bose In Startup 26
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You having a great idea and you want to translate it into opening a business. There is
one big caveat, you are short on cash. And for most aspiring entrepreneurs, getting hold
of the much-needed capital is usually the biggest challenge.
So how to start your own business without any money?
Lack of funds, should not deter you from pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams. With
confidence in your idea and a clear vision of how you are going to execute it, you can
do it. Once you have that covered, getting the funds to support your dream may not be
as difficult as it seems.
Opening a Business
There are tens of millions of small business in the US alone, and starting a new
business to compete in this segment will require hard work and dedication. If you know
how to run a business and you have taken the right steps to starting a business, money
shouldn’t stop you.
Start a Business With No Money Checklist

Keep Your Present Job
Being practical is extremely important when you are toying with the idea of starting a
business. You need a steady source of income before you can set up your business, so
it’s advisable to hold onto your current job. By retaining your present job, you will be
more secure when you need to take risks.
You will, of course, need to spend extra hours and work harder. But the transition from
being an employee to a business owner will be far smoother as you won’t have
additional expenses to worry about.
Work on Your Business Idea

Coming up with a great business idea is just the beginning of your journey as an
entrepreneur. There are many more steps that you need to take before you can get
started. Fleshing out your business idea is one of them, and it’s very critical to the
success of your venture.
Is your business idea really unique? What value will it generate? Is it something your
target audience really wants? Or is it something you think they’d want? Getting answers
to these questions is important to determine whether or not your idea works.
Analyze Your Market and Challenges

You have a brilliant idea that you know will definitely work, but what about your
competition? Will it be difficult for a rival to copy your idea and repackage it in a better
way? A potential investor will ask you this when you approach them for funding. It’s very
important to understand the market you operate in and your competition.
You should first look at the trends and identify challenges that your business may face.
The next step is to understand how you are going to address those challenges to stay
profitable.
Assess Your Capital Needs

You require money to start your business, but how much do you really need? Without a
clear idea you run the risk of coming up with an unrealistic valuation of your business,
which will put off investors and get your loan application rejected.
So before you start wondering how you should raise money, you should focus on
evaluating your funding requirements. How much do you need to get started? How
exactly are you going to use the funds?
Explore Crowdfunding Platforms

Crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter have changed the way entrepreneurs are
raising money to fund their new businesses. Whether you want to sell a new software
tool or set up an organic noodle bar, you can get people to invest in your business.
Network with People
When you don’t have money to start your business, it’s essential you find the right
people who can help. You may attend events and trade shows where you can find
potential investors. You may also join various online forums on social networking sites
where you can find useful tips and resources to bring your business to life.
Most venture capitalists and investors are quite active on social media, so if you can
wow them with your idea you may find a great way to get started on your business
dream.
Run a Trial
Want to be sure if your business idea is indeed unique? Run a test and find out. A pilot
will give you the confidence you need to take your idea to the next level and mitigate
risk. You can start on a small scale by giving away some freebies to a few people in
your target audience group to see how they respond.
A small trial can give you some new insights to grow your business and identify
challenges that you might have overlooked.
Gather Feedback
If you are planning to get into a completely new business, it would really help if you got
a second opinion from someone who knows the market and the challenges involved.
A business idea that looks good on paper may not be that attractive when you actually
get into it. An expert’s opinion may help you look at things from a different perspective
and gain more knowledge that you may lack.
Secure a Small Business Loan if Necessary

There are several loan programs aimed at helping first-time entrepreneurs set up their
business. The Small Business Administration (SBA) operates the loan programs offered
by the U.S. government. To qualify for the loan, your business must meet some criteria
such as your business must operate in the United States, your business must qualify as
a small business according to SBA guidelines, you must operate for profit and you
should have a good credit score.
6 Tips For Accepting Failure and Moving On

