Must read for Startups
935856
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This book should be an eye-opening read for a start-up with limited funds and resources yet innovative and forward thinking.  Peter's real world examples provide useful information that will assist us in choosing a PR firm going forward.  Thanks for such a great book!
Regards,
Carl Restivo
President
Innovative Toys, Inc.
[...]
1079588
Full disclosure: I worked with Jim at LinkedIn, consider him a friend, and was quoted in the book. So perhaps I have some bias, but I also have the perspective of knowing Jim very well and having discussed many of the book's topics with him over the years.

Jim is brilliant at understanding what is essential in software development, and what is essential in a software startup. He deeply understands what matters. He is exactly on point in what he recommends. His writing is clear and engaging.

Jim covers all of the main considerations for software developers who are in a startup, considering joining a startup, or considering founding a startup. If I could put this book in a time machine and send it to my younger self, I think I'd find myself with another digit or two in my net worth.
565643
I really enjoyed reading this book, not only because of the startup insights it shares, but how it shares it.  It is a small book packed with details and practical advice, though a couple of items pertain only to Silicon Valley and not regions like New England.  It is a must-read for anyone who wants to start a Unicorn.
2377186
I purchased this book from advice from an associate and I'm glad I did. It gives loads of real world small startup information.
1941995
Alejandro's experience-based guide to startup fundraising provides both concrete steps and insights into what captures the interest, imagination AND money specific to "startups".  Let's face it.  At the end of the day a founder needs a checklist of the most important documents, pitch approaches, and team building insights to successfully differentiate their ideas, products and services from the next guy or gal.  If you are a startup founder seeking funding, this is a must read.  As a former founder, small business advisor, and financial planner, I found this to be value packed and relevant.  I have forwarded this on to the startup founders that I currently advise for and we are applying many of the concepts and processes within its pages.  Nice work!
614007
Startup Stories: Lessons Learned From a Startup's Launch, Grind and Growth by Jordan Raynor is an interesting look at what it takes to be an entrepreneur and launch your own business from the ground up. What makes this book so interesting, and what sets it apart, is that is written by someone who has done just that - he has started his own businesses and grown them into multi - million dollar corporation. In fact, he uses one of his own startup companies as a case study throughout the book, so you can see his strategies in action.
Raynor begins by discussing launching your own business, emphasising how to deal with problems stay focused and choose a partner and be flexible. He the moves onto part two: the Grind. This is where he walks you through the nitty gritty of what the reality is like once you've got that business up and running. Finally he discusses the growth phase of your, now not so new business, explaining how to move to the next level.
This is a great read for anyone who is considering starting up their own company and who wants to hear about the experience of someone who has been there, done that.
2563912
The last startup i did i divided the founder equity up evenly, then i put in my own money at a valuation that was basically meaningless.  In starting my next venture, I did not want to go out and spend a bunch of cash and I was searching for a way to do it more effectively this time. I had started to come up with some ideas in my head when i tripped across this book doing my google searches.  It was EXACTLY what i had in mind and it has saved me so much time and agony, which of course equals MONEY.  I have an MBA in Entrepreneurship and i've started 6 businesses, mostly with successful exits, and one was venture backed, so i would like to think I know what i'm talking about.

The great thing about this book is you have all the hard conversations up front, and after that, it's up to your team to decide how hard they want to work and how much they'll get for it.  So far, so good.

Great Job Mike! The supporting tools are also great.. Highly recommend....
2238748
If you are thinking about creating a tech startup, are currently involved in an early stage tech startup, or advising one, this is a FANTASTIC resource. Read it. Use it. Ask your friends read it.

Why? It has actionable information for early stage startups. For example, it includes goals, outlines, and example questions for interviews at each stage of customer development.

I will be recommending this book to all the startups I advise, and all pitching companies and the larger startup community at our local New Tech (startup pitch night) events.
3877702
This is a truly amazing must read for any who wants to start a company, work in a start-up, or is already apart of a small company. I love the format, it takes complex subject matter and makes easy to understand and memorable. "Mary decided to share these pieces of wisdom in Straight from the Investors Mouth. Each one liner is followed by a story, exemplifying the one liner, and then the takeaway lesson for entrepreneurs." I am sure I'll refer to this book and reread it many times during my professional career.
3198347
Great informative book on how to raise money for your startup or any business. Highly recommended for anyone looking to start a new business or existing business owners. Also check out Julien Meyers Startup Financial News podcast for more startup news and advice.
3750234
Introduces and through great examples explains the lean startup methodology.

Should be used as a practical guide for startups and all early stage entrepreneurs.
4477745
Saved me from my own self and future headaches. This book should be the very first thing tech entrepreneurs show read. Forget all those blog posts and articles because this real applicable advice and strategy.

Guy Kawasaki goes through every detail of starting a business and leaves no stone unturned. Write notes, highlight it and create your game plan.
736798
I've been an entrepreneur for the past 4 years now. There is a lot I'm this book that succinctly states what many of us feel and go through daily. There are a lot of amazing lessons in this book from a person who has been there and lived the life we live. I would highly recommend his book to anyone. Not just entrepreneurs to learn lessons and validate their struggles and see that they aren't alone, but to people who know entrepreneurs or are considering doing it themselves. His type of insight and explanation will help you more easily navigate what may come in startup life.
1924056
The first rule of running a high-flying technology startup (even if just in your head) is that you don't talk about all the crazy roadblocks, personnel conflicts, slipped timelines, and a the ticking timebomb that is your dwindling bank account. Instead, as a founder / CEO you are to project certainty and paint rosy pictures of where the company is heading. Sounds familiar, right? Well, Ben delivers a great expose on this whole process: chances are everything is always about to fall apart, nobody knows the answer, there is no management manual for startups, and it takes a special kind of creativity and self-delusion to make it all happen. In short, it's a fun read!

As the author puts it, the hard thing about hard things is that there is no definitive answer to them. The book recounts his personal experience of growing a tech startup in the late 90's, from inception to IPO and finally a sale to HP ($1.6B), and the many lessons learned along the way.

A must read for any entrepreneur. Just don't expect this to be a "management manual" or a "CEO cookbook" - it's not.
2718111
Love this book. It lays out the exact blue print on how you need to be lay out your plans for the future and then reverse engineer your how. It's a step that a lot of entrepreneurs don't think through and I strongly believe that everyone needs to read this and follow the blueprint if you're the founder of a company. Cameron's done a great job.
3620072
This book is amazing, no wait, this book is freaking amazing. I really enjoyed reading the stories direct from the founders and startups, rather than the romanticized version TechCrunch and Mashable seem to spew. I highly recommend anyone thinking of launching a startup or in the process of running one to read this book. Why waste time and make mistakes these others write about so clearly? My personal favorite part was the tagging the author used. These tags such as "bootstrapped" or "YCombinator" allow the reader to quickly find a relevant story. While I do think you should read the entire book (lots of great information) its nice of the author to allow the reader to jump to a specific topic.

Now that i've finished reading the book I am actually retooling my own startup, based on the guidance that the founders of Grooveshark, GitHub and Wufoo provided.
3018958
Fantastic book!  The author is an excellent writer and it was actually very helpful in obtaining funding. I would highly recommend this book to anybody who has a tech startup.  It has lots of "how-to" and "how-not-to" advice based on his own experience.  On top of that, it gave me some much needed laughter.