Three Common Reasons First-time Founders Fail at Growing Their Startup

I've been coaching early-stage tech startups for several years now.

Although every startup is different, the reasons founders don't manage to grow often fall into a similar set of categories.

Here are some of the most common reasons first-time founders fail at growing their startup:

• Not customer-focused enough. This usually includes a struggle of stepping away from assumptions of what they want to build, vs. adapting quickly enough to what their best customers want.
• Team issues. Unfair cap tables, unclear responsibilities, and different expectations on performance and vision; a few of the reasons that team issues remain a top reason growth is stifled.
• Bloating too soon (or too late). The mismatch of funding vs. where they are on their startup journey. Raising funding is not a goal in itself; instead, it needs to match clear stages and milestones.

What other reasons have you seen or experienced?