12 Proven (yet ignored) reasons why your startup can fail

Ironical that despite the obvious red flags, startups still fail; How to convert your blogs into social media posts; Why narrowing your video content is critical and more…

Karthick Raajha

Apr 17
9 min read

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 📝
The best sales tip on LinkedIn this week 😎

Hi 👋

I could have easily used a more attractive subject line: Insane ChatGPT prompts to <topic name>.

But, it isn’t about open rates, rather it is about the value you get. (Although I do talk about useful ChatGPT prompts down below).

On that note, let’s surf in. 🏄🏻‍♂️

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Human beings are the most intelligent species on the planet.

No doubt about that.

But, when it comes to learning from past mistakes, we’re probably dumb.

In January 2023, CB Insights published a post-mortem on why 442 startups failed.

They’d published an infographic on the top 12 reasons why startups stutter in an earlier article. 👇

The topmost reason? 38% of them ran out of cash which is reminiscent of today’s situation.

And that happens when they focus on ‘growth at all costs’ and not on long-term profitability.

Focusing on top-line is good but don’t take off your eyes on the bottom-line too.

The most incredible thing? Every startup founder knows this. These reasons have existed for many years.

Yet, it is ironical that every year we see startups fold up.

Thanks to Daniel Horak for publishing this massive report on LinkedIn.

The best marketing tips on LinkedIn this week 📝

Subpar pricing pages don’t help anybody. That’s why Harry Maule gives out 5 evergreen principles (with examples) of putting out the right pricing pages.
Feeling weary after creating wrong content? Filipa Canelas tells us 4 ways to create content that makes you happy + builds your brand.
Buyer journeys are misunderstood. Gaetano Nino DiNardi breaks down how he bought an automatic cappuccino machine. [Lesson: Narrow down your video content strategy].
Remember that email that screamed “Welcome to the family!” right after you bought a product? Really?? My family doesn’t charge me for products. Venkata Subramanian Ravi picks 11 most-hated email marketing tactics you shouldn’t try.
One of my favourite posts – Tim Hanson teaches us how to convert your blogs into social media posts. This one is really detailed and you’ll hate to miss this.
Maxim Poulsen highlights 9 tools you need to create videos 10X faster. I personally vouch for Descript although I guess ChatGPT can do it equally well.
For those of us like me who obsess over CTAs, Dominik Jedro gives out incredible lessons in one single post.
Did you know that you can include carousels on your LinkedIn ‘Experience’ section? Read Mat Lehnhoff’s post on how to do it.
Shameless plugin: Learn how to get thousands of company names for cold outreach in 5 mins?

The best sales tip on LinkedIn this week 😎

Writing a cold email? Josh Braun says don’t write, instead find words your customers use.

Until next time folks! Missed our earlier coverage? Binge read it now:

Peace and Love 🙏

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Banner image (and infographic) by CBInsights’ The Top 12 Reasons Startups Fail.

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