BUSINESS STRATEGY

The five stages (and phases) of a start-up

The start-up experience customer journey explained

I believe one of the hardest things for start-ups is to keep their sxxt together as they grow. Did I ever create a start-up? No. Do I have the authority to talk about it? Probably not. But I am damn curious. I read, talk with people, I form my opinion. So, if you are start-upper, or an entrepreneur, and you agree (or disagree) with what I am saying in this article, please let me know. Constructive feedback is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: please note this article is a collection of personal thoughts, data points and a few quotes from experts. All info is publicly available. The content hereby written does not reflect in any way the position of the company I work for. Also, part of the content is inspired by an article I found on entrepreneur.com (see [1]).

Dear reader,

According to the recent Start-up Genome Report, an estimated 90% of start-ups that fail do so primarily due to self-destruction. It was their founders’ own bad choices or lack of preparedness rather than so-called “bad luck” or market conditions that were out of their control. Interesting.

Every business will face some unique challenges as it grows. But there are certain roadblocks in start-up life that are common among entrepreneurs.

Here follows an explanation of the development stages of a start-up and a description of a recurring problem (for the start-up). Up to you to think about a potential solution (the company providing the solution could be as an example a manufacturer or a retailer).

STAGE 1: SEED AND DEVELOPMENT