“What if I’ve Wasted Years on Something That Will Never Work?”
This question appears with striking regularity among early stage and mid stage entrepreneurs. It sounds emotional, but in practice it signals one of two strategic realities. It either indicates a natural phase of business growth, or it suggests the need for a pivot or discontinuation.
Understanding which applies is not intuitive. The answer sits in management theory, cognitive psychology and market behaviour research.
1. When the Question Signals Growth
Periods of accelerated growth are often preceded by a stage of discomfort. Research from the London Business School describes this as a “transition shock”, a phase where the founder’s cognitive and managerial models no longer match the complexity of the business. The result is a temporary sense of uncertainty or inadequacy.
The founder’s perception is “something is not working”. The structural reality is “the business is outgrowing its old operating system”.
Indicators of a Growth Stage
You see intermittent traction. Engagement, enquiries or small waves of sales appear, even if inconsistently.
There is evidence of product interest, but not yet a fully defined positioning or target segment.
Operational overwhelm increases. Tasks that were once manageable now strain the system.
You feel the need to redesign pricing, restructure your offer or clarify your brand narrative.
Harvard’s work on the “Founder’s Adaptation Curve” shows that perceived stagnation often appears immediately before measurable growth. This happens because the founder is upgrading their strategic capacity faster than the business can stabilise.
In these cases, the idea does not need to be abandoned. It needs to be reframed, clarified and operationally reinforced.
2. When the Question Signals It Is Time to Let Go
There are situations where the idea shows persistent signs of low or non existent demand. In these cases, further investment of time or capital produces diminishing returns.
Behavioural economists call this the “escalation of commitment” trap. Founders continue investing because of sunk costs rather than objective market signals.
Indicators of a Decline Stage:
The idea has been tested through content, launches, small offers or multiple pivots and the market remains unresponsive.
Consumers consistently express interest verbally but do not convert.
Demand remains flat despite adjustments in price, branding or communication.
Competitors in the same category outperform significantly while using similar resources.
The founder becomes the primary driver of the idea, rather than the market.
McKinsey’s “State of Fashion 2025” report notes that 61 percent of early stage brands stagnate due to poor market fit, not product quality. The data shows that even aesthetically strong brands fail if the category size is too small or audience motivation is low.
In these cases, ending or restructuring the idea is not a failure. It is a strategic reallocation of resources toward a more viable opportunity.
3. Before You Decide to Continue or Let Go, Validate Again
One of the most effective interventions is a structured validation process. Harvard innovation studies recommend reassessing the idea once a brand has acquired real world experience, because founders evaluate more objectively after engaging with the market.
Many ideas do not need to be abandoned. They need to be repositioned. Often the core insight is strong but the execution is misaligned.
Examples of elements that may require refinement:
A clearer definition of the target customer
A shift in price architecture
A more differentiated value proposition
A new distribution or marketing channel
Reframing the product for a more motivated market segment
Simplifying the offer to reduce cognitive load for the customer
McKinsey observes that brands with strong clarity of value grow up to three times faster than brands that rely on aesthetic appeal alone.
The Decision Framework
A founder should evaluate three criteria.
Signal of demand
Are there consistent indicators that the market is open to the idea?
Scalability potential
Is there a clear path to a profitable model that allows growth without disproportionate cost?
Founder capacity and willingness
Does the founder have the resources, skills and psychological readiness to execute the next stage?
If at least two of the three are positive, the idea is worth pursuing or restructuring.
If all three remain negative, it is time to reallocate.
A practical way to get clarity
To help founders assess their next step, I created two diagnostic tools based on the best industry practices combined with the frameworks used by top consulting groups, such as McKinsey:
One for early stage founders who need to validate an idea [TAKE A QUIZ]
One for existing brands trying to identify the gaps that restrict growth [TAKE A QUIZ]
Both tools follow evidence based evaluation criteria grounded in market fit, demand signals, strategic clarity and operational readiness.
If you want to diagnose whether your idea has growth potential or requires a pivot, you can take the quiz and receive a tailored analysis of your results.
