Startup from the Ground Up
Practical Insights for Transforming an Idea into a Business
By: Cynthia Kocialski
Published: November 4, 2010
Format: Paperback, 228 pages
ISBN-10: 1453746633
ISBN-13: 978-1453746639
Publisher: CreateSpace
"A lot of pieces are needed to just get a start-up offthe ground, and it's more than just the technical product that makes a start-up successful", writes successful entrepreneur and business start-up expert Cynthia Kocialski, in her very hands on and idea packed book
Startup from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Transforming an Idea into a Business. The author takes the guesswork out of starting a new company from scratch, by sharing proven and practical techniques for making any new entrepreneurial venture a success.
Cynthia Kocialski has participated in over two dozen start-up companies, and understands the challenges and opportunities from an insider's perspective. The author begins her book by defining what constitutes a start-up business, to remove any confusion about the topic. She differentiates a start-up from a technology based small business, and points out that the technology is not what makes for a start-up, despite the popular views on the subject. Instead, Cynthia Kocialski describes a start-up as not being an end point, but a creative process. In effect, for the author, a start-up business is even more than a journey. It's an organic, living entity. The author makes it clear that entrepreneurial start-ups fail from a poor strategy, rather than from weak execution. As a result, the author provides a book to guide the would be business person through those critical early stages of this organic process.
Cynthia Kocialski (photo left) recognizes that no two start-ups are the same. Not only is each new business venture unique, but the environment in which start-ups operate is also in a constant state of change. In the past, the start-up investors were seeking the next big product, making the entire process very technology and product based world. Today, writes the author, start-ups are more likely to begin with much smaller investments, and also very short product development times. Cynthia Kocialski points out, however, that what is an effective process for one company, may not work for another business even in the same industry. The author presents a complete picture of creating a successful start-up that takes these variables into account. To get the entrepreneur off on the right track, Cynthia Kocialski starts at the very beginning of the planning stages, and then continues the journey through the entire start-up process to ensure that no steps are missed or skipped along the way.
For me, the power of the book is how Cynthia Kocialski provides a complete overview of the entire start-up process from idea conception to the end customer. The author covers every crucial aspect of the start-up journey, with special emphasis on creating a successful strategy to boost the chances of success. Very importantly, the author prevents the would be entrepreneur from falling into the great product or technology trap that ensnares so many start-up business people. For the author, the product is only one small part of the process, and without a good plan, even the most revolutionary product or technology will fail in the marketplace.
Cynthia Kocialski guides the entrepreneur through the planning process, and shares important lessons on building a team that is more than simply the founders and the employees. As with any good book on business start-ups, the author shares important and valuable advice on marketing and customer service. All too often, these essential steps are forgotten in the excitement of building a better product. Without marketing and customer care, even the best products will fail to find a market. Cynthia Kocialski also provides important information on both bootstrapping a company, and for seeking outside investors, and how to avoid problems arising from both methods of financing a new company.
I highly recommend the highly practical and very useful book
Startup from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Transforming an Idea into a Business by Cynthia Kocialski, to anyone considering a start-up business venture. This book takes a holistic approach to the entire process to ensure that the would be entrepreneur plans and starts the business the right way from the very beginning.
Read the handy and easy to follow guide Startup from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Transforming an Idea into a Business by Cynthia Kocialski, and take the guess work and the mystery out of the business start-up process. Along the way, the author shares her personal experiences, and shatters some pervasive myths about start-ups and how they supposedly work. Overall, the book contains the proven real world strategies and tactics that can turn any start-up business into a success story.
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