Page 14 - 6 Secrets to Startup Success

Introduction xiii

between passion and entrepreneurship, cheering would-be founders
to follow their dreams. With enough passion, anything seems possi-
ble.

Disenchantment with large employers further fuels startup aspi-
rations. The comic strip Dilbert and the hit TV show The Office are
only two iconic examples of entertainment products poking fun at the
absurdity of corporate life. Pamela Slim, author of the best-selling
book Escape from Cubicle Nation, touched an eon-sized nerve in 2004
when she launched her blog of the same name, aimed at the tens of
millions of people desperate to leave corporate jobs to do their own
thing. Historically, these disgruntled souls have hung in there because
of the relative stability offered by large employers. But this safety net
has vaporized over the past two decades as economic upheavals have
created wave on wave of layoffs. The once-praised security of corpo-
rate America has gone the way of the rotary phone.

Unfortunately, a significant gap exists between this high level of
desire and what entrepreneurs actually achieve. Most new businesses
fail within a few years of launch. Even investor-backed startups—pre-
sumably led by talented founders with better-than-average ideas—
fall short at remarkably high rates. And entrepreneurs who survive
their first few years aren’t necessarily swimming in bliss. The typical
new business owner works longer hours, endures greater stress, and
earns significantly less over a ten-year period than if he or she had re-
mained in a previous job. Clearly, this is not the world of the fabled
4-Hour Workweek.

Why This Book?

The purpose of this book is to dramatically improve your odds of en-
trepreneurial success and enjoyment whether you aim to build a
thousand-person venture or a solo consulting practice. It springs from
my quest to understand what differentiates successful ventures from
the large percentage of startups that disappoint.

In 2007, I set aside my work with large corporate clients to un-

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