A comprehensive blueprint for building and selling a successful startup from idea to exit, bypassing failure, and making the planet a better, more equitable place.A comprehensive blueprint for building and selling a successful startup from idea to exit, bypassing failure, and making the planet a better, more equitable place.Due to a range of frequent and unavoidable mistakes, only 10% of startups make it beyond 5 years. In this game-changing guide, startup veteran and serial entrepreneur Gregory Shepard combines 12 startup exits, 4 private equity awards, and decades' worth of expert insight and industry experience-including interviews with real entrepreneurs, Navy SEALs, Air Force Fighter Pilots, and more-to present you with straightforward, actionable strategies for mapping out your startup and achieving success.
The Startup Lifecycle is here to empower entrepreneurs and help you avert common mishaps by providing an easy-to-follow path through 7 key phases, leading you from your initial vision to your lucrative exit-and along the way, improving the world for future generations-
- Phase One- Vision & North Star, Focusing on the End Game
- Phase Two- Prototype & Product
- Phase Three- Go-To-Market for Startups
- Phase Four- Standardizing for Growth
- Phase Five- Optimization
- Phase Six- Growth
- Phase Seven- Exit
With helpful visuals in every chapter, Shepard expertly teaches you to use industry specific language, secure the right investments, build powerful relationships with investors, and prevent the pitfalls that cause first-time startups to fail.
What's more, this field guide also includes free access to the most used startup platform for universities, putting everything you need at your fingertips including, world class easy to comprehend education, investors, grants and more. Don't just learn-build your startup with the 7-Phase Startup Lifecycle in digital form, supplementary training courses, and wisdom from more than thousands of interviews.
The Startup Lifecycle imparts battle-tested business science from the mind of one of the most unique and accomplished entrepreneurs of our time, giving you the roadmap to startup success. It captures the approach that powers the Fulbright Canada Entrepreneurship Initiative and hundreds of prestigious accelerator programs worldwide.
Industry Reviews
“The Startup Lifecycle communicates effectively Gregory’s impressive experience and unusual perspectives to create a book unlike what you see on shelves now . . . Gregory’s pragmatic advice distills decades of experience into a book I recommend for startup founders.”
—Dr. Michael K. Hawes, president and CEO of Fulbright Canada
“An incredibly powerful resource for startup entrepreneurs and even those who have been running enterprises for several years . . . The book makes us rethink and organize in a structured and effective way our efforts to build our visions into full-fledged realizations.”
—John Cockburn, scientific advisor for Partnership for Economic Policy
“In The Startup Lifecycle, Gregory has brilliantly captured universal truths of leadership, planning, and management that are powerful for new organizations just getting started, but also very relevant for organizations of any size and age . . . particularly those that want to remain agile and avoid being disrupted.”
—Robert L. Thomas, Jr., ret. US Navy vice admiral
“This book is for any potential or practicing founder, no matter what your background is—all you need is the motivation to create a venture and the willingness to do the hard work needed to turn your idea into a successful and sellable company.”
—Amnon Dekel, PhD, executive director of ASPER-HUJI Innovate
“Gregory Shepard offers a comprehensive guide with pragmatic advice to steer startups toward success . . . This book stands out for its actionable strategies, making it an essential resource for any entrepreneur aiming to defy the daunting startup failure rates.”
—Karl Swannie, CEO of Intlabs
