
When Do You Throw in the Towel On Your Struggling Project? - bjonathan
http://viniciusvacanti.com/2011/12/12/when-do-you-throw-in-the-towel-on-your-struggling-project/
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mmcconnell1618
Seth Godin wrote a great book on this exact question. How to know when you
should push through the dip and when you should decide to quit. It's an
insightful read:

[http://www.amazon.com/Dip-Little-Book-Teaches-
Stick/dp/15918...](http://www.amazon.com/Dip-Little-Book-Teaches-
Stick/dp/1591841666/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323703786&sr=8-1)

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aaronf
I still wonder if AirBnB would have made it through the trough of sorrow
following this model.

Regardless, a great framework to consider. Startups can drag on indefinitely
and we should consider the opportunity cost of hanging on to a single project.
It's okay to move on, and it's okay to fail.

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vaksel
I think a big thing is to be able to see growth. If you have 100 customers
last month, and increased to 150 this month, even if you are only charging
$10/mo, at least you are seeing that it'll take you X more months to hit
decent revenue

If on the other hand, your whole future planning is based on some huge event
that'll make you, then you need to think long and hard on whether or not it's
likely to happen. If it's been 6 months, and you've done everything in your
power to make that happen with no results...then it's probably best to throw
in the towel, since it's unlikely that it'll actually happen

~~~
herval
that's quite a contradictory advice upon which companies like Wufoo
([http://mixergy.com/wufoo-sold-for-35-mil-heres-the-story-
beh...](http://mixergy.com/wufoo-sold-for-35-mil-heres-the-story-behind-its-
success/)) and Rovio (several years trying before angry birds) should've died
prematurely :-)

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sjayman
If what you built is a consumer product, and accessible to friends and family
- then you know you need to move on when friends after being coaxed into using
your product still don't give a damn.

