In the ~1700s, life expectancy was ~35. (crazy/embarrassing by today’s standards). But TODAY’S Failure Rates for Startups (~99.5%) may look equally crazy/embarrassing in the future.

Back in the ~1700’s, the average life expectancy was ~35 (horrific by today’s standards!), but it wasn’t really seen as “a problem” because that’s “just the way it [was]” so most people couldn’t even fathom a world where we routinely live to be 80, 90, or 100+.

Now, let’s talk about today’s horrific ~99% failure rate for startups — that we somehow accept as “just the way it is”?!?! NOTE: It’s difficult to solve problems if we don’t acknowledge there are problem to be solved!

AT THE TIME — without the benefit of hindsight — was anyone back then thinking like: “Hey, maybe people would be living TWICE AS LONG if we had… better sanitation? immunizations? access to clean water? better nutrition?

With the benefit of hindsight, this seems ridiculous (and horrifying!), but
***Doctors only began regularly washing their hands before surgery in the mid-1800s!!!***

We find the current success/fail rate for startups to be ridiculous (and horrifying) — so we have some NEW Strategies, Hypotheses, Ideas, Theories that we hope will one day be as obvious to entrepreneurs as “wash your hands before surgery” is today for doctors!