Scrappy Startups


Book Description

Fifteen successful female entrepreneurs tell their stories—stories that will inspire other women to follow through on their dreams of starting a business. In Scrappy Startups: How 15 Ordinary Women Turned Their Unique Ideas into Profitable Businesses, acclaimed author and highly successful career coach Melanie Keveles presents the stories women looking to start their own businesses need to hear—stories of women just like them who realized their entrepreneurial dreams while discovering their own greater creative capacities. Scrappy Startups is more than a book—it is mentorship in print—in which highly successful women entrepreneurs share their best advice in an utterly inspiring way. Representing a wide range of business fields, with enterprises ranging in age from newly begun to a couple of decades old, these women explain their thinking, their alliances, and the singular creative impulses that led to a viable and meaningful commercial endeavor. As presented here, each woman represents a part of the "Dream, Courage, Action" model that Melanie Keveles developed to demonstrate the process of bringing an idea to fruition.




Why Startups Fail


Book Description

If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.




Startup Communities


Book Description

First published in 2012, Startup Communities became a blueprint for what it takes to build a supportive entrepreneurial community. Now regarded as a classic, the "Boulder Thesis" created and popularized by Feld within the book generated enormous media attention nearly a decade ago. At that time, Boulder was an emerging startup laboratory—a hub of innovation building new tech businesses. It quickly accelerated into a world class ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Boulder's entrepreneurial density, combined with the geographic concentration of entrepreneurial activity around the Boulder downtown core, made it a hotbed of startup activity. Feld was and is still there, as a keen observer and one of its leaders. As he notes simply in the new edition, humans are wired to start things. In a sense, that short Feld-ism accurately describes the startup revolution still taking hold throughout the world. Boulder is proof that innovation can happen anywhere, in any city. Thanks in part to the book, what happens in Boulder now leaves Boulder. Rapidly growing startup communities in Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, Nashville, and Indianapolis are just a few examples. Over the last decade, Feld has dispelled the myth that startups can only thrive in Silicon Valley. Startup communities continue to pop up across the U.S. and around the world, prompting fresh new revelations and stories from Feld about what's happened over the last decade. Startup Communities 2e describes what makes a startup community ecosystem first click, then hum, and in time, excel. From Boulder to Beijing and beyond, entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation. Startup Communities 2e discusses and the necessary dynamics and pre-conditions of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off each other's talent, creativity, and support. In Startup Communities 2e, Feld will help you understand: The core principles of a vibrant startup community, re-examining his Boulder Thesis and exploring other historical frameworks. The attributes of leadership in a startup community that can help it thrive along with the classical problems any community will face during development. The importance of a university in a startup community, and how large companies can engage effectively with entrepreneurs. The importance of continuous improvement so growth does not stagnate. The common myths about startup communities. The opportunities to build startup communities in non-urban, or rural, places that are much less populated.




Get Scrappy


Book Description

Marketing is changing rapidly, so sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Don’t get frustrated, get scrappy. It’s an exciting time to be in marketing, with an array of equalizing platforms from the Internet to social media to content marketing, that have reset the playing field for businesses large and small. Yet, it's also a challenging time, with much work to do and an ever-changing array of platforms, features, and networks to master--all on tighter budgets than ever before. In Get Scrappy, chief brand strategist Nick Westergaard weaves hacks, tips, and idea starters together to provide a plan of attack for businesses of any size to: Demystify digital marketing in a way that makes sense for your business Do more with less Build a strong brand with something to say Create relevant and engaging content for your social media platforms Spark dialogue with your community of customers Measure what matter The result will be a reliable, repeatable system for building your brand, creating engaging content, and growing your community of customers. Don’t wait for marketing to reinvent itself. Instead, proactively reinvent your company’s marketing to maximize its reach!




The Soul of Startups


Book Description

Discover how a founder’s personality can impact the culture of a startup In The Soul of Startups: The Untold Stories of How Founders Affect Culture, award-winning HR and diversity and inclusion professional Sophie Theen delivers an insightful and eye-opening discussion of the importance of culture in the vibrant and, sometimes, chaotic world of startup enterprise. In the book, you’ll hear from a people management expert who has sat alongside those who launch exciting new ventures. The author describes company founders who lacked the emotional maturity and intelligence to start an organization on which an entire team would rely for their wellbeing, as well as those who excelled at creating environments that allowed their team members to thrive, personally and professionally. You’ll also find: Unvarnished truths from people who have lived through the ups and downs of the startup experience Celebrations of the people who have worked for—and with—the celebrity CEOs to help them realize their vision Illuminating stories of the journeys of startup operators, including the good, the bad, and the ugly A can’t-miss resource for company founders, entrepreneurs, managers, executives, and startup professionals, The Soul of Startups also belongs in the libraries of human resources and people management professionals seeking unique insights into how the personalities of startup founders shape the structures, processes, and realities of working in a fast-growing company.




