Thursday, August 18, 2022

The Number 1 Growth Killer Is Leadership Debt - Patrick Flesner, Inc.

Founders seem to believe the no. 1 reason for startup failure was running out of cash. In my experience as a growth capital investor, running out of cash is not a reason for failure, but a consequence of failure. It is the consequence of the founders' failure to develop strong leadership skills, transition from founder to leader, and build a strong leadership team. If you want to lead your business from initial traction to sustainable high growth, you should start developing your leadership skills now. The longer you wait the more leadership debt you incur and the higher the likelihood your startup will not make it through the growth valley of death.  [ed note: this is likely relevant to PCO leadership as well]