The startup equation : a visual guidebook for building your startup

508 Pages·2016·29.81 MB·English

by  Fisher

Copyright © 2016 by Steven Fisher and Ja-Naé Duane. All rights reserved.
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This book is dedicated to Ja-Naé.
She is on the cover with me but is really the reason this book is written
and in your hands. She is my wife, my life, my best friend. And from my
two page wedding vows, I reaffirm to always be your partner in fun
and adventure, your lover, your sounding board, your co-pilot, your sous
chef, your copyeditor, and your best friend. And to always flush the
toilet and remember to put the seat down when I am done.
Love you, babe.
Steve Love you too.
Ja-Naé In Memory of Karl Baehr
A Teacher, A Mentor, A Friend. And yes. Profit is good.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Our Story
SECTION 1
DISCOVERING THE EQUATION
1. The Age of YOU: The Entrepreneur
The Next Billion Entrepreneurs
Create or Die
The New Industrial Revolution
Choose Your Own Startup Adventure
2. The Rise of the Startup Economy
The New Startup Economy
A Tale of Two Cities: Savannah and Boulder
What Makes a Great Startup Economy?
Where is the Best Startup Economy for Your Business?
3. The Six Forces of Change
Force #1: The Anywhere, Liquid Workforce
Force #2: The New Work Order—Connected, Collaborative, Creative
Force #3: The Connected and Engaged Customer
Force #4: The Era of the Maker
Force #5: The Sharing Economy
Force #6: The New Creative Economy
Applying the Six Forces to Your Startup
4. The Startup Equation
The Equation Structure
Building the Foundation
Crafting the Equation
Growing the Dream
The Periodic Table for Startups
This is a Living Diagram
SECTION 2
BUILDING THE FOUNDATION
5. The Entrepreneur’s Journey
Building a Great Entrepreneur
Finding the Leader Within
Entrepreneurs, Know Thyself
No MBA Required
Plan to Succeed, Not Win
Getting Ready …
6. The Big Idea
What’s The Big Idea?
Generate Ideas with Brainstorming
Communicate Ideas Through Sketching
Utilize Collaboration to Build
Focus on the Right Opportunity
Getting Ready …
7. Strength in Agility
Living the Lean Startup Life
Discovering Your BASE Business Model
Thoughts on Financial Models
Building Your Minimum Viable Product
Vision Without Execution is Just Bullshit
The Art of the Pivot
Getting Ready …
SECTION 3
CRAFTING THE EXPERIENCE
8. Culture of Wow
Culture Starts with the Person at the Top
Finding the Right Culture Mix
Creating the Right Cultural Balance
Supporting Balance, Preventing Burnout
Closing the Creativity Gap
Leveraging Coworking and Makerspaces
Getting Ready …
9. Rewards of Great Teams
The Single Founder vs Co-Founding Team
How to Find The Right Co-founder
Recruiting the A-Team
Leveraging Great Mentors and Advisors
Building and Leveraging Great Advisory Boards
Crafting a Stellar Board of Directors
Getting Ready …
10. Creating Great Customer Experiences
Everything Starts with the Customer
The Six Disciplines of Great Customer Experiences
Discovering the Customer Journey
Building a Minimum Delightful Product
Customers as Partners
Leveraging Benchmarks, Testing and Customer Insights
Getting Ready …
11. The New Brand Order
Great Brands = Great Experiences
Building a GREAT Brand Takes GUTS!
Creating a Brand Identity
Bringing Your Brand to Life
How to Think About Your Brand Affinity
Getting Ready …
SECTION 4
GROWING THE DREAM
12. No Money, No Excuses
Picking a Funding Strategy
Leveling Up With Angels and VCs
The Art of the Pitch
Beyond Investors: Loans, Grants and Cash Flow
Startup Rocket Fuel: Accelerators and Incubators
Getting Ready …
13. Startup Marketing Alchemy
Seeing the Big Picture
Knowing Your Customers
The World’s Shortest Marketing Plan
Startup Marketing Mixology
An Inbound Strategy to Unite Them All
Growth Hacking Your Startup
Getting Ready …
14. ROI of Happy Customers
Building a Sales Engine
Hacking Your Sales Process
Mavericks, Journeymen, Superstars and Trouble
Creating Loyalty with Brand Evangelists and Raving Fans
Getting Ready …
15. Scaling to New Heights
Scaling the Elements
The 3 Ms of Scaling
Jumping the Gun
Building an Engine of Growth
Running on All Cylinders
Getting Ready …
16. Always Be Innovating
Creating a Culture of Innovation
The Rules and Habits of Innovation
Everyone is a Design Thinker
The Art of SMART Innovation
Every Entrepreneur Needs to Be a DEO
Getting Ready …
17. The Exponential Power of the X-Factor
Driven to Succeed
Bouncing Up, Not Bouncing Back
Curiosity Killed the Bad Idea
A Startup State of Mind
Serendipity Not Included
Getting Ready …
SECTION 5
CHARTING THE ADVENTURE
18. Choose Your Own Adventure
One Equation to Rule Them All
The Elements of Startup Success
Two Questions You Must Ask
The SEED Board—Where the Rubber Hits the Road
Build Your Own SEED Board
Your Journey is Just Beginning
Notes