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Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup Audiobook
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(3.05) - 338 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
It is a cold, hard fact of business life that most startups fail. Even many of those entrepreneurs who ultimately succeed have stories of personal challenges, unsuccessful companies, and difficulties along the way. The founders of TechStars, a mentorship-driven startup accelerator, have worked with entrepreneurs and companies over the past twenty-five years, and have seen a number of the same issues come up again and again. In Do More Faster, the founders of TechStars identify the key issues that first-time entrepreneurs encounter, and offer proven advice from successful entrepreneurs who have worked with the TechStars program. The authors organize the most critical issues into seven themes: Idea and Vision, People, Execution, Product, Fundraising, Legal and Structure, and Work and Life Balance. Many of the examples are personal experiences from the entrepreneurs themselves, integrated into a cohesive narrative—while at the same time able to stand on their own. Throughout the book, they debunk numerous myths about startups and reveal some surprising truths. They explain, for instance, that the core of a startup is not always a world-changing and earth-shattering idea—in fact, it is often the case that successful startups started out doing something else. They also underscore the efficiency of execution: great entrepreneurs know how to synthesize data, make a decision about the path they are going down, and execute. And they offer some alternatives to traditional ways of raising money, while stressing that you shouldn't start with the assumption that you need to raise money. Mastering the seven themes may not ensure success, but understanding the issues, reading the stories, and getting advice pertaining to these issues will increase your chances dramatically. And if nothing else, you'll realize that you aren't alone in facing these challenges.
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"There are some real nuggets in here with advice if you're planning on launching a startup. Some counter intuitive things like going out and sharing your startup idea, some traps you can fall into like feature bloat, and great advice like iterating fast and often. I give this book 4 stars!"
— Richandcreamy (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Remember when experience mattered? Thanks to this book, no matter how new to your field or how young or inexperienced you are, you can learn from people who have actually done it. Sure beats failing.”
— Seth Godin, author of Linchpin -
“When it comes to pragmatic advice—as well as examples highlighting real-world results—Do More Faster is a full-course meal. Brad and David have done a masterful job of simplifying into bite-sized chunks the ingredients that every entrepreneur should consider in channeling their enthusiasm into a real-world approach to building a sustainable business. TechStars has set the standard and shared the formula—now you have to execute.”
— Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president, strategic and emerging business developement, Microsoft -
“If you have an idea and a dream, read Do More Faster! It offers a unique opportunity to hear first- hand what to do (and what not to do) to build and scale your business.”
— Josh Kopleman, managing partner, First Round Capital -
“Having recently launched my fourth startup, I can say without reservation that what Brad and David are doing to promote entrepreneurialism is accelerating the pace of innovation. Additionally, the ideas and examples they reveal in Do More Faster are tangible and valuable lessons for anyone thinking about starting a new business. Their passion, vision, and commitment to the startup community, both through TechStars and their personal mentorship, are unmatched.”
— Pete Sheinbaum, founder and CEO, The Mandelbrot Project, Inc., and former CEO, DailyCandy, Inc. -
“One thing is sure in the tech world: that history repeats itself. The lessons in founding companies are always the same, yet these are rarely passed down from one generation of entrepreneur to the next. Brad and David have done a brilliant job of crystallizing the most important lessons and bringing them to life in the words of the entrepreneurs. Every startup founder should read this book!”
— Vivek Wadhwa, columnist, Bloomberg Businessweek
Do More Faster Listener Reviews
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" Really great advice here. A very practical and easy to read book. "
— René, 2/20/2014 -
" A fascinating compilation of essays written by big-hitting entrepreneurs who been there, made mistakes and gone on to create successful companies again and again. A must read for anyone who wants to start a start-up. Well-written and concise with a dashes of humor and humility. "
— Buckle, 2/18/2014 -
" Some great content in here, but I just don't care the format that much. It seems like some of the stories are rehashed or similar too often. Mostly, it seems to propagate the startup mill mentality. That doesn't seem too concerned with doing valuable things, but rather obsession with starting above all else. "
— Derek, 2/6/2014 -
" A Ron rating of 10! Packed with insight! "
— Ron, 1/10/2014 -
" must read for startups "
— Ken, 1/9/2014 -
" A series of business lessons are taught through other startup entrepreneurs experiences. The authors tout their own company a bit much for my liking, and this book is better for tech start ups, but I did like the mini chapters that made this easy to read. "
— Kelli, 12/14/2013 -
" shot snippets of good advice. great reading. "
— Eduardo, 12/4/2013 -
" Great book for bite-size (or should I say byte-size) reading. As it's a collection of unrelated and thoughtful essays from different angles of startup life, taking it in all at once might be too much to digest. "
— Andrus, 11/26/2013 -
" Surface-level. "
— Pietro, 10/29/2013 -
" This book was a bit too startupy for me. Though, of course, I knew that going in. A few nice takeaways, though. Mostly the idea of taking a week "off the grid" every year as well as other tips to stay sane with desk work. "
— Barry, 9/6/2013 -
" This was a great collection of essays from TechStars participants and mentors. Some really good thoughts in here. Although I do not know if I can do anything faster after reading this I do believe it is worth the read. "
— Tj, 7/29/2013 -
" A must read for any tech startup entrepreneur. Filled with insight from a group that has been in the trenches doing this successfully and the lessons they have learned. "
— Darren, 3/29/2013 -
" Great tips for start-up "
— Aldo, 2/6/2013 -
" Pretty good quick read of startup lessons from various tech company founders. "
— Pat, 10/9/2012 -
" good advice , not original. You can find the same material reading blogs. "
— Leonardo, 6/23/2012 -
" I like the flow of the book, lots of different vantage points from lots of different founders of startups. "
— Phil, 3/21/2012 -
" Very good anecdotal information especially, I imagine, for a first-timer like myself. "
— Brian, 3/19/2012 -
" Mini packets of practical real world storys of startup founders and there lessons learned. Deff worth a read. "
— Tim, 2/20/2012 -
" While this book is a giant advertisement for TechStars, I really like the advice in it. The small shorts by several different people seemed to keep it honest, fun, and a very quick read. "
— Jade, 2/8/2012
About the Authors
David Cohen is the founder and CEO of TechStars, a mentorship-driven seed stage investment program for Internet startups. David was a founder of several software and web technology companies. David was also the founder and CEO of earFeeder.com, a music service which was sold to SonicSwap.com in 2006. David’s hobbies are technology, software/web startups, business history, and tennis. He is married to the coolest girl he’s ever met and has three amazing kids who always seem to be teaching him something new.
Brad Feld has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over twenty years. Prior to cofounding Foundry Group, a Boulder, Colorado-based early-stage venture capital fund that invests in information technology companies all over the United States, he founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate a number of software companies. He is the coauthor of Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist and Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup.
About the Narrators
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.