The #1 startup killer I know
3 Min Read
Stop Chasing New Models. Master the One That Works
One of the biggest mistakes I did (and yes, let me guess you know this from first hand):
One month it’s SaaS. The next, a services layer. Then it’s licensing. Maybe even AI for fans.
This week it’s B2B. Next week it’s “let’s go D2C, just to test.”
From the outside, it looks like agility.
But inside? It’s chaos.
And I’ve seen it too many times.
A startup finally gets some traction. The kind that could be scaled. And instead of doubling down, they pivot. Again.
And slowly, painfully… they burn the very momentum they fought so hard to build.
I See It All the Time
And I’ve Lived It Myself
At HYPE, when we were just starting, we had our hands in everything.
Startups. Brands. Investors. Federations.
Everyone had potential. Everyone had a pitch.
And the big question we kept asking ourselves was:
“What’s the right model to focus on?”
Not just what’s most profitable, but what will help us build something sustainable, meaningful, and long-term.
Something that matters.
It took time. We explored. We debated.
But eventually, one truth became clear:
The startups were our real customers.
And the more value we gave them, the more deeply we served them, the stronger everything else became.
Brands wanted in. Investors leaned forward. The entire ecosystem got stronger.
Not because we were everywhere. But because we were focused.
That clarity changed everything.
Not just our growth.
Our peace of mind.
Let’s Talk About Your Voice
If you’re a founder, I bet you’ve heard it:
“This is good… but what else can we try?”
“Maybe a new product.”
“Maybe a new market.”
“Let’s launch something fresh, just in case.”
That voice sounds like innovation.
It’s not.
It’s fear. Dressed up like strategy.
Fear of missing out.
Fear of going all-in and being wrong.
Fear of standing still when the world feels like it’s sprinting.
But here’s the brutal truth:
Startups don’t die from lack of ideas. They die from lack of focus.
The Real Price of Constant Switching
Every time you switch models too early, you pay for it.
Whether you feel it now or later.
Here are the three costs I see most often:
1. You Lose Time
Each pivot resets the clock.
You trade six months of compounding for six months of re-learning.
That’s not strategy. That’s stall.
2. You Burn Out Your Team
When the target keeps moving, no one can build momentum.
People lose clarity, lose energy, and eventually, they lose faith.
3. You Miss the Compounding Curve
Great businesses don’t grow linearly. They compound.
Revenue, reputation, retention. All improve over time.
But only if you stay long enough in one game to let that happen.
What If You Just Made This Model World-Class?
What if you stopped asking:
“What else can we do?”
And started asking:
“How do we make this unstoppable?”
That means:
- Turning every win into a playbook
- Measuring every step until it’s boringly consistent
- Repeating your pitch until it sells in its sleep
- Saying no to distractions, even the sexy ones
Because once you focus on one engine and build it properly, real magic happens.
Margins rise.
Team clarity sharpens.
The story gets tighter.
And suddenly, you’re not surviving.
You’re scaling.
Innovation ≠ New
Let’s rewire something in the founder brain:
Innovation doesn’t always mean new.
Sometimes it means more.
More refined.
More efficient.
More reputable.
And more money in the bank.
The startups that win big?
They don’t chase ten models.
They make one model undeniable.
Ask Yourself Right Now
Before you open that new whiteboard, that new tab, that new Notion page…
Do I already have something that works, and have I mastered it yet?
If the answer is even halfway “yes”, your next move isn’t reinvention.
It’s depth.
Final Thought
The founders who win aren’t the most creative.
They’re the most committed.
Committed to one thing.
One market.
One value proposition.
One model. All the way through.
You don’t need a new direction.
You need full, fearless execution of the one that already works.
So pause.
Zoom out.
What if your next breakthrough isn’t a pivot?
What if it’s finally going all-in?
Quick opportunity:
One of the Premier League clubs we’re working with is currently exploring pilot collaborations with a select group of startups.
If this sounds like something you want to explore, feel free to apply below:
Apply here (in the worst case, you’ll get selected 😉 )
With the Love for Sports and Innovation,
AR
CEO, HYPE Sports Innovation
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