Why projects fail: the two real reasons
Published September 11, 2025. Updated September 12, 2026.
In a TEDx talk, Misti Cain said something striking: startups fail for exactly two reasons. What she describes applies to any project.
I’ve been working with business owners for more than 10 years, and I keep seeing the same thing. A business starting up, a practice opening its doors, a new service you put on the table: the details change, but the two reasons stay the same.
Here’s how to spot them and avoid them.
First trap: falling in love with a solution instead of a problem
Most people start with a brilliant idea. A new product. A service they’ve always dreamed of offering. A way of working they’re proud of.
Here’s the problem: nobody is necessarily looking for that product.
I watched a consultant build a complete online training offer. Platform set up, content recorded, the whole path planned from start to finish. But when she called 10 of her existing clients, the truth was different. Their problem wasn’t “learning to do this better.” It was “not having to do it at all anymore.”
She was attached to her solution. Her clients wanted someone to take the problem off their hands.
How to check that the problem is real
Before you go all in:
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Talk to at least 15 people in your target market. Ask one simple question: “What’s the number one problem you need to solve in your work?”
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Listen without selling. Don’t pitch your idea. Listen.
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Run a test. A sales page, a small campaign, a pre-sale. See whether the people who are interested put real money down.
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Decide. Keep going, pivot, or drop it.
Stewart Butterfield (Slack, Flickr) dreamed of making video games. The tools he built on the side of his failed projects solved real problems. Two multimillion-dollar companies came out of two “pivots.” Not out of the first idea.
Second trap: waiting until everything is perfect
This one is even more common.
- Waiting for the website to be perfect.
- Waiting until you have every feature.
- Waiting for more budget before you test.
- Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting kills a project faster than bad ideas do.
In business, your first try will be imperfect. That’s normal. What counts is testing, getting feedback, and starting again.
How to move faster without burning out
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Set a short deadline. Two weeks to test a new idea.
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Launch a bare-bones version. A web page. A prototype. A video you post. It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s out there.
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Get reactions right away. Who clicks? Who complains? Who signs up?
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Cut what doesn’t work. No emotional attachment.
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Start again with the next version.
That loop (test, feedback, adjust, repeat) is what innovation really means. Not inventing a perfect product, but solving a problem a little better each time.
Accept failure as part of the process
This part is critical. In Quebec, a lot of people see failure as something to be ashamed of. A sign you don’t know what you’re doing.
Wrong. Failure is normal information. Plan a margin for error:
- 10% to 15% of your budget set aside for tests that won’t pan out.
- Time blocked off to look at what went wrong and fix it.
- A mindset that turns every failure into something worth knowing.
Business owners who succeed test fast and fail fast. That’s how they learn fast.
How do you know if your idea will work?
You have a good idea? Great.
Now: is anyone actually looking for the solution you’re offering? And are you ready to test fast, fail in public, and adjust without hesitating?
If the answer to all of that is yes, you have a chance. If you’re waiting for everything to be perfect, or holding on too tight to your original idea even though nobody wants it, you’re in trouble.
The ones who succeed? They ask a lot of questions, they test all the time, and they let go of ideas that don’t work. It’s that simple.
Starting a project, but holding back?
Book 30 minutes. We’ll look at your idea together: is there real demand? What’s your first step to test it? How do you avoid waiting before you start?
Misti Cain’s conclusion comes down to one idea: find the problem fast, and move fast once you’ve found it. Based on her talk The 2 reasons all startups fail, TEDxSanDiego.
Three questions people ask me before they get started
How long does it take to know if my idea will work?
Two weeks is enough for a first signal. Not enough to know whether the business will work, but enough to know whether anyone bothers to click, sign up, or pay. Waiting a year doesn’t give you a better answer, just a more expensive one.
Should I give up as soon as something doesn’t work?
No. You drop the idea, not the project. Both companies mentioned in this article came out of video games that failed. What gets thrown out is the solution; what you keep is what you learned about the problem.
I’m starting on my own with no budget. Where do I begin?
With 15 conversations. They cost nothing, and they’ll tell you whether the problem you want to solve is the one people actually have. Whether you’re selling a product or your time, it’s the same step. And it’s the one step nobody can take for you.