--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like most company failures, it had…" description: "\"“Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and then all at once. A”\" — Doree Shafrir" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg" --- # Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and… ![“Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and then all at once. A” quote by Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg) > ““Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and then all at once. A”” [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Company failures often begin subtly, then accelerate dramatically, illustrating the danger of ignoring early warning signs. **In simple terms:** Failures start slow, then explode. Key Takeaway Watch early signs to prevent collapse. Themes business failure warning signs Mood cautious analytical Type business motivational When to use this quote - startup leadership - project management - financial planning Key Concepts organizational behavior risk management Questions to Reflect On - What early signs are you overlooking? - How can you balance vigilance with action? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on early signs can cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company-failures-3305230/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures/) [Failures Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failures-happened-2616852/) [Happened Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happened-slowly-2799751/) [Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slowly/) ## Related quotes > [When I moved to India, with all due respect, in the last 10 years I have been here, I have seen my biggest failures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-kundra/when-i-moved-to-india-with-all-due-respect-in-the-last-10-years-i/) [Raj Kundra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-kundra/) > [Chicago happened slowly, like a migraine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/chicago-happened-slowly-like-a-migraine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I've certainly learnt there's nothing more important than cash - cash flow issues are one of the biggest causes of company failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jones/i-ve-certainly-learnt-there-s-nothing-more-important-than-cash-cash/) [Peter Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jones/) > [I've got to where I've always wanted to be. I just feel more myself, and I've learned not to care what other people think.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-faithfull/i-ve-got-to-where-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be-i-just-feel-more-myself/) [Marianne Faithfull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-faithfull/) > [Chicago happened slowly, like a migraine. First they were driving through countryside, then, imperceptibly, the occasional town became a low suburban sprawl, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/chicago-happened-slowly-like-a-migraine-first-they-were-driving/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“The leaving happened slowly, gradually, as these things do, and before we knew it, we were lost to each other, as if a magician…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stern/the-leaving-happened-slowly-gradually-as-these-things-do-and-before/) [Kathryn Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stern/) > [“With a business, we take most failures less personally and understand they’re part of the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/with-a-business-we-take-most-failures-less-personally-and-understand/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [In life, there are only lessons, no failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/in-life-there-are-only-lessons-no-failures/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [There's a spectrum of those moments of connection and the moments we fail to connect, going from super-large successes to failures. Success would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/there-s-a-spectrum-of-those-moments-of-connection-and-the-moments-we/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) > [Failures are inevitable. Unfortunately, in film they live for ever and they're 40 ft wide and 20 ft high.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-ford/failures-are-inevitable-unfortunately-in-film-they-live-for-ever-and/) [Harrison Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-ford/) > [President Obama's achievements and failures must be evaluated by comparison to those chief executives who have come before him and not be measured against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-garrow/president-obama-s-achievements-and-failures-must-be-evaluated-by/) [David Garrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-garrow/) > [Global poverty is the product of reversible policy failures overseen by politicians, past and present. The poorest of the poor don't vote in American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-evans/global-poverty-is-the-product-of-reversible-policy-failures-overseen/) [Hugh Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-evans/) > [Haste in every business brings failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/haste-in-every-business-brings-failures/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [The 'Okay-I'll-give-it-a-try-but-I-don't-think-it-will-work' attitude produces failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-joseph-schwartz/the-okay-i-ll-give-it-a-try-but-i-don-t-think-it-will-work-attitude/) [David Joseph Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-joseph-schwartz/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) ## More by Doree Shafrir > [“So Mack got kind of a late start in the startup world—he founded TakeOff at the ripe old age of twenty-five”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/so-mack-got-kind-of-a-late-start-in-the-startup-world-he-founded/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“In its place had arisen a Promised Land of Duane Reades and Chase ATMs on every corner, luxury doorman buildings, Pilates studios and spin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/in-its-place-had-arisen-a-promised-land-of-duane-reades-and-chase/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“He was out of a job because his company, StrollUp—“like Uber for strollers,” she’d heard him say approximately five thousand times—had gone out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/he-was-out-of-a-job-because-his-company-strollup-like-uber-for/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“They were all in agreement that adulthood could, and should, be fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/they-were-all-in-agreement-that-adulthood-could-and-should-be-fun/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“The need for approval from Twitter users was something that her younger self probably would have sneered at, but now she saw it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/the-need-for-approval-from-twitter-users-was-something-that-her/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“She gestured with her head toward Andrew. “You know how they are. I’m basically invisible right now.” Katya wasn’t totally sure who they meant—startup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/she-gestured-with-her-head-toward-andrew-you-know-how-they-are-i-m/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“Nighttime Twitter was different from daytime Twitter only in that the content shifted from people in her timeline making dumb jokes about tech news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/nighttime-twitter-was-different-from-daytime-twitter-only-in-that-the/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“Couldn’t thirty-nine-year-olds just be old and tired and not talk about it constantly? Having”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/couldn-t-thirty-nine-year-olds-just-be-old-and-tired-and-not-talk/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“The stakes were just higher for her. She couldn’t afford to lose this story. She couldn’t afford to lose this job. People like Teddy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/the-stakes-were-just-higher-for-her-she-couldn-t-afford-to-lose-this/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“She also felt like there was something slightly more insidious going on, about how you were now supposed to feel like your work was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/she-also-felt-like-there-was-something-slightly-more-insidious-going/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“She usually operated under the assumption that quantity tended to beget not only quality, but also traffic. The more you wrote, the more you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/she-usually-operated-under-the-assumption-that-quantity-tended-to/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“Every so often she’d see a reporter complaining on Twitter about how far the quality of journalism had tumbled, thanks to the internet, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/every-so-often-she-d-see-a-reporter-complaining-on-twitter-about-how/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“Mack considered his ears his secret weapon in that they made him just slightly unattractive, a characteristic that he found made him irresistibly disarming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/mack-considered-his-ears-his-secret-weapon-in-that-they-made-him-just/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“It wasn’t who I wanted to be anymore. Where did Isabel Taylor get the idea that identity was so malleable? Not that Katya wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/it-wasn-t-who-i-wanted-to-be-anymore-where-did-isabel-taylor-get-the/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) > [“It was probably that YouTube compilation of dog Snapchats that everyone had been tweeting about for the last four minutes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/it-was-probably-that-youtube-compilation-of-dog-snapchats-that/) [Doree Shafrir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) [Explore all 21 Doree Shafrir quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/) ## More Business quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/) [Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and then all at once. A”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Doree Shafrir" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/like-most-company-failures-it-had-happened-slowly-and-then-all-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/like-most-company-failures-it-had-happened-slowly-and-then-all-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/doree-shafrir-26507_business_like-most-company-failures-it-had-happen_2840601.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Like most company failures, it had happened slowly and then all at once. A” — Doree Shafrir", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Doree Shafrir", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doree-shafrir/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Like most company failures, it had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/like-most-company-failures-it-had-happened-slowly-and-then-all-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doree-shafrir/like-most-company-failures-it-had-happened-slowly-and-then-all-at/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```