• The Silent Killers of Startups No One Dares Admit

  • Jan 29 2025
  • Length: 9 mins
  • Podcast

The Silent Killers of Startups No One Dares Admit

  • Summary

  • E574: The five silent killers of startups that founders never admit. This is an expansion of the viral short video I previously made on this.

    When startups die, it’s not with a bang but with a whimper. These are the five most common reasons why startups fail.

    1․ The Expert's Curse
    ◦ Being an industry expert becomes the biggest liability.
    ◦ You solve yesterday's problems.
    ◦ You know too much to see new patterns.

    2․ The 90-Day Death Clock
    ◦ Days 1-30, vision leads.
    ◦ Days 31-60, you need validation.
    ◦ Day 90+, still no validation? You're already dead.
    ◦ You don't die when money runs out, you died three months ago.

    3․ Reality Distortion Debt
    ◦ Every assumption equals debt.
    ◦ Every we know better equals interest.
    ◦ Every delayed user test equals compound interest.
    ◦ Most startups are bankrupt before they're broke.

    4․ The Competence Trap
    ◦ More competence = more procrastination.
    ◦ Building becomes an escape from selling.
    ◦ You're perfecting code instead of getting feedback.
    ◦ This is death by beautiful products that nobody wants.

    5․ Time Perception Disorder
    ◦ Soon = never.
    ◦ Perfect timing = fear.
    ◦ The market is not ready = we're not ready.
    ◦ While you wait, the market moves on.

    The hard truth.

    Startups don't fail when you run out of money.

    They fail when you choose:
    ◦ Comfort over truth
    ◦ Planning over testing
    ◦ Knowing over learning

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    00:00 Introduction and Episode Setup
    00:39 Silent Killer #1: The Expert's Curse
    02:31 Silent Killer #2: The 90-Day Death Clock
    05:37 Silent Killer #3: Reality Distortion Debt
    06:34 Silent Killer #4: The Competence Trap
    07:23 Silent Killer #5: Time Perception Disorder
    08:05 Conclusion and Podcast Information

    The Edward Show. Your daily digital marketing podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

    #startups #ycombinator #foundermode #venturecapital

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