People often ask why I wrote the Startup Lore. So I thought I would get this out of the way first. I have three main goals in writing this text:
- Create a body of knowledge on the subject that serves as a personal guidebook, which I can use in future startup endeavors.
- Flesh out my own thinking in order to reach an even deeper level of understanding of the subject matter.
- Share this knowledge with anyone who is interested in building successful startups, in particular my partners in the ventures that I am working on, and get as much feedback as possible to further improve the guide.
I have put a lot of thought and time into writing and organizing the Startup Lore in a way that reflects my entrepreneurial experience and knowledge. Personally, I am very happy with the way it came together and use it on a daily basis. With the Startup Lore, I have developed a much deeper understanding of startups and as a result have become a better entrepreneur. [1]
Nevertheless, at the end of the day this guide is simply a collection of personal opinions. I do not claim it is "the one true answer" or that it is devoid of errors or omissions. That is why I urge everyone to read the Startup Lore with a critical mind, carefully examining arguments, challenging assumptions, and forming their own conclusions. Then, if something makes sense, doesn't make sense, is missing, or is superfluous, let me know. I am always looking for ways to make the Startup Lore better.
Before I continue, I would like to pause and thank the many people without which the Startup Lore would not be possible. I have attempted to make a list below, but I am sure I have missed many, for which I apologize. I am very thankful for the privilege to work with so many outstanding professionals, who have mentored and advised me on numerous occasions as well as helped shape my thinking about entrepreneurship: Andy Rachleff, Bill Barnett, Steve Blank, Eric Ries, Haim Mendelson, Garth Saloner, Eric Schmidt, Peter Wendell, Mark Leslie, Joel Peterson, Irv Grousbeck, Chuck Holloway, John Morgridge, Terry Winograd, David Kelley, Hasso Plattner, Bill Meehan, Jacob Harold, Paul Brest, Iliya Yordanov, Anton Babadjanov, Petar Dobrev, Nikolay Kazmin, Erinn Andrews, Dawn Kwan, Howard Bornstein, Erik Bengtsson, and Chris Herndon.
Time to get down to business - starting with why startups are fundamentally different from companies.
Notes
[1] I am a strong believer in the importance of balance between practice and theory. Working hard certainly gets stuff done, but unless you work smart you often end up going in the wrong direction. For more on this topic, you can consult Deming's work, which became the basis of lean manufacturing.