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Jason Saltzman
VIP CONTRIBUTOR
Startup Mentor, Entrepreneur, CEO of Alley
June 23, 2014
I have started multiple companies. I believed in every single one of them. Put my heart, soul,
blood, sweat, and tears into each and every one of them. 90 percent of them have failed. Being
around hundreds of entrepreneurs, I have learned something very important. It’s NORMAL.
Accepting failure as a lesson is one of the most important things I have ever learned.
But what do we do when the rug is being pulled out from underneath us? What do we do when
all hell breaks loose and you are standing alone, looking into the abyss? Well my friends, I am
going to tell you what has helped me and hopefully it will help you.
1. Accept the situation: Understand right away that some things are NOT in your control. It is a
marathon, not a sprint. The quicker you stop getting upset, the quicker you can use this as a
lesson to move on.
2. You are not alone: Surround yourself with like-minded people. One of the biggest assets of
being part of an entrepreneurial community like AlleyNYC is that you are surrounded by people
who are going through pretty similar things. We support each other, during the high times and
the low. Check out coworking in your area, and if you are in NYC feel free to drop by
AlleyNYC.
Related: How to Get Into the Nation's Elite Accelerators
3. Screw it: No matter how much you believe in what you are doing, something is not working.
Take a step back. Breathe. Take some time off from the project. Visit your family and friends
and love what is most important. You live one time, and this is just a passing phase.
You will get through this, but you have to clear your head if you are going to win.
4. Prepare for battle: This is not for the faint of heart. You have to separate your feelings from
this game. It’s a business: it’s cut throat; it's bloody; it's a war. You must get back on the horse
and do it again. You were working on the wrong project… so what? You are passionate, you are
driven and applying those qualities to the right project you WILL be successful.
5. Be realistic: I love the saying, “It took me 10 years to become an overnight success.”
Successful businesses take years and years. True hustlers grind through it. If you surveyed 100
successful entrepreneurs and asked them if they were successful on their first product I would bet
you that 99 percent would say “no way”. Note that 86.3 percent of all statistics are made up on
the spot :).
6. Learn Lean: Lean methodology is proven to work. It’s common sense. Validating your
assumptions before you go down the rabbit hole of building in a vacuum is essential. With the
tools you have in this day and age, learning this methodology is easy. A great way is to find out
the next Lean Startup Machine workshop in your area. This three day course will teach you
valuable skillsets to help you save brain damage, time, and money.
Accept failure, people. Failure is awesome. Failing fast gets you that much closer to success. I
hope this information is helpful and you win big. See you at the TOP.
Finding a Voice for Your Brand

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Jason Saltzman
VIP CONTRIBUTOR
Startup Mentor, Entrepreneur, CEO of Alley
June 10, 2014 4 min read
Brand awareness is super important. With the right brand positioning, you can attract the exact
target audience you're looking for. I know that with AlleyNYC for instance, we want awesome
up-and-coming startups to be attracted to our space. We also know that AlleyNYC is an up-and-
coming startup. We knew that being ourselves, and being authentic to who we are, no matter
how many people we put off, we would attract really great people to join our community.
Here are some tips to help establishing the voice of your brand:
ADVERTISING
inRead invented by Teads
1. Ask yourself: "Who am I targeting?" Is your target older rocket scientists or young
hipsters? In most cases, you obviously don't want to talk to your parents the same way you talk
to your friends. (Until you get old enough.)
2. Speak to your target. Once you have defined who your target audience is, start speaking to
them. Chances are, you have been dealing with them for years and you know exactly who they
are. Do what works best as you already know it.
3. Ask the voice: "What would YOU do?" We love this one. It makes our job a million times
easier. We hardly have to think about major decisions. In most cases, when something comes up
that needs to be decided, we look at our logo and ask her: "What would Alley do"? We
ALWAYS get an answer, and most of the time (nobody is perfect), it is the right answer.
4. Stay consistent. Changing your brand voice will only confuse your audience. It's like being
bipolar. For the most part, for you to get a solid following, your message needs to stay
consistent. You can not be a Yankee fan one day, and the very next day be rooting for the Red
Sox . That is CRAZY and confuses people. Solid followings are brought on by solid messaging.
Related: Land Speaking Spots to Boost Your Business
5. Be authentic. Aside from being consistent, your messaging needs to be real. If you are trying
to be deceptive, like using a ton of pop-up ads, it's only going to annoy people. You will not get a
solid, consistent following and in most cases you will not get a good reputation. Perception is
everything, and if you can not keep it real, then do not even do it.
6. Be fearless. So now you have a target audience, you know how to speak to them, you know
what the voice would do in most circumstances. Plus, you know to stay consistent and keep it
real... now go for it. A perfect example of this is our newsletter. When you subscribe to
AlleyNYC's newsletters you will notice we do not hold back. We curse, we joke, we do it all.
We offend people. Straight up we make people mad. These are not the people we want in our
community anyway so screw it. Our target audience loves it, and they know we are staying true
to our brand, and the brands voice.
7. Listen to your clients. Look, all of this is great, but if you are not selling anything and
nobody is listening, the market is telling you something. Do something else! Never be afraid to
fail, and never get too emotionally wrapped up in your idea or product, that you continue to work
on something that people do not want. We will talk more about this in later pieces.
Related: Lessons from Top Brands on How to Rock Instagram
Here are some examples of companies with strong brand voices:
Shindig - Shindig is a mobile social app that connects drinkers. Yup, drinkers. TONS of
personality in this one.
Brainscape - Give your brain a workout with this application that uses the science of an advanced
flashcard system. Looking at the home page of this app and you already feel smarter.
Makerskit - Beautiful DYI (do-it-yourself ) kits that bring out the best in you. Looking at the
beautiful design and copy of their site makes me want to build something NOW.
Now you are ready to create your brand voice and launch that product into users hands. Go forth
and conquer, I am rooting for you. KICK ASS!
Make Your Brand Pop By Telling Your Story

