Table of Contents
Testimonials
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Why This Book is Different
Part 1: The Pursuit
First-Time Entrepreneur Questions: A Baker’s Dozen
10 Questionable Reasons to Become an Entrepreneur
Leap of Faith
Ready
One stumbling block that prevents you from getting started
How do you spot an opportunity?
The opportunity blind spot
YOU are an opportunity
An opportunity a day…
The secret advantage
One important question about opportunities…
The choice that matters
To do or not to do…
Set
Getting to the Start Line
The Legs
What can you do when you don’t belong to a “club?”
Understand the three stages of an idea
Create an opportunity roadmap
How can you become a bigger opportunity?
And, never be a crutch for someone
Create “No Brainers” for the future
Understand the Business Case for Giving away some of your best work for FREE!
Be careful about the startup validation trap
Go!
Stop Romancing the Pitch
What is NOT a right opportunity for you
Identify your strengths
Put your strengths to work to strengthen your opportunities
Every interaction is an opportunity
Opportunity is a two-way street
One important moment in every opportunity
The one thing you can’t ignore
Don’t ignore the indirect competition
Get Your Pitch Right
Keeping the flame alive
Finally, the million dollar question – “Why?”
Sevens for First Startups
7 Dilemmas for First-Time Entrepreneurs
7 Things Going Against You as First-Time Entrepreneurs
7 Blind Spots that Might Hurt First-Time Entrepreneurs
7 Avoidable Mistakes First-Time Entrepreneurs Make
7 Ways Well Meaning Advisors Might Hurt First-Time Entrepreneurs
7 Reasons Why Smart People Fail as Entrepreneurs
7 Things You Can do to Get Support for Your First Startup
7 Core Elements of Your First Startup
7 Steps to Getting Your Startup Story Right
Part 2: The Person
The Knowing-Doing Gap
Making a Case
Winning the Boxing Game
The Marketplace is Hungry
How Are You Showing Up?
It’s Not Easy…
The challenge at hand
Your Background
Your Posture
Your Logic
Your Support Structure
The Art of BRANDTASTIC!
The Foundation
The Preparation
The Execution
Avoiding the Potholes
The Organizational Dilemma: To Be or Not To Be
Getting it All Together
You Can’t Do It Alone
You Can’t Do It Alone
Networking. Not Working?
The Primary Driving Force: What Matters Most
The Framework
Supercharging Your Relationship Building
Don’t Forget the Basics
Questions From the Field
Part 3: The Paths
(In no particular order)
Seth Godin on “The Domino Project”
Ramit Sethi on “I Will Teach You to be Rich”
Dr. Mani Sivasubramaniam on “Following Your heart.”
Satish Dhramaraj on Zimbra
Deborah Collins Stephens on her two ‘Aha Moments’
Ram and Smita on RangDe
David Cohen on TechStars
Ryan Martens on Rally Software and Rally Foundation
