美国大部分business都在头几年失败了。这个是一份business failure rate的统计数据:
http://www.statisticbrain.com/startup-failure-by-industry/
按照行业划分，美国生意失败率如下:
Finance Insurance and Real Estate, 58%
Education and Health, 56%
Agriculture, 56%
Services, 55%
Wholesale, 54%
Mining, 51%
Manufacturing, 49%
Construction, 47%
Retail, 47%
Transportation, Communication and Utilities, 45 %
Information, 37%
主要的失败原因:
1. Incompetence , 46%
Emotional Pricing
Living too high for the business
Nonpayment of taxes
No knowledge of pricing,
Lack of planning
No knowledge of financing
No experience in record-keeping
2. Unbalanced Experience or Lack of Managerial Experience, 30%
Poor credit granting practices
Expansion too rapid
Inadequate borrowing practices
3. Lack of Experiences in line of goods or services, 11%
Carry inadequate inventory
No knowledge of suppliers
Wasted advertising budget
美国创业主要犯的错误:
1. Going into business for the wrong reasons
2. Advice from family and friends
3. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time
4. Entrepreneur gets worn-out and/or underestimated the time requirements
5. Family pressure on time and money commitments
6. Pride
7. Lack of market awareness
8. The entrepreneur falls in love with the product/business
9. Lack of financial responsibility and awareness
10. Lack of a clear focus
11. Too much money
12. Optimistic/Realistic/Pessimistic
坚持5年后容易成功的business类型:
1. Religious Organizations
2. Apartment Building Operators
3. Vegetable Crop Productions
4. Offices & Clinics of Medical Doctors
5. Child Day Care Services
坚持5年后还不容易成功的business类型:
1. Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning
2. Single-Family Housing Construction
3. Grocery Stores
4. Eating Places
5. Security Brokers and Dealers
6. Local Trucking
如果小business能够挺过前3年或者5年的话，活下来的希望还是比较大的。另外，做房地产，特别是经营apartment building出租生意，成功率比一般的business startup高7倍。
对付失败最好的办法就是首先要挑选一个很好的领域创业。如果领域不好的话，再做怎样的努力都是白费的。另外，要注重现金流，注重客户需求和客户服务。