The reason bitshares isn't well known and isn't growing rapidly is because of lack of marketing.
The reason most businesses fail is because a lack of marketing.
Bitshares doesn't need tech geeks, crypto investors or developers opinions about marketing, bitshares needs professional marketing. Period. I see this time and time again with failed businesses, failed products, failed events and failed services all over the place. To ignore marketing is the biggest mistake a project can make.
Build it and they will come attitudes are just asking for stagnation and failure. They will not come unless it's marketed.
To be really fair though... Bitshares has plenty of marketing, but it could use more.
I think we (people in the crypto space) are too close to the space to really see it. Outside of the space nobody really has a clue what Bitshares is.