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Matthew Toren
CONTRIBUTOR
Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com
May 19, 2014 4 min read

Despite fluctuations in our economy, it seems fair to say that by and large we live in a time of
abundance. Retail stores offer a dizzying variety of all manner of goods, from dishwashing
gloves and trash cans to any conceivable ply of toilet paper your heart or hind-end desires.
While variety may be the spice of life, it can also be overwhelming. With all that choice, what do
you buy? This is a crucial question to ask yourself, because it’s what your clients and customers
will be asking, too. When people are faced with your product or service on the Internet or store
shelves, how do you distinguish yourself from the rest?
Related: Turning Content from 'Meh' to Wow With Storytelling
The answer will often boil down to one factor: story.
Think about the last purchasing decision you made. Was it in some way based on the story
behind the product or company that made it? If it’s dishwashing soap, maybe you just buy
whatever is cheapest -- or maybe not. Did mom have a favorite brand she raised you on that you
now buy because of that story? Or do you seek out an environmentally-friendly brand because
the story of what the steeper price implies for the planet?
For better or worse, an emotional connection to a product or service through the story of what it
is and why it exists will influence people's purchasing decisions. This is why knowing your niche
and perfecting your brand story is so crucial. Obviously that story also needs to include quality
and value, (that doesn’t have to mean a low price but the value behind the price needs to make
sense) but there’s more to your brand’s story than pricing alone.
Related: How 3 Companies Use Storytelling as Advertising
Here are three ways to make your brand strategy employ good storytelling techniques for
success:
Match your story to your style. Is your business style quirky and bright? Funny and
innovative? Conservative and established? Whatever your corporate tone, you should match your
story to your style for authenticity. Think of Apple’s branding, which is instantly recognizable
and matches the style of their products. It’s simple, easy and clean. Nothing feels more forced
than a conservative company trying to toss around a hipster-casual #hashtag. Equally as irritating
is a new startup trying to market its products like the oldest store on the block. Make sure the
story of your product is told through the style of your culture.
Make an emotional connection. This isn’t about making all your clients weep with some
harrowing tale of loss or redemption (although you certainly can -- it worked in Google Glass’s
Mother’s Day commercial), it’s about conveying a true emotional connection with your clients
about what they need and what you provide. Tell the story of your amazing individual
employees. Share success stories and testimonials of others who have benefitted from your
product. Tell stories that matter -- whether they’re humorous, heartwarming or inspiring. Help
others make an emotional connection to you and they’ll always return to your brand. As Simon
Sinek said in his TED Talk, “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Make it easy to share. There's a reason it's called "storytelling." People want to tell and share a
great story with others. With so many social-media outlets and tools for sharing, make it easy for
organic word to spread about your story. If you think storytelling isn't important, just take a
moment to look at any Facebook page, Twitter feed or Reddit thread and you will soon realize
they all feature stories in some form. Ensure your brand's message can spread by incorporating
all the calls-to-action, share widgets and social tools your clients will need to spread the word.
Why You Should Let Customers Help Mold

