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Zombie Startups: Should They Shut Down or Keep Going?

Zombie Startups are startups that aren't on the verge of dying, but they aren't really growing either. A zombie startup is caught somewhere between the living and the dead. If you are a founder or employee of a zombie startup what do you do? In this episode of Dalton + Michael, the two discuss what the options are if a startup is a zombie: shut down, get acquired, or keep going with a new sense of purpose and direction. Dalton + Michael is brought to you by @Standard_Cap Dalton Caldwell on X: https://x.com/daltonc Michael Seibel on X: https://x.com/mwseibel

Michael SeibelhostDalton Caldwellhost
Mar 30, 202617mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. MS

    If none of your current efforts have worked, you need to do something that you would never do on your own.

  2. DC

    Take the next swing.

  3. MS

    You need to do something so uncomfortable-

  4. DC

    Yes

  5. MS

    ... 'cause your current tactics haven't worked.

  6. DC

    Yes.

  7. MS

    Right? And so I'll encourage founders to be like, "What's something that seems way too radical or scary that you never would have thought trying before? This is permission. Why don't you try it?"

  8. DC

    [upbeat music] This is Dalton + Michael, and today we're gonna talk about zombie startups. Dalton, tell me, what is a zombie startup?

  9. MS

    Okay, yeah. So this is another one of those where we're gonna kinda use our own internal lingo that we've been using for a long time.

  10. DC

    Yes.

  11. MS

    And maybe it'll, it'll resonate with the world, maybe it won't. So a zombie startup is a startup that is not dead.

  12. DC

    Nope.

  13. MS

    Um, like it's, there's money in the bank.

  14. DC

    Yep.

  15. MS

    Like, they're making payroll.

  16. DC

    Yep.

  17. MS

    They have revenue, they have customers.

  18. DC

    Yes.

  19. MS

    Um, but it's not really growing.

  20. DC

    Not growing quickly, no.

  21. MS

    It might be growing a little bit-

  22. DC

    Yeah

  23. MS

    ... but it's not growing fast.

  24. DC

    Yep.

  25. MS

    And so it's not living per se.

  26. DC

    Yes.

  27. MS

    It's in a s- interesting state between living and dying.

  28. DC

    Yeah.

  29. MS

    Um, hence the name zombie. Usually the mentality of a zombie startup is different than a super fast growing one.

  30. DC

    Mm-hmm.

Episode duration: 17:35

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