Darren drew my attention to an essay by Paul Graham entitled “The 18 Mistakes that Kill Startups“. Its a pretty good list but of course it could just as easily be entitled “The 18 mistakes that kill companies”. The only difference is that when big companies (DEC, Data General, Compaq, Symbolics, Thinking Machines, ICL) make these mistakes, death is long and lingering rather than short and sharp.
Paul Graham : Why Startup's Fail
Copacetic 