This is a great article. Two key points for consumer oriented startups: it always takes longer and foolproof is hard to do. Key paragraphs: [T]wo other key cha

This is a great article. Two key points for consumer oriented startups: it always takes longer and foolproof is hard to do. Key paragraphs: [T]wo other key characteristics of the successful entrepreneur: persistence and perfectionism. Mr Bissonette had expected to have the new product on the market within a year to 18 months. In the end, it took four years. Experience had taught Mr Bissonette that “when you launch a new category, you make one mistake and it could be your last chance.” So each new version of AeroGrow's kitchen garden was tested to destruction with people whose fingers were anything but green. “We kept building the best system we could, watched how people would kill their plants, and changed it so they couldn’t kill their plants that way any more,” says John Thompson, AeroGrow's marketing director.