Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1156: MOST BUSINESSES FAIL! But here's how the data reveals we can maximize our success chances w/ Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson is on a mission to make data-driven decision-making easy, affordable, and accessible for small businesses. As the founder of PeerView AI, Chris is transforming what was once costly, manual market research into a streamlined, AI-powered service that gives entrepreneurs revenue estimates, competitor benchmarks, and location-specific insights. In this episode, Chris shares how small businesses can finally harness the power of data without needing internal analytics teams or massive budgets. His background in lending and economics offers a unique lens into why most businesses fail—and how we can prevent that.
Whether you’re thinking about launching or already growing your business, this episode will show you how to de-risk your decisions and leverage data like the big players do.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- 🔎 How to benchmark your business—even without your own data
- 📊 Why revenue is a better metric than profit when making strategic decisions
- 🧠 How AI is making “consulting as a service” affordable for small businesses
- 🧩 The #1 mistake founders make when launching in the wrong location or market
- 🚧 Why most failures come from bad assumptions (and how to fix that)
- 🏗️ How to set up your business model using real-world competitor insights
- 📍 The surprising importance of density and micro-location data in business planning
📝 About the Guest
Chris Johnson is the Founder and CEO of PeerView AI, where he is transforming how small businesses access data-driven insights. With a deep background in lending and payments, Chris combines hands-on expertise in credit underwriting with a keen understanding of the complexities of the U.S. small business landscape. Now, with PeerView AI, he’s bringing powerful market intelligence directly to small business owners, helping them level the playing field with data-driven decision-making.
🎯 Chris’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Talk to your customers—constantly. It's the only way to build a product people actually need."
Key takeaways from Chris's advice:
✔ Every pivot or insight starts from real conversations—not assumptions
✔ Don’t just listen to what customers say—watch for patterns in their needs
✔ Whether you're pre-launch or scaling, never stop talking to your market
📢 Memorable Quotes
“Most businesses don’t fail because of execution—they fail because of bad assumptions.” – Chris Johnson
“You don’t need your own data to make smart decisions. You just need the right external insights.” – Chris Johnson
“AI isn’t here to replace jobs—it’s here to make impossible services finally affordable.” – Chris Johnson
💡 Actionable Takeaways
✅ Before launching, benchmark your business idea using competitor revenue data
✅ Don’t strive to be “average”—use industry benchmarks to exceed them
✅ Focus on external market signals, not just your internal gut
✅ Use AI to automate the grunt work of research so you can focus on decisions
🔗 Links & Resources