What was life like in the early days of Facebook? How did the company operate when it was just a small startup? Who were this team of misfits that built one of the most powerful tech companies in the world? In How I Lost 170 Million Dollars, Noah Kagan paints a compelling picture of the ups, downs, hard work, wild partying, and fascinating characters that populated the office during his time as Facebook's 30th employee.

    You'll find a collection of the major lessons and shortcuts we've learned that will shift the odds in your favor. We're sharing our tips, secrets, and advice in a frank, founder-to-founder discussion with you.We make no bones about our bias. We're on your side, the founder's side. While venture capitalists, investors, and accelerators/incubators can add great value in the startup ecosystem, this book isn't about their points of view. We'll tell you where our interests as founders diverge from those on the other side of the table--investors, bankers, advisors, board members, and others--and what to do when that happens. The Startup Playbook is not a recipe, it's not a template, it's not a list of tasks to do. It's our insider's guide to starting a company and running it successfully in those critical early months. Between us, we've started over a dozen high-tech software companies and raised over $500 million in investment capital. We've acquired over thirty-five companies, had three of our startups go public, sold six of them, and we made billions of dollars for shareholders. We've also invested in over eighty startups, advised and mentored over two hundred companies and actively worked with venture capitalists (VCs), incubators, and accelerators to help launch many other new startups.We've had plenty of failures, too. And we've probably learned more from those than from the successes. We share those lessons as well. The Startup Playbook is full of our advice, guidance, do's, and don'ts from our years of experience as founders many times. We want to share our hard-earned knowledge with you to make success easier for you to achieve."This book is extraordinarily fresh and exciting. In an accessible, straight talk fashion, this book is a manual, and an inspiration. The Startup Playbook is smart and avoids the 'I am so smart' over-writing endemic to the genre. Read this as it is presented. You'll be doing yourself a tremendous favor."-- Amazon Reviewer

    24 hours later more than R160 billion rand of this fortune was wiped out. The Steinhoff Empire, that took 20 years to build into an international business giant, had crumbled overnight. Markus Jooste, Steinhoff’s flashy CEO, resigned via SMS and has since been fleeing an avalanche of scandals and accusations: luxury homes for a blonde mistress, allegations of fraud, racing horses and unparalleled extravagance, a lavish, black Jaguar for an old university residence… What exactly happened here? Who knew what? What is Steinhoff, who is Markus Jooste and what does it all have to do with the so called Stellenbosch mafia? Where does business tycoon Christo Wiese, Shoprite and Pepkor fit in and where is the pensioners’ money? Well-known financial writer James-Brent Styan unpacks these and other questions in this astounding tale of power and greed, of secrets and deceit, and ultimately the biggest financial breakdown in the history of South Africa. Through interviews with trustworthy sources, revelations from confidential documents and in-depth research about Steinhoff’s history, Styan uncovers what the group doesn’t want you to know. Follow the Money: The story of Steinhoff, Markus Jooste and the Stellenbosch Boys is a gripping financial thriller that will be told as cautionary tale or salacious scandal in both boardrooms and living rooms for decades to come.

    

    It can be the adventure of LIVING. Australia's Simone Milasas is a dynamic business leader with a difference. She is the worldwide coordinator of Access Consciousness (www.accessconsciousness.com), the founder of Good Vibes For You (www.goodvibesforyou.com), and the creative spark that ignited The Joy of Business (www.accessjoyofbusiness.com). "I LOVED reading this book. It has changed so many things for me. I see the places in business where I stuck only one toe in the water rather than choosing the adventure of immersing my whole body and being. I have also become more aware of how to communicate with people whose style of communication is different from mine. Holy moly, that is huge! Thank you, Simone, for reminding me of how differently I do business and that anything is possible-no matter what anyone else says.' -Diva Diaz, Australia.

    Drawing from his own life and business triumphs, Schussler offers would-be entrepreneurs a new way of utilizing creativity to achieve their dreams. Schussler distills his principles for entrepreneurs on a budget, and also reveals the ways in which his lessons-from self-branding to developing strategic partnerships to giving recognition where recognition is due-can work in larger corporations. Just like his famous themed restaurants, Schussler's insights provide entertainment, education, and ample food for thought for all business people aspiring to their next level of success.

