Straight Talk for Startups audiobook

With subtitle 100 Insider Rules for Beating the Odds--From Mastering the Fundamentals to Selecting Investors, Fundraising, Managing Boards, and Achieving Liquidity, Randy Komisar has an ambitious goal in writing his new book Straight Talk for Startups and he executes!Komisar is a Silicon Valley veteran (and brilliant) investor. I have already mentioned here his previous books, The Monk and The Riddle and Getting to Plan B, as well as many of his. In his new book, he is trying to give precious advice because "entrepreneurs today don't have the luxury of learning by trail and error." [page xix of the introduction]. The Times They Are A-Changin' and the stakes are just too high...So Komisar gives "the crucial things, like creating two financial plans, not one; hiring part-time epxerts rather than full-time trainees; knowing what to measure and the pitfalls of doing it too early: and the criticality of unit economics and working capital." [Page 1]. I have to admit I was a little surprised with reading the previous sentence, but after discovering the next first rules, Komisar convinced me again.If you do not have any time for reading the book, which would be a real pity, at least have a look at his 100 rules. Here are the first 28 form his Part 1 - Mastering the fundamentals:#1: starting a venture has never been easier, succeeding has never been harder#2: try to act normal#3: aim for an order-of-magnitude improvement#4: start small, but be ambitious#5: most failures result from poor execution, not unsuccessful innovation#6: the best ideas originate with founders who are users#7: don't scale your technology until it works#8: manage with maniacal focus#9: target fast-growing, dynamic markets#10: never hire the second best#11: conduct your hiring as if you were an airline pilot#12: a part-time expert is preferable to a full-time seat filler#13: maage your team like a jazz band#14: instead of a free lunch, provide meaningful work#15: teams of professionals with a common mission make the most attractive investments#16: use your financials to tell your story#17: create two business plans: an execution élan and an aspirational plan#18: know your financial numbers and their interdependencies by heart#19: net income is an opinion,, but cash flow is a fact#20: unit economics tell you whether you have a business#21: manage working capital as if it were your only source of funds#22: exercise the strictest financial discipline#23: always be frugal!#24: to get where you are going, you need to know where you are going#25: measurements comes with pitfalls#26: operational setbacks require swift and deep cutbacks#27: save surprises for birthdays, not for you stakeholders#28: strategic pivots offer silver liningsIt is a great complement to Measure What Matters by John Doerr and the proof (if what was needed) of how great great venture capitalists are...!More to come when I am finished.

A great book for anyone wanting to start their own startup from scratch.It's 100 practical points, all of which are 2-4 pages of content. Perfectly condensed, with enough reading to understand the point before continuing. I wish more business'y books were structured like this.

Interesting book, a must read for people who think about starting a startup.This book is filled with knowledge and lot of rules (100), which contain valuable advice. Sometimes a little hard to read, but still recommended!

A great read for someone who has an idea and is moving along the creation of their Minimum Viable Product. Clear, straight talk for anyone trying to learn the fundamentals of startup creation and fundraising. Will definitely re-read before a new venture.

Need to re-read. if you are not the right CEO, you should replace yourself.

The best guide on starting and building a business

Useful for getting out of startup constipation, along with the second half of Horowitz's Hard Things.Book still does the female pronoun sexism that is typical of silicon valley texts.

Many good practices about angel investing and venture capital.

If you need a business bible for today's very quick paced startup world, this is the book to buy. Read my full review at https://journalingonpaper.com/2018/06...

This book introduces you to a 100 rules on startups. I found it insightful as there are details on finance, funds and management. However, I think it’s a bit lengthy for the material it covers. Picking specific areas and reading on would be a good approach.

Randy Komisar gives unfiltered rules on how to navigate the venture capital environment. I found this book informative and easy to read as an outsider to Silicon Valley.