The graveyard of failed startups isn't full of bad products. It's full of good products with bad go-to-market strategies. After auditing growth plans for companies from seed stage to Series D, I've identified the five most common failure modes.
Mistake #1: Solving for Volume, Not Value
The most dangerous metric in business is 'total users.' It tells you nothing about whether those users find value, stick around, or generate revenue. I always start by redefining what 'growth' actually means for each business.
Mistake #2: Copying What Worked for Someone Else
Just because PLG worked for Slack doesn't mean it's right for your B2B SaaS tool. Context matters enormously. Your market, your product's complexity, your average deal size — these all dictate the right approach.