July 3, 2023
“In the United States, 45% of small businesses fail within their first five years”
— Donald Miller “How to Grow Your Small Business: A 6-Step Plan to Help Your Business Take Off”
Embarking on the journey of a startup is like stepping into a thrilling roller coaster ride — full of excitement, anticipation, and the promise of success.
Yet, amidst the twists and turns, many startups unfortunately come crashing down, such as WeWork, Quirky, and Juicero. In the United States, a full 25 percent of small businesses fail within the first year, while 45 percent fail within five years. The harsh reality is that not every entrepreneur or business owner will succeed in their ventures due to various factors.
In this article, we're going to uncover the top six reasons why startups stumble and fall and the valuable lessons you can learn from their mistakes.
Good leaders are responsible for piloting the organization in the right direction that leads to success. Many companies started with an incredible idea, but without the right leadership team, they are unable to achieve their highest potential. Just take a look at how Alan Mulally transformed Ford from a business on the brink of bankruptcy into one of the world’s leading automobile brands.
Having a visionary leader that is capable of setting clear business goals can make or break a company. Most small businesses have ambitious goals, but they lack clear articulation and contain too many abstract definitions with no concrete action steps. As a result, their team members find it difficult to grasp the mission and understand the individual roles they play in achieving it — reducing work efficiency and hindering business growth.
To give your team a clear picture of where your organization is headed, you need to craft a clear mission statement that contains three measurable economic priorities that will sustain the business. Besides that, you also need to include a specific deadline and talk about the importance of the mission in your statement. The Business on a Mission Framework created by Donald Miller can help you create a unifying vision for the people you lead.
Here are some examples:
You and your team will also have to develop certain Key Characteristics in order to achieve your mission. Identify a specific set of skills or personality characteristics necessary to work for your company. This sets the foundation for your team to be able to sell the products to your customers, push your team forward amidst challenges, and create a cohesive company culture.
Lastly, you must define three Critical Actions that must be done daily to move the business toward its three financial objectives. By doing this, you cultivate habits among your team members to move the mission forward, closer towards success.
Your sales volume has been stagnant for a period of time, but you can’t seem to figure out the root cause. Here are a few questions to reflect on:
If you answered “no” to any of the questions above, it’s time to evaluate your marketing message.
Many businesses have good products, but few can clearly communicate their value proposition to the public. A lot of businesses prioritize the visual aspects of marketing – beautiful photography, vibrant colors, fonts that embody the brand personality. However, they forgot that at the end of the day, the most essential and core part of marketing is the brand message and story that they infuse in their marketing collateral. Without a clear story to tell, customers will not be able to relate and choose to do business with your brand.
If you don’t have a brand story yet, or find it difficult to communicate it in a way that matters, you can use the StoryBrand Framework to help you. It explains the seven plot points of a good story and delivers seven Soundbites you can use to invite customers into a story for any content form and channel; whether it may be your website, social media, or sales emails.
The most important point in the StoryBrand Framework is that your customer is the Hero and you are the Guide. Your customers have a Problem or pain point that they want to solve. It’s your job to present them with a solution that can help them achieve their desires.
To position yourself as a Guide, you need to express empathy in your marketing by acknowledging and understanding the pain and struggles your customers face. Additionally, you need to demonstrate authority by showcasing your expertise in helping customers find solutions to overcome their challenges. This portrays authenticity, creates trust, and encourages repeat purchases among your customers.
The heart of your marketing lies in your brand story. Your marketing effort should focus on one clear objective: to explain how you can help solve your customers' pain points in a clear and simple language that everybody understands.
Marketing and sales go hand-in-hand; they are like the left and right engines of an airplane that work together to push it through the air. You can invest a lot in a marketing strategy, but without effective sales efforts, your business may struggle to gain the desired momentum.
An outstanding business owner should also be an expert salesperson. Evaluate your sales effectiveness with these questions:
If you answered “No” to any of the questions above, it’s time for a mindset shift.
