The Space Economy

CHAPTER 4No Overhead: How and Why to Start a Business in the Space Economy

For most, the phrase outer space still conjures Neil Armstrong, the Challenger accident, PBS specials about the Big Bang, and school trips to the planetarium. The idea that someone without aerospace training, an engineering degree, or a military or government background could go raise funding and launch a company that touches on space in some way seems absurd. Or, at least intimidating and unlikely, even for a risk‐tolerant entrepreneurial type. Starting a business is tough enough.

Think about it. What's the word for an ambitious effort to do something big? Moonshot.

If you're an entrepreneur with no prior space experience, you may have qualms about entering the Space Economy. Don't let those concerns prevent you from considering all the possibilities. Nobody spots untapped potential better than entrepreneurs, and founders are flooding in, starting space‐related businesses in record numbers. All this activity is an indication. There may never be as much wide‐open entrepreneurial opportunity again in your lifetime. Consider throwing your hat into orbit.

One Small Step for an Entrepreneur: The Time Is Now

Yes, you need skills, experience, and expertise to start a company—particularly a startup focused on exponential growth—but your background doesn't have to align perfectly to take that first step. Should Larry Page and Sergey Brin have put off founding Google because they hadn't worked at Ask Jeeves ...