25 Steps to Found and Scale a High-Growth Business
The Startup Checklist is the entrepreneur's essential companion. While most entrepreneurship books focus on strategy, this invaluable guide provides the concrete steps that will get your new business off to a strong start. You'll learn the ins and outs of startup execution, management, legal issues, and practical processes throughout the launch and growth phases, and how to avoid the critical missteps that threaten the foundation of your business. Instead of simply referring you to experts, this discussion shows you exactly which experts you need, what exactly you need them to do, and which tools you will use to support them—and you'll gain enough insight to ask smart questions that help you get your money's worth. If you're ready to do big things, this book has you covered from the first business card to the eventual exit.
Over two thirds of startups are built on creaky foundations, and over two thirds of startup costs go directly toward cleaning up legal and practical problems caused by an incomplete or improper start. This book helps you sidestep the messy and expensive clean up process by giving you the specific actions you need to take right from the very beginning.
The typical American startup costs over $30,000 and requires working with over two dozen professionals and service providers before it even opens for business—and the process is so complex that few founders do it correctly. Their startups errors often go unnoticed until the founder tries to seek outside capital, at which point they can cost thousands of dollars to fix. . . or even completely derail an investment. The Startup Checklist helps you avoid these problems and lay a strong foundation, so you can focus on building your business.
The Startup Checklist: 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business | David S. Rose (Author), Bill Gross (Foreword)| Wiley
Table of Contents
Introduction 25 Key Action Steps (Plus One) for Every Entrepreneur
Part I Prepare to Launch
Chapter 1. Translate Your Idea into a Compelling Business Model
Chapter 2. Craft a Lean Business Plan to Serve as Your Venture’s Road Map
Chapter 3. Find and Know Your Competitors
Chapter 4. Build Your Dream Team
Chapter 5. Allocate the Equity in Your Startup
Chapter 6. Build a Minimum Viable Product and Validate Your Plan with Customers
Chapter 7. Establish Your Brand with Online Public Profiles
Chapter 8. Network Effectively within the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Part II Launch and Build Your Company
Chapter 9. Incorporate Your Company for Protection and Investment
Chapter 10. “Lawyer Up” the Right Way
Chapter 11. Recruit Your Boards of Directors and Advisors
Chapter 12. Select an Accountant and an Accounting System
Chapter 13. Establish and Manage Your Credit Profile
Chapter 14. Open Bank, Credit Card, and Merchant Accounts
Chapter 15. Choosing Your Key Technologies, Platforms, and Vendors
Chapter 16. Measure Your Business with Data Analytics
Chapter 17. Round out Your Team with Employees and Freelancers
Chapter 18. Establish a Stock Option Plan to Incentivize Your Team
Part III Raise Funds; Collaborate with Investors; Plan for Your Exit
Chapter 19. Understand the Funding Process and What Investors Want to See
Chapter 20. Nurture Your Investor Pipeline
Chapter 21. Crowdfunding and Online Platforms
Chapter 22. Survive the Term Sheet Negotiation and Investor Due Diligence
Chapter 23. Get the Most from Your Investors, Now and in the Future
Chapter 24. Understand Your Company’s Valuation
Chapter 25. Keep Your Eye on the Exit and Reap the Benefits of Success
Appendices
Appendix A The Startup Reading List
Appendix B Sample Due Diligence Request
Appendix C Starting a U.S. Corporation from a Foreign Country
Appendix D Sample Convertible Preferred Stock Term Sheet
Appendix E Sample Convertible Note Term Sheet
Appendix F Sample Founder Accord
Acknowledgments
Index
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