Your Company
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Image credit: coca-colacompany.com
Matthew Toren
CONTRIBUTOR
Serial Entrepreneur, Mentor and co-founder of YoungEntrepreneur.com
January 16, 2014 4 min read
When you started your business, you had a vision for where it was headed and how you'd get
there. Now that you're in the thick of it, make sure you're listening to your customers and what
they want your company to look like.
To some, the thought of customers making a business -- especially a large business -- change in
any significant way seems unlikely. Companies often pay lip service to the value of listening to
customers, but only make meaningful changes to their business based on their own vision. Many
companies are very reluctant to change -- short of an all-out customer protest. But some of the
best known companies in the world have learned valuable lessons from allowing customers to
have a say in how their business operates.
The famous debacle of Coca-Cola rolling out "New Coke" in 1985 could have been avoided if
the company had listened to focus groups, where up to 12 percent of participants said they would
be angry if Coke replaced their tried-and-true formula with the new one. Angry -- not just prefer
that they not change the formula! Instead, Coke went with the results of taste tests alone and had
to reverse their entire marketing and distribution plan just three months later, when consumers
basically revolted against the company.
Related: Facebook Co-Founder Chris Hughes: User Feedback Is Everything
Since then, there are plenty of examples of smarter companies, big and small, making changes or
implementing new ideas based on customer feedback or use of their product or service that they
could never have predicted. Some great examples of this are:
The Twitter hashtag and RT (Retweet). The use of these tools are so much a part of what
Twitter is now, it's hard to imagine that the company didn't intend their use from the start.
Hashtags were suggested by one Twitter user in 2007 and began to catch on with users from then
on. It took until 2009 for Twitter to fully embrace them and start hyperlinking hashtags. RTs also
began to show up in 2007 and quickly caught on strongly among Twitter users. In 2009, Twitter
introduced a retweet function to replace "RT @..." and make it an "official" Twitter function.
Beverages and More. If you live in or have traveled to California, Arizona or Washington State,
you're probably familiar with this regional chain and call it Bevmo. In this case, the company
actually went as far as changing its name based on what customers were calling it. This was
clearly not part of the plan when the business was formed in 1994, but because customers had
adopted the Bevmo name, the company rebranded and made the formal name change in 2001.
99Designs. In our book, Small Business, BIG Vision, my brother and I interviewed Matt
Mickiewicz, the founder of SitePoint.com. Matt's company went through a couple of
transformations due to market demand, but perhaps the most significant was the creation of
99Designs, where an entire separate company was created out of a SitePoint forum thread.
People made the design contest thread one of the most popular on the site, and Matt and his team
were watching and listening. Thus 99Designs was born, and it has become, by all measures, a
thriving company of its own.
Related: Why Your Customers' Cravings Are Your Key to Success
The point here is not to make major business changes on a whim based on something a customer
-- or even several customers -- does or says. Your vision for your business is important, and
while it should be somewhat fluid, you'll end up being all over the place if you don't stick to it to
a large degree.
What's important to take from these examples is that the best, most innovative, most forward-
thinking companies have made it part of their model to constantly monitor and listen to their
communities. They know when there's a lot of chatter about a topic that affects their business,
and they aren't afraid to consider changes based on customer desires.
Whether you have a small firm with one employee or a medium to large company, you have the
same ability to monitor your communities as any huge corporation. In fact, you have a big
advantage over most of the big companies: making a change to your business model based on
customer feedback is probably a lot easier and can be implemented a lot quicker.
So take advantage of this opportunity. Participate in social media fully, implement an active blog
on your website and even consider starting a forum for your customers. The more input the
better. Who knows -- your customers might just mold your business into something bigger and
better than you ever imagined!
-------------------
How do I accept failure in life?
Answer
Follow· 7
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Answer Wiki
Accepting failure is not easy. It's hard to admit failure, especially when you've been
successful in nearly all parts of life. It's seen as a detestable thing. it makes you feel like
you're never going to get up again. Additionally, not accepting failure will stop you from
moving forward.
In such case, the only way to accept failure is to change how you see failure:
1. Failure is a gift: It's a gift that shows you where you've to improve. It tells you that
you still have potential of further greatness.
2. Failure is a teacher: Yoda once said" Failure is the greatest teacher there is". Luke
understood this and stopped Ben from destroying the rebellions. It's indeed true,
failure is the greatest teacher. A teacher's job is to tell you where you have to improve,
and your failure shows these regions without sugar-coating them.
3. Failure is pillar of success: There isn't a single case of success where failures were not
the part of it. Without failure, you won't get the wisdom to be successful.
4. Failure is maturity: Without failure, you can't grow because to grow mature, you
need to understand your path of growth and not just know it.
Accepting your first failure is the most important step to grow in this life. Take it and rise
beyond anything around you.
--
Not with Why me , have some Try me attitude .
Move on , things will get better hope for that eventually someday you will get what your
seek dearly.
Everybody has 3 choices or decision that they can make in any situation.
So here as these
1. You do something about it postively.

