The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Contents

Why You Should Read This Book

The Entrepreneur’s Life Cycle

Chapter 1: Agile Philosophy

Rule #1

What’s Your Why?

You Are Wrong

Heaven . . . and Hell

You Get Only 15,000 Days

The Entrepreneurial Method

Focus on Problems, Not Solutions

Three Requirements for Success

Dreamers versus Doers

Get Out of the Building

Business Plans Are Worthless

Let Them Steal It

Embarrass Yourself

Fail Fast—and Often

Contain Risk as Early as Possible

First, Decide What Not to Do

Rules? What Rules?

Focus—Follow One Course Until Successful

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid

Get in over Your Head

There Is No Silver Bullet

It Ain’t a Problem ’Til It’s a Problem

Launch to Learn

Resourcefulness, Not Resources

Chapter 2: Make It Feasible

Is It Feasible?

ASS Out of U and Me

Three Questions You Must Answer

Double Your Worst Case

Five Risk Factors

Product 1.0—A Brochure

Good Ideas, Bad Businesses

Wrong Questions → Wrong Answers

Vitamin, Painkiller, or Cure?

Create Massive Value

Why Won’t It Work?

Show Me the Money

Does It Pencil?

Play Dumb

Take a Haircut

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Buying Customers

CLV >= 2 × CAC

Cash Is More Important than Your Mother

Think Like a VC

Chapter 3: Customers and Competition

Break It Down

Ride the Wave

Know Thy Market

WII.FM—Your Favorite Radio Station

Tell Me What Sucks

You Can’t Boil the Ocean

Reframe the Competition

Make a Competitive Matrix

Differentiate or Die

Competition Is a Good Thing

Follow the Leader

Fast Followers Finish First

10× Better

You Need a Moat

Zero Degrees ...