article thumbnail

Why Startups Fail: Six Issues to Avoid

Leading Blog

More than two-thirds of them never deliver a positive return to investors. False Positives. Crowdfunding campaigns may demonstrate a product’s appeal to product category enthusiasts, but they don’t provide data on mass-market demand. T HE FACT IS most startups fail.

article thumbnail

Apple: Luxury Brand or Mass Marketer?

Harvard Business Review

It’s easy to make a case that Apple is now positioning itself to become more of a provider of luxury-level technology. To understand the cost of Apple products that we associate with mass market success, we mapped the U.S. But is that really right? Income data is from the U.S.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Finding the Sweet Spot Between Mass Market and Premium

Harvard Business Review

This “Goldilocks” strategy of positioning premium products such that they’re not too expensive, but not too cheap is uniquely suited to established brands. As a result, it generated more than $100 million in sales during its second year.

article thumbnail

It’s Time To Stop VCs Driving Entrepreneurship

The Horizons Tracker

In other words, entrepreneurs should be focused on building great businesses that leave a lasting and positive impression on the world rather than a quick buck at a time in which the world is awash with cheap credit after a decade in which the global printing presses have been running non-stop.

article thumbnail

At the High End, Reaching a Mass Market

Harvard Business Review

The first five seasons of the "Live in HD" program had received mostly positive reviews in the community. The Met, with his inclusive strategy, has activated a mass market outside the confines of the theatre and of the traditional affluent and aging opera lover. It has also been a commercial success.

article thumbnail

The 5 Habits of Mind that Self-Made Billionaires Possess

Leading Blog

Imagine what Atari might have achieved if Steve Jobs had stayed there to develop the first mass market personal computer. We need to find and support positive deviance while promoting for systematic improvement. * * * Like us on Facebook for additional leadership and personal development ideas. * * *. Management'

article thumbnail

Microsoft's Kinect Misses the Mark

Harvard Business Review

Later that week, a colleague who knows that I've written extensively (and, largely positively) about the Wii said, "I assume you are a big fan of the Kinect.". The risk in trying to introduce a revolutionary technology in the mass market is that Microsoft could potentially poison the market, limiting Kinect's long-term potential.