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

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

by Jeff Scheinrock, Matt Richter-Sand
September 2013
Beginner
368 pages
5h 56m
English
Wiley
Content preview from The Agile Startup: Quick and Dirty Lessons Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Wheelin’ and Dealin’

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Entrepreneurs are the most optimistic people on the planet. If you look at the odds of succeeding in business, it makes sense that anyone who wants to start a business must necessarily be naively optimistic. As empowering as this optimism may be, it can also set a growing business up for failure. Longshot deals that have a 1 percent chance of going through are “Done!” in most entrepreneurs’ minds. If a startup gets a tiny nibble from a Fortune 500 company, for example, the founders might decide to redirect all of their resources to focus on closing that deal. But if they don’t have a backup plan when the deal inevitably falls through, they’re up the creek without a paddle.

Everyone, from investors, to strategic partners, to potential customers will play footsie with you, only to leave you stranded in the eleventh hour. Be skeptical and expect that 99 percent of all potential deals will fall through. And the bigger the deal, the more skeptical you should be. Stay focused on the fundamentals and keep executing. Then, if a deal actually closes, you can think of it as a bonus!

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ISBN: 9781118744482Purchase book