Fail-Safe Startup

'Creating something from nothing is a daring act. Tom's wisdom and encouragement will give any reader the confidence to take the leap.' Eric Ries, bestselling author of The Lean Startup ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­90% of start-ups fail. But why? And is there a way to avoid the common pitfalls when you start your own business?Over the past 23 years at Harvard Business School Tom Eisenmann has helped launch thousands of startups. An astonishing 13 of these have reached unicorn status. For a decade he has explored the question of why startups fail and in The Fail-Safe Startup explains how you can succeed against the odds.Eisenmann's fascinating, often counter-intuitive, advice will help you avoid common mistakes including:* Launching too early* Aiming too high, too soon* And letting early success lead to misplaced confidence Drawing on case studies from startups of all shapes and sizes from around the world The Fail-Safe Startup will show you how to analyse the failure of others to ensure your success. 'A must read for any entrepreneur, investor, or startup team member.' Michelle Zatlyn, CEO, Cloudfare 'Eisenmann has truly helped illuminate a path to success by shining a spotlight on common startup failure patterns. His insights are invaluable, whether you're just getting started, or you're eyeing your endgame.' Jenn Hyman, CEO, Rent the Runway

Eisenmann's book about failure, an inherent part of startup life, is actually a book about how to succeed. The stories and voices of entrepreneurs at all stages and of all stripes bring his frameworks and playbooks to life. Whether you're a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading. As Tom says, creating something from nothing is a daring act. His wisdom and encouragement will give any reader the confidence to take the leap., Launching and scaling a startup is like a game of chess: it requires laser focus, relentless prioritization and contingency strategies galore. I always wished there was a guidebook to help entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls--on our way to wherever we're headed. Eisenmann has truly helped illuminate a path to success by shining a spotlight on common startup failure patterns. His insights are invaluable, whether you're just getting started, or you're eyeing your endgame., It's no secret that having a great idea isn't enough to guarantee your success as an entrepreneur. I see it all the time on Shark Tank: even the brightest, most driven founders with the most innovative ideas sometimes find themselves going down the wrong path and facing the decision of whether or not to close their business. The Fail-Safe Startup is the perfect roadmap that each entrepreneur needs to have in their back pocket to help them avoid those heartbreaking choices and continue to grow their business., Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. Eisenman has masterfully explained why startups fail in a clear, thoughtful way. This is a must read for any entrepreneur, investor, or startup team member. By avoiding the biggest reasons companies fail, we will see more entrepreneurial success - which is something society needs more than ever.

Tom Eisenmann is the Howard H. Stevenson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and the faculty co-chair of the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship. Since joining the HBS faculty in 1997, he has launched eleven MBA courses on a range of topics related to entrepreneurship, including The Entrepreneurial Manager, an introductory course taught to all 900 first-year MBAs and Entrepreneurial Failure, an MBA elective. Eisenmann has written over one hundred Harvard Business School Case Studies and his writing appears regularly in the Wall Street Journal, The New Statesman and The New York Times.