

Ask HN: Would there be any interest in a blog analyzing why startups *fail*? - minimaxir

Obviously, no one likes seeing startups fail. However, it's a very distinct, and very likely possibility for tech entrepreneurs, given the incredibly-competitive landscape and the negligible cost of entry. Learning how to fail gracefully is as important as learning how to succeed.<p>HN and the tech blogs don't cover startup closures frequently, unless it's the closure of a previously high-profile startup (i.e. Color, 1st iteration). Startups fail more frequently than that, and not for the reasons that may be obvious. (Read the comments on http://www.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/yggye/tell_me_about_your_failed_start_ups/ )<p>Would there be any interest in a blog that discusses why startups fail, and that also allows user submissions for their own personal perspective, akin to the Reddit thread comments?
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MaxwellM
Yes this would be a great idea.

Most podcasts and blogs are about the success. I would love to read a blog
about startup lessons learned.

If this could eventually be categorized and synthesized to provide
cautionary/actionable data, that could be invaluable to the community.

Something like: 40 out of 90 failed companies without a technical co-founder
fail within 6months. Or 40% of entrepreneurs try 3 companies before attaining
profitability.

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therealarmen
I would love to see this. Some of the most interesting (and educational)
stories that come out of TechCrunch are those with the "deadpool" tag.
Unfortunately these posts are rare, with writers more likely to cover
financings or acquisitions instead. This is unsurprising, since no one is
paying their PR firm to publicize the fact that they are going out of
business.

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joshkaufman
In my experience, pretty much every business closes for one of three primary
reasons:

1\. The business runs out of money and/or available financing.

2\. The owners decide the business isn't returning enough to justify further
investment of money or effort.

3\. There's some irreconcilable difference of opinion between owners, leading
to an impasse on a critical decision and dissolution of the business.

I'll read the blog if you decide to write it, but I have a suspicion the vast
majority of stories would boil down to one of those three primary factors.

~~~
true_religion
That's true, but its like saying all romances boil down to three factors: two
people meet, they fall in love, overcome their differences or external factors
keeping them apart, then get together for a happy life or break up with much
drama.

That's all true, but ignores the fact that the story and minutae is still an
interesting read.

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billysbilling
I think this is a great idea, assuming people are willing to talk honestly
about their failures. It's always better to get the story from the horse's
mouth.

From there, analysis is a crowd pleaser.

In the mean time, here's an article about some (not so commonly admitted)
reasons that startups fail: [http://billysbilling.com/blog/The-Five-Biggest-
Mistakes-You-...](http://billysbilling.com/blog/The-Five-Biggest-Mistakes-You-
Can-Make-as-a-Startup/)

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JohnHaugeland
Yes, a great one, if-and-only-if it wasn't just another collection of
anecdotes, gut feelings, and opinions presented as facts.

