The Startup of You - A Summary of Reid Hoffman's Guide to Personal Success (Blinkist Summaries)


Blinkist - 2013
    Our format - called "blinks" - have been developed with your mobile device in mind from day one. Whether you want to make the most of your waiting time or just quickly get a handle on a new topic, our blinks fit smoothly into your everyday routine.

The Slicing Pie Handbook: Perfectly Fair Equity Splits for Bootstrapped Startups


Mike Moyer - 2016
    Bad equity deals are the rule, not the exception. The Slicing Pie Handbook outlines a framework for perfectly fair equity splits for early-stage, bootstrapped startup companies. Based on the dynamic equity model popularized by the book Slicing Pie, a formula in use by entrepreneurs all over the world. The Slicing Pie Handbook will help you determine the right share for people who contribute the things you need to start your company including help, equipment, supplies, rent and even credit. You will learn how to fairly allocate equity when people contribute and how to fairly recover equity when people leave the company.

The Scrapyard Incident


Phillip Nolte - 2013
    It seems they would like nothing more than to start a revolution...Can the three Scrapyard survivors come together with an Islamic Ambassador on a mission of peace, a smuggling ring bent on nothing more than making a profit, and a small, underarmed orbital station security force to somehow thwart a terrorist attack that threatens to ignite a new interplanetary war?

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Entrepreneurs and Employees


Keith Cameron Smith - 2010
    In this powerful guide to achieving independence, entrepreneur and inspirational speaker Keith Cameron Smith shares ten crucial principles to help you make the leap from ordinary follower to extraordinary leader, including   • Entrepreneurs have an empowering perspective of failure. Employees see failure as bad. Learn to see setbacks not as a form of rejection, but as feedback to help you learn and grow. • Entrepreneurs are solution finders. Employees are problem solvers. Instead of quick fixes, seek out permanent solutions that save time and money. • Entrepreneurs look into the future. Employees look into the past. Choose where you want to go, take consistent steps in that direction, and work toward it relentlessly.   Begin building a better future today. Even if you can’t start your own business, you can make positive changes right now, in your cubicle or your corner office, by adopting an entrepreneurial spirit. By following Keith Cameron Smith’s expert advice, you too can take control of your career and your life, once and for all!  Foreword by Sharon Lechter  Praise for Keith Cameron Smith’s The Top 10 Distinctions between Millionaires and the Middle Class   “Everyone can be a millionaire. You just need to know the 10 Distinctions. Learn, use, and study these great distinctions and become a millionaire.”—Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of The One Minute Millionaire and Chicken Soup for the Soul   “Filled with wisdom and knowledge that leads to freedom and abundance.”—Nido R. Qubein, author of Stairway to Success

The Mousedriver Chronicles: The True- Life Adventures Of Two First-time Entrepreneurs


John Lusk - 2002
    To the almost universal disdain of their friends and professors, these two turned down tempting job offers, borrowed money from friends and family, loaded up on credit card debt, and decided to start a single-product company to manufacture and market a computer mouse shaped like the head of a golf club. They watched enviously as nearly all of their friends became millionaires in the dot-com boom, but they persevered and forged their own path. To chart their progress and to keep themselves motivated against the odds, they kept a diary that recorded the realities of their everyday life as entrepreneurs. Out of their diary entries grew The MouseDriver Chronicles, an intimate, insightful, and often funny look into the minds of two entrepreneurs and how they brought a simple idea to market. From The MouseDriver Chronicles: "School was just about over, and the wondrous combination of brick-baking heat and relentless high humidity that defines summer in south Philadelphia wasn't too far off. We couldn't afford to wait around for it. We needed to blaze to San Francisco and get rolling. Fine. No problem. Except we didn't yet have an office in San Francisco. Or a place to live. Or MouseDrivers in stock. We had all our plans and ambition, but everything real about running a business was ahead of us. Immediately ahead."

Thrive: 30 Inspirational Rags-to-Riches Stories


Jason Navallo - 2015
    Follow the stories of ordinary people who overcame adversity to become wealthy entrepreneurs, innovative businessmen, and famous artists, including Jim Carrey, Eminem, Vin Diesel, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Charlize Theron, Ellen DeGeneres, Mark Cuban, and Jay Z. Never give up. Thrive.

