FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Audience Data: Aspiring Founders Fear Wasting Money More Than Failing
In polling of Adella Pasos’ business-builder audience, 50% named wasting money as their top fear about starting — ahead of picking the wrong idea at 44%. The findings explain why ‘validate first’ is winning.
LOS ANGELES, CA — September 11, 2026 — For decades, conventional wisdom said fear of failure keeps people from starting businesses. New audience polling from business educator Adella Pasos points somewhere more specific: fear of wasting money. In polls of her audience of aspiring and early-stage founders, 50 percent named wasting money as their top fear about starting — with picking the wrong idea close behind at 44 percent.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. Failure is abstract; a drained savings account is not. Pasos’ audience — largely working people considering a first business — aren’t afraid of the identity of failing. They’re afraid of spending $2,000 on a website, an LLC, and inventory for an idea nobody wanted. That fear is rational, and it explains why so many capable people stay parked at the idea stage for years.
The data also explains a broader market shift: the rise of validate-first entrepreneurship. Free and low-cost testing methods — pre-sells, demand checks, zero-dollar pilots — directly attack the actual fear. Pasos has built her entire product philosophy around it, with systems designed to prove an idea works before real money is spent.
For brands, the finding is a targeting insight: the aspiring-founder market responds to risk reduction, not hype. Free tiers, guarantees, and proof beat promises.
“People don’t need more motivation to start,” Pasos says. “They need the risk taken out of starting. Solve for the fear of waste and the floodgates open.”
Explore Adella Pasos’ validate-first systems here:
Watch Business Strategy TV on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/askadella
The findings inform the education Pasos delivers through her show Business Strategy TV, which features free expert advice, growth strategies, tips, trends, and tools to help a business succeed.
BRAND PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONS
Adella Pasos is currently seeking brand partnerships with companies in fintech, market research tools, business insurance, website platforms, AI software, and education services. Businesses whose products reduce startup risk can contact her at https://adellapasos.com or adellapasos@gmail.com.
ABOUT ADELLA PASOS
Adella Pasos is a business educator, author, and marketing strategist focused on the creator economy, entrepreneurship, and modern digital ownership. Her work centers on helping individuals and brands convert influence into sustainable enterprise. She has grown brands from scratch and worked with startups, small businesses, and Fortune 500 corporations. She can be found on IMDB, Instagram, YouTube, and her official website.
MEDIA CONTACT
Global Business PR
West Hollywood, CA
United States
800-390-2302
jessmane@globalbusinesspr.com
https://globalbusinesspr.com
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