Nearly all of the company founders surveyed

 "Nearly all of the company founders surveyed - 98 percent - ranked prior work experience as an important success factor, and 58 percent ranked it as extremely important." This seems obvious, but it's surprising (some might say alarming) how many people start businesses without any relevant prior experience. I have known people who were laid off from their jobs and felt forced into entrepreneurship and then failed because they had no models for success. That doesn't mean people with no applicable experience shouldn't become entrepreneurs.