The Harsh Truth

What It Really Takes to Launch a Successful Startup

Startups are all the rage, but the reality is far more brutal than the hype would suggest.

The glorified stories of billion-dollar startup “unicorns” hatched in a college dorm room are highly misleading.

While those make for great Hollywood-worthy narratives, the reality is that successful startups require an incredible amount of blood, sweat, and tears over many years. A cavalier attitude or thinking it will be an easy path to fame and fortune is a surefire recipe for failure.

The odds are stacked heavily against you from the start…

According to startup statistics from Forbes, a staggering 90% of startups fail.

Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows that approximately 20% of new businesses fail in just the first two years, 45% within the first five years, and 65% within their first decade. Only a quarter make it to 15 years or more.

“Entrepreneurship is an incredibly labor-intensive, emotional, painful, high-risk, long-term activity whose odds of success are low.”