Startup Mixology


Book Description

Shake up the market with these key ingredients to a successful startup Entrepreneurship starts with an idea and a dream: a dream of a better world for others, and a life less ordinary for yourself. These days, more people than ever are full of world-changing ideas and, thanks to technology, have the means to bring them to life. But many ideas remain just ideas, and many dreams just dreams. Startup Mixology is first and foremost a book about turning your ideas into action. From the cofounder of media company Tech Cocktail, a veteran entrepreneur and investor who was named one of the most connected people in tech, this book covers the basic "ingredients" of winning entrepreneurship. No abstract theories here — it shows you how to tackle everything from idea generation to launch to marketing to funding and how to start getting things done. Once you've taken that first step, the journey has only begun. Startup Mixology tells it like it is — and it's not easy! You'll learn about the harsh reality of starting up: what happens when you offend your customers, get no attention, or run out of money. These are the stories you don't always hear in the media. In the end, Startup Mixology is an optimistic book. You can do this — and you can have fun doing it, too. Every chapter also shows you how to enjoy the journey along the way - because if you don't, what's the point of it all? From cake baking to workations to llama parades, you'll learn how entrepreneurs around the world stay sane, reduce stress, and celebrate the positive. This may seem fluffy, but it's actually one of the biggest secrets of successful startups. Inside, you'll find the stories of companies like MakerBot, WordPress, Zappos, Basecamp, Uber, and more. Hear in their own words how they survived the startup phase, and learn from the straightforward and conversational Frank Gruber, who has met thousands of entrepreneurs and watched them grow their businesses. In many ways, entrepreneurship will be the most difficult undertaking of your career. But if you can find the right balance of hard work, support, and celebration, it can also be the most rewarding. Startup Mixology takes you through the whole process from start to finish, so you can begin the incomparable journey of turning your great ideas into great startups.




Behind the Startup


Book Description

This systematic analysis of everyday life inside a tech startup dissects the logic of venture capital and its consequences for entrepreneurs, workers, and societies. In recent years, dreams about our technological future have soured as digital platforms have undermined privacy, eroded labor rights, and weakened democratic discourse. In light of the negative consequences of innovation, some blame harmful algorithms or greedy CEOs. Behind the Startup focuses instead on the role of capital and the influence of financiers. Drawing on nineteen months of participant-observation research inside a successful Silicon Valley startup, this book examines how the company was organized to meet the needs of the venture capital investors who funded it. Investors push startups to scale as quickly as possible to inflate the value of their asset. Benjamin Shestakofsky shows how these demands create organizational problems that managers solve by combining high-tech systems with low-wage human labor. With its focus on the financialization of innovation, Behind the Startup explains how the gains generated by these companies are funneled into the pockets of a small cadre of elite investors and entrepreneurs. To promote innovation that benefits the many rather than the few, Shestakofsky compellingly argues that we must focus less on fixing the technology and more on changing the financial infrastructure that supports it.




The Hardware Startup


Book Description

Thanks to the decreasing cost of prototyping, it's more feasible for professional makers and first-time entrepreneurs to launch a hardware startup. But exactly how do you go about it? This book provides the roadmap and best practices you need for turning a product idea into a full-fledged business. Written by three experts from the field, The Hardware Startup takes you from idea validation to launch, complete with practical strategies for funding, market research, branding, prototyping, manufacturing, and distribution. Two dozen case studies of real-world startups illustrate possible successes and failures at every stage of the process. Validate your idea by learning the needs of potential users Develop branding, marketing, and sales strategies early on Form relationships with the right investment partners Prototype early and often to ensure you're on the right path Understand processes and pitfalls of manufacturing at scale Jumpstart your business with the help of an accelerator Learn strategies for pricing, marketing, and distribution Be aware of the legal issues your new company may face




Leading Yourself


Book Description

Create the work experience you want in the less-than-perfect job you already have. In Leading Yourself, celebrated workplace thought leader Elizabeth Lotardo delivers an engaging guide to owning and elevating your work experience. With tips, watchouts, and funny stories, Leading Yourself will give you the encouragement and tactics to up-level your career, even if you aren't in your dream job. You'll learn to manage your self-talk, find meaning in the mundane, optimize your time at work, and build relationships with the people who matter. Lotardo, a wildly popular LinkedIn Learning Instructor, shares key behaviors and habits that will transform the way you experience your job and unlock opportunities for career growth. You'll discover: Strategies to overcome self-doubt, embrace change, and navigate uncertainty Talk tracks for handling difficult bosses, like micromanagers, know-it-alls, and leaders who constantly change their mind How to avoid the awkwardness of giving and receiving feedback and what to do when the feedback is wrong Tips for preserving your own reputation when other people don't deliver (or if your company majorly messes up) Frameworks for evaluating and making your next career move Leading Yourself puts the power back in your hands. Even if you work for a fallible boss or imperfect organization, you can change the way you experience your job. An indispensable guide to self-leadership for aspiring and current managers, executives, directors, and other business leaders, Leading Yourself is the roadmap you've been waiting for.




Startup CXO


Book Description

One of the greatest challenges for startup teams is scaling because usually there's not a blueprint to follow, people are learning their function as they go, and everyone is wearing multiple hats. There can be lots of trial and error, lots of missteps, and lots of valuable time and money squandered as companies scale. Matt Blumberg and his team understand the scaling challenges—they've been there, and it took them nearly 20 years to scale and achieve a successful exit. Along the way they learned what worked and what didn’t work, and they share their lessons learned in Startup CXO. Unlike other business books, Startup CXO is designed to help each functional leader understand how their function scales, what to anticipate as they scale, and what things to avoid. Beyond providing function-specific advice, tools, and tactics, Startup CXO is a resource for each team member to learn about the other functions, understand other functional challenges, and get greater clarity on how to collaborate effectively with the other functional leads. CEOs, Board members, and investors have a book they can consult to pinpoint areas of weakness and learn how to turn those into strengths. Startup CXO has in-depth chapters covering the nine most common functions in startups: finance, people, marketing, sales, customers, business development, product, operations, and privacy. Each functional section has a "CEO to CEO Advice" summary from Blumberg on what great looks like for that CXO, signs your CXO isn't scaling, and how to engage with your CXO. Startup CXO also has a section on the future of executive work, fractional and interim roles. Written by leading practitioners in the newly emergent fractional executive world, each function is covered with useful tips on how to be a successful fractional executive as well as what to look for and how to manage fractional executives. Startup CXO is an amazing resource for CEOs but also for functional leaders and professionals at any stage of their career." —Scott Dorsey, Managing Partner, High Alpha