If Startup Success Is All About Luck, Why Aren’t You Starting More Companies?


Another TC50, another set of startups, and just like clockwork, the haters will come out and troll the comment boards.

“It’s all luck,” they’ll rant. “Founders are just lottery ticket winners.”

What a load of crap.

First of all, there’s nothing wrong with being lucky. I’d rather be lucky than good. As I’m fond of saying, “No one ever says, ‘Hey, there goes Chris the broke unhappy guy. Boy is he lucky.'”

Second, if you think founders get disproportionate rewards, why not work the system and start your own company?

But most importantly, if success really is all about luck, why aren’t you starting more companies?

Logically speaking, either startup success is about skill, or it’s about luck.

If it’s about skill, you should start as many companies as you can, so you can learn from the process and increase your chances of success.

If it’s about luck, you should start as many companies as you can, so by dumb luck alone, you’ll increase your chances of success.

Either way, stop wasting your energy grumbling about luck, connections, or any of the other excuses people use, and channel all your effort into starting your next company.

3 thoughts on “If Startup Success Is All About Luck, Why Aren’t You Starting More Companies?

  1. Good post, Chris. I had similar thoughts in mind when I recently started my own company. You can't complain about not hitting one out of the park if you don't pick up a bat.

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  2. Right. Or as I always say, there are all these statistics saying 99% of new companies fail within 2.2 seconds, but nobody tells you what percentage of failed company owners are Stupid People.

    1. Irate

      Or which percent of the successes were trust-fund kids, did not start at the bottom, or found money in ways most people don’t have access too.

      Everyone wants to talk about success, but no one ever wants to admit their advantages. Yes, Daddy’s money counts. Yes, your government/family funded education matters. Yes, your hubby killing himself at the traditional high-paying job while you build your business counts. Delusional.

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