Starting a business is never easy and odds of your success or failure are about even money. The fact is, approximately half of all small businesses fail within first four years. And a large percentage of those failures occur within first year. These are statistics that keep many entrepreneurs awake at night. Like Sisyphus, always pushing that boulder to top of hill only to have it tumble back to bottom each time, you never know when you're going to lose your grip on your business and have it tumble back over you.

OK, so far in this column I have managed to squeeze in references to modern American television and ancient Greek mythology. Enough highbrow beating around bush. Perform autopsy and learn from it. Only by knowing real reasons your business died can you identify and hopefully stave off those maladies before they take you down next time, if there is a next time. And if you're a true entrepreneur there will be a next time, trust me on this.

There are many reasons why businesses fail, but according to a recent survey by U.S. Bank, majority of business failures can be attributed to three reasons: bad management, bad financial planning, and bad marketing.

Bad management comes in many forms. The survey showed that seventy-eight percent of business failures examined were due in part to lack of a well-developed business plan and a business owner who had no business being in business he was in. In other words, business owner did not have an adequate knowledge or a thorough understanding of business he had chosen to start. This is why software entrepreneurs like me don't start shoe stores. I have feet, I wear shoes. That's not enough to qualify me to go into shoe business.

Next, seventy-three percent of business failures in survey were also manned by owners with rose colored calculators. These business owners over-estimated revenue projections (the number of expected sales) and under-estimated burn rate (the amount of money required to sustain business per month).

Bekham took kick. It went high in air, cutting it at a very peculiar angle, 46 eyes on field and thousands off field were fixed on rotating wonder. Ball takes a swirling loop and rest is history.

Some says it was air, some says it was ball who did trick. But history has given a name to this loop, “Bend it like Bekham .” Not many loop are famous like this.

Marketing strategists and marketing need to learn a lot from football, game .What was price of Bekham skill. Priceless! Similarly, Marketing general deliver and perform when emotions and expectation are touching bottom. That defines difference and worth of these super performers from mediocre. They keep their cool , eyes fixed on target regardless of tense situation around . They do unexpected which even their intense opponent do not expect it. Performers known when iron is red hot.

Football teaches marketer superiority of personnel, A-team playing with 10 player against 11 player will always be one down similar, a sales force superior in number to competitor will be for better.

There would always be a fight between quality and quantity. But as marketing Guru AL Rise say that marketing general never draft their strategy based on quality of personal . That is a risky bet and Erratic performance can divest best lay at plan.