Startups – Tom Eisenmann analyzes the most prevalent failure patterns and how to avoid them
ISSN: 1087-8572
Article publication date: 14 October 2021
Issue publication date: 4 November 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The Fail-Safe Startup: Your Roadmap for Entrepreneurial Success, the new book by entrepreneurship researcher Tom Eisenmann, sets out to help improve the odds by looking more closely at the most prevalent causes of startup failure and how to avoid them.
Design/methodology/approach
Eisenmann research led him to identify six distinct patterns that explain a large proportion of startup failures, three relating to early stage failures and three to late stage.
Findings
Strong demand from early adopters may lead a founder to scale up prematurely.
Practical/implications
Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase.
Originality/value
Entrepreneurs must research differences in the needs of likely early adopters and mainstream customers during the upfront customer discovery phase. 10; 10;The line between visionary entrepreneur and cult leader can become blurry, and a founder?s ?reality distortion field--useful for motivating others to help pursue the founder?s dream?can become a liability.
Citation
Leavy, B. (2021), "Startups – Tom Eisenmann analyzes the most prevalent failure patterns and how to avoid them", Strategy & Leadership, Vol. 49 No. 5, pp. 31-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/SL-09-2021-0091
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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