Description
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAuthor's Note xi
Phase One Start-Up 1
1. Lesson #1: To Successfully Launch a Start-Up, There Must Be a Benevolent Dictator 3
2. Lesson #2: The Best Ideas Can Come from What's Right in Front of Your Nose 11
3. Lesson #3: How to Find the Money to Make Big Money 18
4. Lesson #4: Once an Entrepreneur, Always an Entrepreneur 22
5. Lesson #5: It's Better to Be Lucky Than Just Good 25
6. Lesson #6: "GOYA"--The Only Way to Really Test an Idea 29
7. Lesson #7: Don't Underestimate the Power of Focus, Discipline, and Follow-Up 35
8. Lesson #8: Competition Stinks 39
Phase Two Build Out and Put the Idea to the Test 43
9. Lesson #9: Business Is a Series of "Go" and "No-Go" Decisions 45
10. Lesson #10: Treat an Idea Like Clay 53
11. Lesson #11: Always Be Prepared with Plan B . . . And Sometimes C and D 59
12. Lesson #12: You'll Never Reach Critical Goals without a Definitive Timetable 66
13. Lesson #13: Never Be as Weak as Your Weakest Link 70
14. Lesson #14: Raising Additional Capital Requires Creating Demand 74
15. Lesson #15: Everything You Wanted to Know about the "D" Word but Were Afraid to Ask 82
16. Lesson #16: Managing People Is about Achieving Objectives through Others 87
17. Lesson #17: Good Intentions Will Get You Only So Far 95
18. Lesson #18: Don't Open the Doors until the Start-Up Passes the Smell Test--And Don't Be Afraid to Call Time-Out Just to Be Sure 101
Phase Three Constant Reinvention 107
19. Lesson #19: Pot Stirring 101--The Key to Continuous Reinvention 109
20. Lesson #20: Is Perception Reality? How to Manage Risk, Take Chances, and Remain Standing 115
21. Lesson #21: How to Keep Lethargy at Bay . . . Or Why Time Is Your Most Precious Resource 122
22. Lesson #22: How to Avoid Analysis Paralysis by Learning When to Make "Battlefield" Decisions 128
23. Lesson #23: Don't Drink Your Own Bathwater--You Could Choke 135
24. Lesson #24: When the Wolf's at the Door, What You Do Can Make the Difference between Living to Fight Another Day and Going Down for the Count 140
25. Lesson #25: Using the "Mother Rule" Can Help You Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes 148
26. Lesson #26: When Communicating, Cut to the Chase 153
27. Lesson #27: Survival Math--Business Is Not a Zero-Sum Game 160
28. Lesson #28: Manage by the Three Ps--Persistence, Perspiration, and Performance 165
29. Lesson #29: You Can't Live with "Em--How to Manage Prima Donnas, Employees Who Think It's Not Their Job," and the Perfectionists 170
30. Lesson #30: The Golden Rule of Trust and Respect: You've Got to Give to Get 175
31. Lesson #31: Why You Must Look at Business through the Customer's Eyes, Not Just from an Operator's Perspective 182
32. Lesson #32: When It's Time to Pull the Trigger and Fire a Customer or a Vendor 188
33. Lesson #33: Spurring Growth--How to Eat an Elephant One Bite at a Time 194
34. Lesson #34: If You Don't Like the Competition . . . Buy Them If You Can 199
35. Lesson #35: The Easiest Path to Hypergrowth Is with Other People's Money 204
36. Lesson #36: Beating the Competition Requires That You Know More about Their Vulnerabilities Than They Know about Themselves . . . And Knowing Yourself Better Than They Know You 210
37. Lesson #37: If You Negotiate with Yourself, You Have a Fool for an Opponent 217
Phase Four The Payday 223
38. Lesson #38: Payday . . . And Lessons from the IPO Road Show 225
39. Lesson #39: If the Flame Starts Flickering: How to Tell If the Fat Lady Is About to Sing 234
40. Lesson #40: How to Put Lightning Back in the Bottle Again and Again--Many Entrepreneurs Are Serial Entrepreneurs 242
Epilogue 253
Index 255
