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The Startup Equation: A Visual Guidebook to Building Your Startup

Book Description

Filled with infographics, visuals, and case studies—a vibrant, practical guide to creating a winning business model for any startup

The Startup Equation leads you step by step through the decisions and data to find your perfect startup model. You'll learn how to identify your “entrepreneurial type” and follow the book’s visual roadmap to building your own successful business plan for your unique dream. The book provides the blueprint for not only understanding the startup economy, but the challenges and opportunities for every type of new business.

Steve Fisher is co-founder of the Revolution Factory, a global network that funds, builds, and launching new products. He is also co-founder of The Revolution Institute, a global nonprofit that promotes social good.
Ja-Naé Duane is a speaker, strategist, social scientist, artist, creative economist, and author of How to Start Your Business with $100.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Foreword
  8. Our Story
    1. 1. The Age of YOU: The Entrepreneur
      1. The Next Billion Entrepreneurs
      2. Create or Die
      3. The New Industrial Revolution
      4. Choose Your Own Startup Adventure
    2. 2. The Rise of the Startup Economy
      1. The New Startup Economy
      2. A Tale of Two Cities: Savannah and Boulder
      3. What Makes a Great Startup Economy?
      4. Where is the Best Startup Economy for Your Business?
    3. 3. The Six Forces of Change
      1. Force #1: The Anywhere, Liquid Workforce
      2. Force #2: The New Work Order—Connected, Collaborative, Creative
      3. Force #3: The Connected and Engaged Customer
      4. Force #4: The Era of the Maker
      5. Force #5: The Sharing Economy
      6. Force #6: The New Creative Economy
      7. Applying the Six Forces to Your Startup
    4. 4. The Startup Equation
      1. The Equation Structure
      2. Building the Foundation
      3. Crafting the Equation
      4. Growing the Dream
      5. The Periodic Table for Startups
      6. This is a Living Diagram
    1. 5. The Entrepreneur’s Journey
      1. Building a Great Entrepreneur
      2. Finding the Leader Within
      3. Entrepreneurs, Know Thyself
      4. No MBA Required
      5. Plan to Succeed, Not Win
      6. Getting Ready …
    2. 6. The Big Idea
      1. What’s The Big Idea?
      2. Generate Ideas with Brainstorming
      3. Communicate Ideas Through Sketching
      4. Utilize Collaboration to Build
      5. Focus on the Right Opportunity
      6. Getting Ready …
    3. 7. Strength in Agility
      1. Living the Lean Startup Life
      2. Discovering Your BASE Business Model
      3. Thoughts on Financial Models
      4. Building Your Minimum Viable Product
      5. Vision Without Execution is Just Bullshit
      6. The Art of the Pivot
      7. Getting Ready …
    1. 8. Culture of Wow
      1. Culture Starts with the Person at the Top
      2. Finding the Right Culture Mix
      3. Creating the Right Cultural Balance
      4. Supporting Balance, Preventing Burnout
      5. Closing the Creativity Gap
      6. Leveraging Coworking and Makerspaces
      7. Getting Ready …
    2. 9. Rewards of Great Teams
      1. The Single Founder vs Co-Founding Team
      2. How to Find The Right Co-founder
      3. Recruiting the A-Team
      4. Leveraging Great Mentors and Advisors
      5. Building and Leveraging Great Advisory Boards
      6. Crafting a Stellar Board of Directors
      7. Getting Ready …
    3. 10. Creating Great Customer Experiences
      1. Everything Starts with the Customer
      2. The Six Disciplines of Great Customer Experiences
      3. Discovering the Customer Journey
      4. Building a Minimum Delightful Product
      5. Customers as Partners
      6. Leveraging Benchmarks, Testing and Customer Insights
      7. Getting Ready …
    4. 11. The New Brand Order
      1. Great Brands = Great Experiences
      2. Building a GREAT Brand Takes GUTS!
      3. Creating a Brand Identity
      4. Bringing Your Brand to Life
      5. How to Think About Your Brand Affinity
      6. Getting Ready …
    1. 12. No Money, No Excuses
      1. Picking a Funding Strategy
      2. Leveling Up With Angels and VCs
      3. The Art of the Pitch
      4. Beyond Investors: Loans, Grants and Cash Flow
      5. Startup Rocket Fuel: Accelerators and Incubators
      6. Getting Ready …
    2. 13. Startup Marketing Alchemy
      1. Seeing the Big Picture
      2. Knowing Your Customers
      3. The World’s Shortest Marketing Plan
      4. Startup Marketing Mixology
      5. An Inbound Strategy to Unite Them All
      6. Growth Hacking Your Startup
      7. Getting Ready …
    3. 14. ROI of Happy Customers
      1. Building a Sales Engine
      2. Hacking Your Sales Process
      3. Mavericks, Journeymen, Superstars and Trouble
      4. Creating Loyalty with Brand Evangelists and Raving Fans
      5. Getting Ready …
    4. 15. Scaling to New Heights
      1. Scaling the Elements
      2. The 3 Ms of Scaling
      3. Jumping the Gun
      4. Building an Engine of Growth
      5. Running on All Cylinders
      6. Getting Ready …
    5. 16. Always Be Innovating
      1. Creating a Culture of Innovation
      2. The Rules and Habits of Innovation
      3. Everyone is a Design Thinker
      4. The Art of SMART Innovation
      5. Every Entrepreneur Needs to Be a DEO
      6. Getting Ready …
    6. 17. The Exponential Power of the X-Factor
      1. Driven to Succeed
      2. Bouncing Up, Not Bouncing Back
      3. Curiosity Killed the Bad Idea
      4. A Startup State of Mind
      5. Serendipity Not Included
      6. Getting Ready …
    1. 18. Choose Your Own Adventure
      1. One Equation to Rule Them All
      2. The Elements of Startup Success
      3. Two Questions You Must Ask
      4. The SEED Board—Where the Rubber Hits the Road
      5. Build Your Own SEED Board
      6. Your Journey is Just Beginning
  14. Notes
  15. About the Authors