    Less meetings, more doing. Passion never fails.Startup Vitamins aims to provide doses of vitalizing support to startups to help them throughout their development. Posters are created to provide inspiration, reminding startups of key aspects to success while also offering a constant stream of other inspirational quotes on their blog. There’s rocket-fuelled insight from the pioneers of the Lean revolution, alongside timeless wisdom from Zuckerberg, Bezos and Jobs. For instance:“It takes time, it’s a grind. There are no shortcuts. You’ve got to grind and grind.” – Mark Cuban“Better to be right about the trend and wrong about the implementation, than the other way around.” – Aaron Levie, Box.net“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs“Most people are searching for a path to success that is both easy and certain. Most paths are neither.” – Seth Godin“Don’t let people tell you your ideas won’t work. If you’re passionate about an idea that’s stuck in your head, find a way to build it so you can prove to yourself that it doesn’t work.” – Dennis Crowley, FoursquareWhenever you’re in search of inspiration and motivation, pick up this book. And then Get Shit Done.

    In this book he goes beyond the nuts and bolts of how it works to a deeper level—crowdfunding not just as a cool way to raise money but as a better way to build and run a business.This book features over forty illustrative examples of crowdfunding campaigns. Some succeeded wildly—like the high-tech cooler designer whose first attempt faltered but whose second raised $13 million. Some were sobering disasters, like the board game maker (not the author!) whose mistakes caused his project to collapse in two months, forcing him to return over $100,000. Stegmaier uses these stories to make points about topics such as preparation, timing, what kind of offers to make and what kind to avoid, what to spend money on and when, and more.But he insists it’s not just about the money—if you follow Stegmaier’s advice, crowdfunding can enable you to build a loyal following before you even have a product. He shows that if you treat your backers as people, not pocketbooks—communicate regularly with them, ask their opinions, attend to their needs—they’ll become advocates as well as funders, exponentially increasing your and your projects’ chances of succeeding.

    Offer people the chance to test your ideas themselves–a “try before you buy” philosophy. People want to believe your ideas, so give them a reason to. Examples include the Nobel-winning scientist no one believed, flesh-eating bananas, and the human-scale principle.

    The professional career path chosen by many people is as plain as daylight and can be predicted many years into the future. But Sonia Golani's book, My Life, My Rules: Stories of 18 Unconventional Careers, catches the imagination of the reader and provides valuable insights into the inconceivable ways a person's career can proceed. It is a collection of eighteen different stories, each featuring an individual who has dared to walk the less-traversed path. Amish, a successful corporate employee, ventures into the risky world of fiction writing. Eventually, his Shiva series becomes so successful that he quits his job and becomes a full-time author. Having graduate degrees from prestigious institutions and a doctorate in environmental toxicology, Rahul Ram chose to become a musician instead and played for the famous 'Indian Ocean' rock band. Such stories in this book challenge the common set of decisions that most people make for their futures. These stories show just how unpredictable life can be.

    Info-marketers gather information and sell it in convenient forms to people who need it. The topics include everything imaginable from better sex, to teaching parrots to talk, to gardening, to investing in real estate, to running businesses. In addition to an easy 9-step process for you to create your own info-business, this book profiles 29 info-marketers, reveals their businesses strategies, marketing materials and business documents so you can have the tools you need to duplicate their success.How a Real Estate Millionaire Gets His Customers to Do the Selling for Him ..... Page 159How One Ex-Salesman, Ex-Law Enforcement Officer, Ex-Company Owner Turned Surplus Junk Into a Million-Dollar Info-business ..... Page 28A High School Kid Built a Business and Earned More Than His College Professors ..... Page 32A Direct Sales Process That Turned Into an Info-Business ..... Page 35The 40 Ways to Make Money With Information Products ..... Page 41The Quick Way to Determine the Selling Price of Information Products .... Page 43How Simple Changes Multiplied a Product's Sales Price 4Times .... Page 51How a Professional Speaker Got Off the Road and Built a Million-Dollar Business She Could Run From Her Home Office .... Page 53Blinded and Handicapped by Multiple Sclerosis, One Info-Marketer Used His Disability to Build a Successful Info-Business .... Page 59What a Successful Veterinarian Did to Get Veterinarians From Around the World to Buy His Marketing Strategies .... Page 62How an Info-Marketer From a Small Town in Kansas (population 565) Built an International Business .... Page 72Someone Who Teaches Men How to Get Women to Approach Them for Dates .... Page 76An Australian Built a Business Teaching Salons How to Book More Appointments, and He's Never Owned a Salon Before .... Page 81How an Info-Marketer Used His Products to Create a Professional Speaking Business Earning Him $10,000.00 per Gig .... Page 89How a Mom From New York Built a Business From Her Home That Kept Bill Collectors Away and Gave Her Family the Extra Money for a Great Lifestyle .... Page 101What an Info-Marketer Did With No Knowledge and No Customers to Build a Million-Dollar Business Within a Year .... Page 149What to Say to Get Customers to Believe That You Really Do Offer High Quality Products .... Page 121Information Marketing is responsive to and fueled by the ever-increasing pressure on peoples' time. Businesspeople and consumers alike need information provided to them in convenient forms, and in some cases, need an extension of it; methods and strategies that might merely have been taught to them 10 years ago are now done for them. The Information Industry encompasses products like traditional books, audio programs, videos or DVD's that you might buy in a store, from a catalog, or online; magazines, newsletters, e-books, membership websites, teleseminars and webinars, telecoaching programs, and seminars and conferences; and combinations thereof. Much of this business is conducted by lone wolf, small, quiet operators, many with home-based businesses, most with zero to no more than a few employees, most working only part-time hours and most netting 7-figure profits.

