Startups fail for all sorts of reasons — but according to a new Entrepreneur article, most of those reasons stem from one deeper problem: solving something that doesn’t actually matter.
The piece, written by founder and VC Tom Eisenmann, points to what he calls “false starts.” These are when founders rush into building products, raising money, or marketing — before they’ve nailed what real problem they’re solving and for who.
It happens fast. You get an idea, feel excited, maybe hear one or two people say “that’s cool,” and start building. But what you’re building might not solve a problem anyone’s desperate to fix — at least not in the way you think.
Eisenmann’s research, backed by hundreds of case studies, found that rushing through customer discovery is one of the biggest startup killers. Founders skip interviews, avoid real conversations with potential users, or chase vanity feedback. Then six months later, no one buys.
The hard truth? Startups are problem-solving machines — and if the problem isn’t painful, urgent, and clear… the solution won’t matter.
Want to avoid the same mistake?
-
Don’t start with product.
-
Start with pain.
-
Talk to real people.
-
Don’t pitch — listen.
Most of the startups that made it didn’t pivot products — they pivoted who they were solving for.
Have you ever chased an idea before knowing if the problem was even real?