How to be The Startup Hero: A Guide and Textbook for Entrepreneurs and Aspiring Entrepreneurs


Tim Draper - 2017
    To make that move. To fulfill your vision. I want to take you closer to your goal, whether that be starting a billion-dollar unicorn, building a revolution, or just helping you better understand that change of any kind starts with you. You can be the Startup Hero. Startup Heroes are the ones that drive progress, and whether you bring us to another planet or make your neighborhood a nicer, happier place, you can become a Startup Hero. This book is the first step. It helps you take that first step. The step will be different for everyone. It might be to call that customer. It might be to draw up a design concept. It might be to talk to your boss. With this book, I hope to guide people to think big, drive change and go full speed ahead. I am giving them a pledge to do their work for good, and I am giving them some of the tools they need to accomplish their goals. This book is hard. It takes you through a variety of activities, questions, stories and challenges (even puzzles and poems) working both the right and left side of your brain and all the parts in between. The activities I propose are challenging and sometimes even embarrassing. The questions I ask are probing and provoking. The stories I tell are used as examples to guide you toward what I call Startup Heroism. So, why would you read this book? Well, I have worked for 30 years for entrepreneurs. I have supported, funded and coached Startup Heroes all my working life. And I have tested the concepts of this book on the students at Draper University and they have come out to be some of the most interesting, dynamic, and motivated people the world has ever seen. In fact, we have had about 1000 students from over 60 different countries come through the program at this writing, and they have started more than 300 companies! I wrote this book so that some of the thinking that I applied to Draper University could be spread wider, in hopes that these messages would reach other potential Startup Heroes (maybe you) who might make an impact on the world, be proactive about their work, or at the very least, improve their lives. So, I implore you. Read this book, try this book, do this book, play this book, absorb this book, experience this book. It might surprise you. It might thrill you. It might drive you. It might kill you. At the very least, I hope it will give you a perspective on how real progress is made, and at the very best, it might just change your life.

Made to Stick (Chapter 4: Credible): Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die


Chip Heath - 2008
    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 Art of Selling


Zig Ziglar - 2011
    You have the power to make things happen! The Art of Selling describes the basics of how you can persuade people more effectively, more ethically, and more often. You???ll also discover that there is virtually nothing on earth that brings as much personal satisfaction as being able to save another person time, money, or frustration because of the goods, products, and services you have to offer. Bestselling motivational author Zig Ziglar draws from his selling experiences to show you how to: Work smarter, not harder in your sales career Move beyond customer service to customer satisfaction Sell by design, not chance Gain control of your time and life Polish your skills as a professional persuader The Art of Selling shows you the basics of how to build a more successful sales career before, during, and after the sale is made. With these skills, you build a solid business, a more satisfying life, and a professional selling career that makes a positive difference in today???s world.

The Science of Growth: Facebook vs. Friendster, or Why Some Startups Skyrocket - and Others Don’t


Sean Ammirati - 2016
    

The Odd Fellows Society


C.G. Barrett - 2015
    First, historian Jasper Willoughs, his closest friend, didn’t toss himself off a dormitory roof. Second, a Georgetown University secret society—a running joke on campus—has blood on its hands. Torres’s pursuit of the truth embroils him in a bizarre and thrilling scavenger hunt. The clues, scratched out on parchment by the mysterious Odd Fellows Society, lead Santi to risk everything he holds sacred: his job, his life, even the woman he secretly loves. As for his relationship with his God? Well, that’s complicated. A hold-your-breath thriller that explores our national obsession with race, The Odd Fellows Society will have you looking at the U.S. capital—and its monuments’ secrets—in a whole different shade of black and white.

It's a Jungle in There: Inspiring Lessons, Hard-Won Insights, and Other Acts of Entrepreneurial Daring


Steven Schussler - 2010
    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.

Against All Odds: A Story Of Courage, Perseverance And Hope


Dhirubhai Ambani
    

Remarkable!: Maximizing Results Through Value Creation


Randy Ross - 2013
    This translates into lackluster performance, lost opportunities, and a staggering loss of profits. So how does a team leader turn a business-as-usual team into a remarkable" "one? "Remarkable! "is an entertaining and enlightening business parable that has the power to turn any team around. Through the humorous and eye-opening story of Dusty, leaders will discover how to build a culture that inspires team members to bring the best of who they are to the table every day. Addressing the three dimensions of culture--values, beliefs, and behaviors--"Remarkable! "introduces readers to the Four Maxims of Value Creation: creativity, positivity, sustainability, and responsibility. It shows leaders the most effective ways to cultivate these qualities in their team members and how to craft a corporate culture where people can thrive.

Etsy Excellence: The Simple Guide to Creating a Thriving Etsy Business


Tycho Press - 2015
    This book provides actionable steps to help shop owners engage the Etsy community in authentic ways that attract buyers and generate sales. The best Etsy shops stand out among the sea of sellers and draw loyal customer bases, but how they’ve done it isn’t—and shouldn't be—a secret. In these pages, top Etsy sellers share the tools that have helped them, the changes they made that yielded positive results, and their best advice for achieving and sustaining a successful Etsy shop. Beyond sellers’ words of wisdom, this book offers a roadmap all sellers can follow in order to: • Choose keywords and tags to drive traffic to your shop • Photograph your products for maximum appeal • Create a unique shop that stands out • Write winning product descriptions • Price your goods appropriately • Market your products effectively on social media platforms • Maintain lasting relationships with your customers • Diversify your product offerings