Starting a business can be one the most exciting things you’ll do in life. It can also be the scariest. According to the latest statistics on the percentage of businesses that fail in the United States, we see that of the 678,135 new businesses that were started in 2015, more than one-fifth (20.4 percent) closed after their first year in operation.
The percentage of businesses that fail increases to 30.9 percent in the second year and 38.6 percent in the third year. By the fifth year in 2020, the new business failure rate reaches 50.0 percent.
Needless to say, it’s hard! The ones that succeed do so not only because they work hard and get lucky. These entrepreneurs spend an immense amount of time creating a plan and execution strategy. It takes a lot of discipline to overcome the challenges. In this episode I’ll discuss the basic questions you want to ask yourself when starting a business.
![Ghana to Host African Innovation Conference with 500 Marketing and IT Experts [Video]](https://video.getpvd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/mp_227676_0_AfricanInnovationConferencewebp-1200x900.jpg)
![iProspect Wins Paid Media AOR for Dollar General [Video]](https://video.getpvd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/mp_227638_0_dollargeneraliprospect2025jpeg.jpg)
![The Advertising Standards Authority has made three new Board appointments [Video]](https://video.getpvd.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/mp_227032_0_joyceLIjpg.jpg)
![How To Start A Business From Scratch – #RealTALK with Business Accelerator Graduate Fahim Khan [Video]](https://video.getpvd.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mp_9720_0_0jpg.jpg)