What is wrong with your business idea? Here are 10 cases to learn from.

1. Why your
business will
Fail
by boardofinnovation.com - int. innovation consulting office
common pitfalls.
10

2. On a daily basis we work together with
innovation teams & startups.
Next Big Thing
stronger business models
better products
new profit
...
Together we hunt down the

3. but most ideas pitched
to us miss the mark.
Here are 10 examples:

4. Flickr: adam_jones
“An alert app for singles when they
match as they pass by on the street.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
1.

5. What is the chance that 2 potential users have
the app installed and would find each other?
Lesson
Don’t focus on products or matchmaking services that
could only work if nearly everybody needs to be a client first.
This is not just a Chicken & Egg problem. Offer value to your app even without a
large user base.
Similar: Poken.com, Real-time niche expert matching,...
1.
The-EverybodyWillLoveit-Guy

6. 1.
The-EverybodyWillLoveit-Guy
Pay With A Tweet
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8. Flickr: thundershead
“Traffic jam solution via Car-to-Car
communication on highways. ”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
2.

9. Do you really believe you could integrate your
technology in every single car, signage, roads,...?
Lesson
As a startup you just can’t turn a whole value chain
upside down.
Have a clear view on the operational hassle to roll out such a concept. You’ll realize
that already the planning of the first meeting with a big player (BMW?) is a burden.
2. The-I’llChangeTheWorld-Guy

10. Flickr: reallyboring
“Walls that change color depending
on the mood of people.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
3.

11. How frequently do people ‘replace’ their walls?
Learning
Don’t focus too much on slow moving industries
(e.g. housing) where the sale of products only happens
every few year.
Speed is crucial for your startup. If you target such an industry be sure to have a
specific strategy to move quickly. (e.g. partnership for sales & marketing)
Similar: Roads that generate electricity,...
3. The-NeedsaRealityCheck-Guy

12. Flickr: tuxthepenguin
“Small DVD renting machines for
retail stores.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
4.

13. Will people start renting DVD’s again? - hell no -
Learning
You can’t stop change with your startup. Don’t fight it.
Sounds obvious but still many ‘ideas’ presented to us are just small
improvements on products for markets where customers already moved in a different direction.
Similar: Tweaked ads for television,...
4. The-BlindDenier-Guy

14. Flickr: mightyhorse
“A fridge that automagically orders
food when your run out of milk.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
5.

15. It’s not because technology has a solution that
people have a problem to solve.
Learning
Check if your idea is based on a geek’s wet dream or
a real demand in the market.
Smart fridges with build in computers (as an idea) exist already +50 years.
There is a very good reason why our fridges aren’t robots yet.
Similar: Hologram meet-ups,...
5. The-TechFetisjist-Guy

16. Flickr: grumpy-puddin
“Device for patients to mix specific
drugs at home.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
6.

17. What would it take to change regulation in
your favor?
Learning
If legislation needs to be updated to make your service
work, you better kill your idea.
Some rules are not ‘official laws’ but existing habits within cultures.
These unwritten rules or norms within society are similar obstacles.
Similar: new road signs, child monitor,...
6. The-ImTheKing-Guy

18. “Online platform for employees to
make their own time tables.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
7.

19. Will the employees pay themselves?
Learning
The one who puts money on the table (the employer)
is not the one who uses the service. There might be a
conflict of interest. (Why hand over control to employees?)
Make sure that you understand the difference between ‘your clients’ and ‘your users’.
You will need 2 different pitches, one for each group.
7. The-MoneyIsNoIssue-Guy

20. “iPhone case with built-in wireless
charger! No more cables!”
Flickr: tyfn
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
8.

21. Will travelers stop carrying charging cables?
Learning
Make sure you didn’t move the problem instead of
solving it. If charging pads are not available everywhere,
people will still carry their cables with them.
= carry more stuff = worse.
Replacing one problem with another is a mistake linked to gimmicks & gadgets.
8. The-100%MarketShare-Guy

22. “Cart that automatically hands out
food in an airplane. ”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
9.

23. Will you reduce the number of staff?
Learning
Always take a look at the whole process. Optimizing one part
(e.g. food) will not make one flight attendant obsolete.
= no costs being saved in the end.
This is a common pitfall. Often people focus on irrelevant problems and miss out
the real bottleneck in the process.
9. The-LivingInaSilo-Guy

24. Flickr: ifrc
“Stronger emergency shelter for
disaster areas.”
Take a second, think about it.
What do you see as the most important pitfalls?
10.

25. How much budget does an NGO or government
has available for you?
Learning
Purely from a business perspective you should not target
clients with limited budgets.
In the same domain: services that target young start-ups, students,... Although
they might spend money in the end, there are often easier clients to persuade.
10. The-Idealist-Guy

26. Checklist: Did you miss the mark?
1. Do you offer value even with a limited amount of active users?
2. Do you expect that a whole value chain needs to change?
3. Do you have any idea on how fast ideas are rolled out
in your market?
4. Are you trying to stop a change in behavior with your customer?
5. Are you driven by your love for technology?
6. Do you rely on a change in regulation?
7. Do you have a clear understanding on who will pay you and who
will use your product?
8. Do you solve a problem or just replace one by another?
9. Aren’t you focusing on one part of a bigger problem?
10. Are you targeting a client with limited budget?

27. We can train your team to come up
with stronger business ideas.

28. More on our Innovation Program & Bootcamps
www.BoardofInnovation.com/Training
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