2. You do nothing.
3. Or you take the road to negativity.
Now its your life you can choose whatever path you like but the important thing is
where it will lead you for better or worse .
Make the right choices and hope for better future. You know most people dont even try
so that they could fail ,they just sit drinking coffees. Give yourself a slack for trying.
--
Padma Priya Raghavan, studied at CA finalist,ICAI
Answered Dec 13, 2017
Originally Answered: How can we accept failures in life and move on?
We should first understand that acceptance is the first step if you want to move on.
Unfortunately, we don’t have time turners. So what has happened has happened. It can’t be
undone. The only option left is moving forward.
There is no success without failure.
You learn more from your failure than you do from your success.
Let me give you some examples from various fields:
1.Business- Henry Ford
While Ford is today known for his innovative assembly line and American-made cars, he
wasn’t an instant success. In fact, his early businesses failed and left him broke five time
before he founded the successful Ford Motor Company.
2. Scientists- Charles Darwin
In his early years, Darwin gave up on having a medical career and was often chastised by his
father for being lazy and too dreamy. Darwin himself wrote, “I was considered by all my
masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect.”
Perhaps they judged too soon, as Darwin today is well-known for his scientific studies.
3. Films- Charlie Chaplin
It’s hard to imagine film without the iconic Charlie Chaplin, but his act was initially rejected
by Hollywood studio chiefs because they felt it was a little too nonsensical to ever sell.
4. Writers- J.K Rowling
Rowling may be rolling in a lot of Harry Potter dough today, but before she published the
series of novels she was nearly penniless, severely depressed, divorced, trying to raise a child
on her own while attending school and writing a novel. Rowling went from depending on
welfare to survive to being one of the richest women in the world in a span of only five
years through her hard work and determination.
5. Sports- Michael Jordan
Most people wouldn’t believe that a man often lauded as the best basketball player of all
time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn’t let this
setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, “I have missed more than 9,000
shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to
take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my
life. And that is why I succeed.”
So,
Did failure hit them hard? Yes.
But did they give up? No.
We should just bear in mind that,
Success delayed is not success denied.
---
Ajay Singla, Seo Executive (2016-present)
Answered Aug 17
Accepting failure is not easy. It's hard to admit failure, especially when you've been
successful in nearly all parts of life. It's seen as a detestable thing. it makes you feel like
you're never going to get up again. Additionally, not accepting failure will stop you from
moving forward.
In such case, the only way to accept failure is to change how you see failure:
1. Failure is a gift: It's a gift that shows you where you've to improve. It tells you that
you still have potential of further greatness.
2. Failure is a teacher: Yoda once said" Failure is the greatest teacher there is". Luke
understood this and stopped Ben from destroying the rebellions. It's indeed true,
failure is the greatest teacher. A teacher's job is to tell you where you have to
improve, and your failure shows these regions without sugar-coating them.
3. Failure is pillar of success: There isn't a single case of success where failures were
not the part of it. Without failure, you won't get the wisdom to be successful.
4. Failure is maturity: Without failure, you can't grow because to grow mature, you
need to understand your path of growth and not just know it.
Accepting your first failure is the most important step to grow in this life. Take it and rise
beyond anything around you.
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Mahfuz I. Solomon, Investor | Consultant
Updated May 26, 2018
I’m a stock trader.
Here’s an experience:
When you make a 2% profit and you sell the stock, and call it a day.
But then you see the stock go to up to 12% , you say to yourself
F**** and then you’ve failed to be patient but you don’t want to take a risk and lose the
profit you’ve made, so you make yourself believe, it’s okay, but it’s really not.
That’s reality not failure.
We have to learn from it, than move on.
