Book description
25 Steps to Found and Scale a High-Growth BusinessThe Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start. You'll learn the ins and outs of startup execution, management, legal issues, and practical processes throughout the launch and growth phases, and how to avoid the critical missteps that threaten the foundation of your business. Instead of simply referring you to experts, this discussion shows you exactly which experts you need, what exactly you need them to do, and which tools you will use to support them—and you'll gain enough insight to ask smart questions that help you get your money's worth. If you're ready to do big things, this book has you covered from the first business card to the eventual exit.
Over two thirds of startups are built on creaky foundations, and over two thirds of startup costs go directly toward cleaning up legal and practical problems caused by an incomplete or improper start. This book helps you sidestep the messy and expensive clean up process by giving you the specific actions you need to take right from the very beginning.
- Understand the critical intricacies of legally incorporating and running a startup
- Learn which experts you need, and what exactly you need from them
- Make more intelligent decisions independent of your advisors
- Avoid the challenges that threaten to derail great young companies
The typical American startup costs over $30,000 and requires working with over two dozen professionals and service providers before it even opens for business—and the process is so complex that few founders do it correctly. Their startups errors often go unnoticed until the founder tries to seek outside capital, at which point they can cost thousands of dollars to fix. . . or even completely derail an investment. The Startup Checklist helps you avoid these problems and lay a strong foundation, so you can focus on building your business.
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Preface: Why Every Entrepreneur Needs This Book . . . Instead of the Other 93,210 Books on Entrepreneurship
- Introduction: 25 Key Action Steps (Plus One) for Every Entrepreneur
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Part I: Prepare to Launch
- Chapter 1: Translate Your Idea into a Compelling Business Model
- Chapter 2: Craft a Lean Business Plan to Serve as Your Venture's Road Map
- Chapter 3: Find and Know Your Competitors
- Chapter 4: Build Your Dream Team
- Chapter 5: Allocate the Equity in Your Startup
- Chapter 6: Build a Minimum Viable Product and Validate Your Plan with Customers
- Chapter 7: Establish Your Brand with Online Public Profiles
- Chapter 8: Network Effectively Within the Entrepr eneurial Ecosystem
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Part II: Launch and Build Your Company
- Chapter 9: Incorporate Your Company for Protection and Investment
- Chapter 10: “Lawyer Up” the Right Way
- Chapter 11: Recruit Your Boards of Directors and Advisors
- Chapter 12: Select an Accountant and an Accounting System
- Chapter 13: Establish and Manage Your Credit Profile
- Chapter 14: Open Bank, Credit Card, and Merchant Accounts
- Chapter 15: Choosing Your Key Technologies, Platforms, and Vendors
- Chapter 16: Measure Your Business with Data Analytics
- Chapter 17: Round out Your Team with Employees and Freelancers
- Chapter 18: Establish a Stock Option Plan to Incentivize Your Team
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Part III: Raise Funds; Collaborate with Investors; Plan for Your Exit
- Chapter 19: Understand the Funding Process and What Investors Want to See
- Chapter 20: Nurture Your Investor Pipeline
- Chapter 21: Crowdfunding and Online Platforms
- Chapter 22: Survive the Term Sheet Negotiation and Investor Due Diligence
- Chapter 23: Get the Most from Your Investors, Now and in the Future
- Chapter 24: Understand Your Company's Valuation
- Chapter 25: Keep Your Eye on the Exit and Reap the Benefits of Success
- The Startup Checklist Onlinegust.com/checklist
- Appendices
- Acknowledgments
- Index
- End User License Agreement
Product information
- Title: The Startup Checklist
- Author(s):
- Release date: April 2016
- Publisher(s): Wiley
- ISBN: 9781119163794
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