Why New Businesses Often Fail for First Time Entrepreneurs?

By Cynthia Kocialski



Have you ever dreamed of becoming a business owner or entrepreneur? Can you feel how refreshing it would be to do what you love and have a passion for? Maybe you are no longer employable and entrepreneurship seems the way to control your own destiny? Or perhaps you don’t seem to fit in with the corporate world and you need to create your own world? Everyone has their own motivation, and many will try and fail. But why and how can an entrepreneur improve their chances of success?
Many fail because they are looking at entrepreneurship from an outsider’s perspective. It’s much like the difference between being a football fan and being a professional football player. It’s not just a matter stepping onto the field and playing the game. The player knows the training, the pressure to perform, the contractual obligations and the business of the game. It’s a different world for the player than the spectator.
Likewise, first time entrepreneurs don’t often understand the business of the creating a new company and a new product. While they may have spent years working in the business world, they are fans of entrepreneurship. This is the root cause of many shortcomings and failures. Because they are inexperienced, they make common mistakes that are disastrous, yet avoidable.
One mistake is to believe the product is everything, to focus all their energy and attention on the product. A new business is exactly that, it’s a “business”, not a product. The first time entrepreneur needs to spend as much time creating the business and with as much intention as the product itself. The business should not be an afterthought or secondary consideration. Most believe they need to write a business plan. Not true. While it’ll be needed at some point, it’s not always the best way to get started. If the business plan is a work of fiction or it’s based upon hope and wishful thinking, then it’s not the right starting point.
“Startup From The Ground Up” explores why an entrepreneur can only go so far with just an idea. It provides practical advice for how to get an entrepreneur moving down the right path and thinking in the right direction with practical tips, strategies, techniques and stories on how to transform an idea into a company.


About the Author

Cynthia Kocialski is the founder of three tech start-ups companies. In the past 15 years, she has been involved in dozens of start-ups. Cynthia writes the Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog (www.cynthiakocialski.com) and has written the book, “Startup From The Ground Up - Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs, How to Go from an Idea to New Business”