As we are starting to review the data from our annual SaaS benchmarking survey, I had a chance to reflect on the results from last year. One data point stood out to me: the average growth rate for early stage startups fell dramatically, from 100% YoY down to only 64%. That data point seemed counterintuitive. After all, it has seemingly never been easier to launch a SaaS company, there are so many resources now available to SaaS founders and we’re seeing valuation expectations continuing to rise. Why are so many companies struggling to break through (and what can they do about it)? Here's how I’ve been thinking about it.