    Using real-world case studies - from Apple, Netflix, and Walmart to an African hand pump, a New York City park, and the B-17 bomber - the book clearly explains why including the customer is an essential ingredient of success for any team, company, or organization. Coauthors Mark Hurst and Phil Terry, pioneers in the field of customer experience, provide practical tips for a strategic, customer-inclusive approach that generates results.

    Air Force, and USAA. He teaches his clients that innovation isn't just about generating occasional new ideas; it's about staying consistently one step ahead of the competition.Hire people you don't like. Bring in the right mix of people to unleash your team's full potential. Asking for ideas is a bad idea. Define challenges more clearly. If you ask better questions, you will get better answers. Don't think outside the box; find a better box. Instead of giving your employees a blank slate, provide them with well-defined parameters that will increase their creative output. Failure is always an option. Looking at innovation as a series of experiments allows you to redefine failure and learn from your results.Shapiro shows that nonstop innovation is attainable and vital to building a high-performing team, improving the bottom line, and staying ahead of the pack.

    Thank you, Scott, for a wonderful book that has changed my life!" --Scott Alexander"Compelling...startling...I recommend it for everyone!" --Scott Alexander

    Put simply, FBA allows sellers to outsource their product storage and distribution to Amazon. FBA is giving rise to a new, post-eBay, entrepreneur: people who want to spend their time re-selling, designing, branding and marketing products. With FBA, you don’t have to worry about being hacked or setting up payment systems. There’s no more traipsing to the Post Office or worrying about being away when an order needs to be fulfilled. This gives you freedom too – you can run your FBA operation from anywhere in the world. All you need is access to the Internet. There are numerous books available on this subject, but this is the first to focus solely on Amazon.co.uk – that means UK case studies, pounds not dollars and UK/EU laws/rules. If you’re a seasoned FBAer, this book is probably not for you – although you will learn a few new things. However, if you’re thinking of entering this market or have less than a couple of years’ experience this guide should prove invaluable. This books covers the following topics: • Finding products that will sell. • Creating your own brand – branded products sell for a premium. • Importing goods from outside the EU. • Sourcing/buying products from overseas suppliers. • Registering as a seller on Amazon. • Listing FBA products on Amazon. • Getting your products to Amazon’s fulfilment centres. • Commodity codes, import duty and VAT. • Pricing your products. • How to get great customer reviews to boost sales. • The dark arts of Amazon SEO. • Selling as a Pro Merchant. • Product requiring prior approval by Amazon. • Promoting your products, including: o Amazon Sponsored Products advertising. o Facebook for business. o Amazon money-off promotions. o Amazon Launchpad. o Handmade at Amazon. • List on eBay, sell via FBA. • Returns and damaged stock. • Amazon Lending. • Rules and regulations – tedious but necessary. Amazon FBA is a moveable feast – things are changing every week. I have included my email address in the book and encourage readers to ask questions, make suggestion and point out any inaccuracies. Hopefully there won’t be too many of the latter! Enjoy and good luck. Ned Browne 15th July 2016.