Why Businesses Fail: ...And The Journey Through Our Irrational Minds

What was the real reason for the failure of South Canterbury Finance and could it have been saved? Was it really the fall in coal prices that sank Solid Energy? Why did Pumpkin Patch collapse? Why do over 2000 small businesses go into liquidation every year in New Zealand? Why did David Ross defraud over $100 million from Kiwis’ life savings in the failure of Ross Asset Management?

Why did the leaders of these businesses make decisions that ultimately saw the demise of the business they led? Why do we all make decisions that we know are not likely to be good for us, whether in business or in life?

To take a journey through the failures of kiwi business requires a journey through all our irrational minds. While failures were caused by factors such as excessive debt, no cash, external forces, weak governance, poor skills, failure to pay taxes and more, all can be linked back to the decisions people did or didn’t make.

This book is backed by the extensive research of leading academics, and interviews with the CEOs, CFOs and board members of failed businesses. It includes discussions with journalists, fraudsters, insolvency experts, lawyers, official information requests and much more. Take a journey through the irrational mind that we all share and see what part that mind plays in the success and failure of business. Share the background and the stories of those at the heart of these failures.

In reading this book you will learn why businesses fail, and what role being human played in the decisions made. Most importantly, you will learn what can be done to be more successful in our business lives.