Business Cold Case Files: Revisiting the Ideas That Failed (Too Soon)

Every business has them—those ideas that didn’t work out.

Maybe they were shelved after a pilot flopped. Or dismissed with a shrug: “We tried that. It failed.”

But what if the failure wasn’t in the idea itself—but in the timing, technology, or context?

Welcome to what I call the Business Cold Case Files—a concept I use to describe the value in reopening failed ideas and examining them with fresh eyes.

Think about the Segway. Launched with great fanfare in 2001, it flopped commercially. Too expensive. Too heavy. Too early.

And yet… look around today: battery-powered scooters, e-bikes, and personal mobility tech are thriving. In a world shaped by better batteries, lighter materials, and changed attitudes toward urban transport, the Segway may have simply been ahead of its time.

The same may be true of ideas in your business.

Rather than saying, “We tried that and it didn’t work,” try asking:

• Why didn’t it work then?
• What’s changed—in technology, markets, or customer behaviour?
• Can we de-risk the idea today?
• Did we have the right business model, or were we simply missing one critical piece?

Sometimes, what you need isn’t a new idea—it’s a new frame for an old one.

So, what’s gathering dust in your archives?

It might be time to pull out a file and re-examine the evidence.

As I firmly believe in learning from the mistakes of others I will investigate cold case files of businesses that failed to determine the causes of the product's demise and what might be done differently today. These cases will be published in this newsletter on the first and third Monday of each month. They will also be available on my website: https://why-start-ups-fail.com/. (Note this website is in beta, but it will function properly if you care to take a look. There is a lot of material available.)

And I am always delighted to hear from my readers. To book a 30-minute call with me to chat about any business related topic that interests you please use this link: https://calendly.com/3-continents-consulting/open-discussion-how-can-i-help-you