Many of us still (mistakenly) perceive salespeople as inauthentic and dishonest, believing that they are only in it for their personal gain.
There is a way to sell your products or services without coming off as sleazy. You can do that by centering the conversation around your customers. You have to make them the Hero and position your business as a trusted Guide who’s there to help them solve their problems.
You can do that by following “The Customer is the Hero” SalesScript:
Your focus should be on genuinely discovering if the person you're engaging with has a problem you can solve, rather than pressuring them to buy a product they may not require. By prioritizing their needs and narratives, you can skillfully guide them towards a purchase that brings resolution to their story.
Many cash-strapped business owners will turn to creating and selling new products to increase their cash flow. But is that the right solution? Use these questions to decide if you should come up with a new product to increase your profitability.
Your products are similar to the wings of an airplane; they are an integral part of your business. To ensure a plane flies high, it needs large, light, and sturdy wings.
Many small businesses face liquidity problems after launching new products because they develop them without considering their cost or their demand. This is a common mistake: you may release a product that covers its production costs, but you fail to factor in other fixed costs like rent, administrative expenses, and more.
Creating and selling new products is not the only way to grow your revenue rapidly; this is only applicable in a saturated market, which is often not the case for most small businesses. Instead of developing new products, a more practical approach to increasing your profit margin is to sell more of the products that generate the most profit.
By fully tapping into the potential of our current offerings, we can grow our revenue without the additional challenges of launching new products. Besides that, you should also consider letting go of the products that aren’t selling to streamline your product offering.
A good indicator of a sustainable business is how well your team performs in your daily operations.
Airplanes limit our baggage weight for a reason: to keep the plane lean and light so it can fly high and far. It applies to running a business too: the products we sell and the sales we gain should not be a burden on your overhead costs, they should cover the overhead necessary to run our day-to-day operations.
What is the main cause of excessive overhead costs? For small businesses, labor costs are usually the most significant expense.
A crucial step to lowering overhead costs is to streamline your team into a group of focused professionals to increase efficiency. Cut down on time-consuming meetings; utilize just five meeting types to create a reliable workflow, align your team around your three economic priorities, and keep your labor force lean.
With these five meetings, you can increase focus and efficiency for every team member. You can start streamlining your operations with the help of “Management and Productivity Made Simple Playbook”. This will ensure that your overhead costs will be an investment to grow your business rather than a spend.
Want to know if you’re managing your business finances properly? Here are some evaluation questions:
As obvious as it is, the most important thing to keep a plane flying is to have enough fuel. In this case, your business’ cash reserves are like the fuel of a plane — without cash, your business will crash. While many small business owners may know how to generate revenue, they don’t always know how to manage or allocate it properly.
Business Made Simple’s “Small Business Cash Flow Playbook” can help you transform your business’ financial health by helping you implement the five checking accounts to control your cash flow and finances. A healthier cash flow means that you can invest your money back into your business, have enough money for emergencies and to pay taxes, and know in advance when your profit is shrinking.
What are the five checking accounts?
If you want to propel your business to success, you need to have a holistic understanding of your business to ensure that every component is operating smoothly.
Here at Circularity Coach International, we help business owners and leaders gain a bird's-eye view of their businesses and industries using world-renowned frameworks such as Donald Miller's “Business Made Simple” concept through the “Small Business Flight School” program.
What is included in the program?
Coach PINK will help you execute a 6-step business growth plan:
Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or small business owner, these concepts will help you define your business mission to ensure that you have a clear direction forward. You will learn how to cultivate a strong company culture and allocate resources wisely to build a sustainable business.
Want to unlock the secrets to doubling your business revenue and thriving in a dynamic business landscape? Stay up to date with our upcoming webinars and workshops: https://circularitycoaching.eventbrite.com/
Taking charge of your life starts with understanding where you stand.
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How you are doing in the 12 dimensions of life (Lifebook Assessment)
How well your business is performing (My Business Report Assessment)
How effective your marketing messaging and brand story is (Storybrand Marketing Report Assessment)
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