Startups That Work: The 10 Critical Factors That Will Make or Break a New Company

Author Joel Kurtzman, consultant and former editor of the Harvard Business Review, has distilled a mass of research into a handy navigation tool for the intrepid startup entrepreneur. The Global Technology Center at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where Kurtzman was a partner, conducted quantitative research on 350 startup firms and held qualitative interviews with many entrepreneurs and startup CEOs. Kurtzman and co-author Glenn Rifkin present a number of conceptual frameworks based on this research. As an entrepreneur, you can use their frameworks to guide your thinking during the startup process. This book explores structural issues you must address to build a new organization, including setting up a board, forming management and sales teams, forging alliances, acquiring customers and creating business plans. Perhaps because of the particular startups surveyed - mostly technology companies - the book's advice is often carefully hedged against various "ifs", "ands" and "buts." However, the writers ultimately settle on 10 "critical factors" for startups, basing each one on their solid body of research. The first-time entrepreneur will gain much by considering each of these factors - and evaluating them in light of the nine-point business model presented - while seasoned corporate founders will see that the authors' research reinforces lessons they have already learned. We recommend this book to entrepreneurs (particularly in technology), investors, startup CEOs and the directors of new companies.