Aspiring entrepreneurs face tough competition and scary odds: Hundreds of thousands of new U.S. businesses launch monthly, and about a quarter will fail just within their first 12 months.
Among the many challenges that budding start-ups encounter are differentiating themselves from rivals, not running out of cash, and tapping into what consumers really want. One study found that the top reason new businesses fold is that they are building a product that the market doesn't actually need.
