Member-only story

The Silent Growth Killers in Every Startup

(That Founders Never See Coming)

Marshall Hargrave
2 min readFeb 13, 2025
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash

We were growing 40% month-over-month. Then suddenly… nothing.

That’s what my client told me last week.

His startup had all the right metrics, a great product, and a strong team.

Yet growth flatlined overnight.

We’ve identified five silent killers that destroy promising companies. They’re deadly and by the time you spot them, it’s usually too late.

1. The Success Trap

The deadliest killer is the one you never suspect: success itself.

Warning Signs:
• Revenue growing faster than systems
• Customer complaints increasing
• Team working longer hours
• Quality starting to slip

A SaaS startup hit $100K MRR, celebrated… then imploded three months later. Their success masked a fatal flaw in their customer onboarding.

2. The Metrics Mirage

You’re watching the wrong numbers, and it’s killing you slowly.

Create an account to read the full story.

The author made this story available to Medium members only.
If you’re new to Medium, create a new account to read this story on us.

Or, continue in mobile web

Already have an account? Sign in

Marshall Hargrave
Marshall Hargrave

Written by Marshall Hargrave

Serial entrepreneur. Finance, startups, investing. Catalyst-focused, event-driven. Hip-hop vigilante. On the quest for the best hot chicken.

Responses (2)

Write a response

Remember: By the time you feel the symptoms, the disease is usually advanced. Prevention isn’t just cheaper than cure — sometimes it’s the only option.

Know the value of your time to keep anchored & focused on resolving these issues in real time. It need not be micromanaged.

Absolutely agree. Founders assume it is lack of cash runway that will finish them off - these are as likely if not more so.