We must accept our failure, learn the lessons from it. So next time when you face a similar
situation, you’re more experienced. You are better able to handle the situation. Your
chances of...
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Rishit Shah, A Poet
Answered Jul 13
Have a look at the image above.
I am not selling you motivational bullshit here.
So, what do you see in the image above?
Well, for now keep it to yourself and let me tell you what I want to convey through the
image to you.
Assume the red lines as bricks which has some gaps and blue lines as water which is going
through the gaps in between the bricks.
Yellow lines are water evaporating and reaching the destination without any bricks in the
way.
This is the best I could draw for bricks and water in less than 2 minutes on Paint.
If there were real bricks laid down like this and you let the water flow...
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Mayank Bhardwaj, Solution Architect at Pragmasys Consulting (2015-present)
Answered Oct 17, 2017
Originally Answered: How can I accept failures in life?
By changing the way you perceive failures.
If you look at failures as just a feedback towards what needs to be improved instead of a
certification of your disability, you'll know there is more beyond it.
Failure is not the end of your persuit for success or victory, its just an extension for
preparation time to achieve your goal.
Look at the life's of any great personality, you'll see failure written all over it.
The real success is across the thorny fields of failures only if you can persevere though the
course, taking multiple leaps.
Take Thomas Edison, Eon Musk for example and many more, nume...
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Ian Su, Unbox Therapy at Amazon (2018-present)
The glass is always half empty and half full.
No body is a complete failure.
No body is a complete success.
So accepting both your failure and your success, write it all out on paper or on a computer.
There is always a lesson is every failure. There is always an encouragement for every success.
Once you write out everything, it all become past. What happen next is your brain will move
on to now and begin to see future.
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Tim ODonnell, Theist, Philosopher, and Author of "Evidence of Falsehood"
A2A - How do I accept failure in life?
Do it graciously and with the attitude to learn from your experience.
109 views · View Upvoters · Answer requested by Sadia Niamat
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Akshay Jani
Answered Mar 31
Originally Answered: How do I accept my failures?
Tough. Really tough. Its tough to accept your failures is what you need to know when you
are trying to accept your failures. It aint easy but its definately not very very hard. You need
to come in terms with your failures. But first and foremost to be able to accept your failures
you need to make yourself strong and be happy. Its all stupid chemicals within us. Lifes
not that hard and we shouldnt make too much of it.
Read my Pinned answer to the question “What brings out the best in you ?” . To bring
out the best in you you need be happy yes being happy makes us look at life from a totally
d...
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Aditya Thakur
Answered Mar 15, 2017

Well try to see failure as a part of your self growth and development rather than something
lost. And its normal with everyone. All have failed some or the other time in life. Its a very
good experience to learn how to emerge out of it successfully and to test how strong you
are emotionally to deal with setbacks in life. Accept it as a mere step in your ladder of
success and its a temporary phase until you climb to the next step. Dont keep thinking
about it much. Failures just makes you stronger rather than weak. Its you feeling that makes
you think you have become weak but in reality you b...
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William Ranger, I have overcome many major obstacles, and won.
Don’t accept it.
Get radically realistic.
Dump the fears, fables, fallacies, agendas imposed on you by parents, teachers, preAchers,
politicians. They will not suffer for you, and they will not create victories, or joy, for you.
You can do that. I did when everything was lost.
The power is there, if you are desperate to not care about all the restraints placed on you in
the past. You can learn it for free.
Download the free booklet. “The Winning Life.”

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