摘要：近两年，创业风潮逐渐兴起，但创业是否真的那么容易？失败是成功之母，本文作者根据自己的经历以及遇到的创业者身上，为大家总结了七个招致创业失败的错误行为。
一个伟大的创意能够保证你创业成功？太扯了！
或许有人不这么认为，但实际上，百分之七十以上的创业者都会在产品还没有进入市场之前就失败了。是的，即使是伟大的创意，也会被一些不经意的错误埋葬。
说这些话或许听起来比较让人丧气，但确实如此，在我参与创业的经历中，曾遇到过各式各样的错误、挫折，包括失败的合作伙伴关系、产品供大于求以及不当的营销策略。
这里给大家写几个在创业过程中一定要避免的错误：
1. 被自己的创意束缚。你需要知道，世界上如此多有想法的人，你不一定是唯一一个想到某个创意的人。真正重要的不是创意本身，而是创意背后的执行者。你不应该沉湎于自己的创意中不可自拔，要跳出来思考如何将其实现。
2. 过早退出。一旦你开始创业，那么你需要做的是永不放弃。创业需要坚定的信念，以此来保证你能在将来无数的挫折面前成功翻越。可能在创业过程中你会被无数次的否定，但你需要在这之后仍然能够找回自信。不断的克服消极的想法将能够推动你在成功的路上走的更远。
3. 忘记简单的力量。或来自外界的影响，或来自团队的想法，在产品设计过程中，创业团队往往容易失去目标，将产品复杂化。不管你是否相信，你产品上的很多功能并不能让你在竞争中脱颖而出。为了避免给自己下套，创业时要保证你的产品是最低可执行产品（MVP）。这将能够确保你的产品看起来不那么花里胡哨的。将产品最重要的功能在第一时间呈现给你的用户，虽然产品简单，但能够满足你的用户，这是成功的开始。
4. 迟到的营销。不要因为你对自己的产品叹为观止，就觉得大家一定会认可。任何产品都需要营销，这也是创业成功至关重要的一点。很多创业者在创业的过程中，将无数的金钱和精力都投在产品上，却忘记了在产品推出时指定一份营销策略。这是比较致命的，酒香也怕巷子深，再优秀的产品，用户没有听说，也就用不上，也就不会知道有这样的产品。营销，要与产品研发一起准备。
5. 从不寻求建议。与身边的人多交流多沟通将有利于发现创业存在的问题，没有人能够想到所有事情。获得的建议，哪怕是一些批评，都可能会使你在创业路上少走弯路。
6. 不切实际的想法。你可能希望每个人都使用你的产品，但，那确实是不可能的。寻找商机确实能够是营销更有效果、成本更低，也更容易成功。但如果你想将高尔夫产品推销给阿拉斯加人，那明显不切实际。所以你需要简化你的营销策略，确定你的受众群体，然后在他们的领域中执行营销。
7. 招聘不适合的人。创业团队最重要的组成部分，人才。正如文章开头所说，创意不重要，重要的是创意背后的执行者。如果你招来了一群没有热情、不够聪明的人，失败就是注定的了。创业初期，请谨慎的招聘团队成员，宁缺毋滥，否则招来的人只会拖累你整个团队。
创业成功取决于避免不可避免的隐患，坚定不移的野心以及永不服输的决心。
原文：thenextweb
A great idea ensures startup success, right? Wrong.
No one enjoys hearing it, but three out of four startups will fail before they ever get to market. Yes, even the greatest ideas are still susceptible to ending up in the trash. As a startup founder, mentor, Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) member, I’ve witnessed far too many startups reach the end far too early.
As discouraging as this may sound, realistic expectations are essential to startup success. Through my years of involvement in the startup community, I’ve encountered a variety of pitfalls and mistakes including negative partnerships, overbuilt products, and poor marketing tactics.
But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for those entrepreneurs starting up if you avoid these seven mistakes:
1. You’re too idea-focused. This may be hard to swallow, but it takes more than a game-changing idea to find startup success. Today, ideas are a dime a dozen and you’re most certainly not the first to think of what you’re about to try to sell. It’s really the people behind the idea whom matter most. Avoid committing yourself to an idea, and instead eat, sleep, and breathe the execution of your vision.
2. You’re quick to quit. When it comes to startup success, giving up shouldn’t be an option. Starting a business requires complete commitment to ensure you make it through the inevitable roadblocks along your way. Be prepared to find your resilience to bounce back from many “no’s” in the beginning — and maybe even pivot if necessary. But continually overcoming the negativity will fuel you in the right direction.
3. You forget the power of simplicity. The importance of standing out often leads startups to lose focus and overbuild on their product. Believe it or not: A slew of features won’t set you apart from the competition. To avoid a pitfall, ensure you’re creating the minimum viable product (MVP). This ensure you’re building something with unnecessary bells and whistles from the beginning.
4. You’ll figure out marketing later. No, just because you’ve built something you feel is worthy of a doubletake, doesn’t mean anyone else feels the same way. This is why marketing and user acquisition is crucial to startup success. One thing I’ve seen at my Web marketing agency is that most startup founders invest all of their time and money in their product, but forget to develop a detailed strategy and budget when it comes time to launch their product. If you want your startup to thrive, you need to start planning out your marketing strategy from the get-go, otherwise you’ll never entice users to try it.
5. You never ask for advice. No mentors means no soundboarding. Avoiding any unwanted criticism will only drive you toward startup failure. Constructive criticism from experienced members of the startup community will keep you in line. Keep an open mind when consuming feedback. Only change your pace for the criticism that you feel is most on-par and worthy of your attention.
6. You’re thinking too big. You may want to reach everyone with your product, but that just isn’t feasible. You can still think big and go niche. Finding your niche will make marketing cheaper, more effective, and easier. Say you create a golfing product. You wouldn’t want to market this item to people in Alaska, would you? Instead, you should focus on one area and potentially a common theme within your chosen target audience. This will streamline your marketing strategy.
7. You hire the wrong people. As I said before, it’s the people behind the idea that are the driving force. If you’ve enlisted a team of less-than passionate and savvy individuals, they may be your downfall. This could even be your business partner. Set up your startup for long-term success by seeking partners and team members whom are on the page as you are, but also balance you out by presenting different traits, skills, and viewpoints. Are you right-brained? It’s time to take on some left-brained hires to encourage balance.
Startup success is depended on the avoidance of inevitable pitfalls, unwavering ambition, and never accepting “no” for an answers.
How did you avoid startup failure?