Shortcut Your Startup: Speed Up Success with Unconventional Advice from the Trenches

by Courtney Reum, Carter Reum

Overview

From the Reum brothers—former Goldman Sachs investment bankers, successful operators, and investors—comes Shortcut Your Startup, a practical playbook for both aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs, filled with unconventional yet accessible advice for maximizing your business venture.

Courtney and Carter Reum have years of experience in the field, from investing in over 130 companies, including Lyft, Pinterest, Warby Parker, and ClassPass, to driving the success of their own liquor brand, VEEV Spirits. The Reum brothers have learned from every triumph and tribulation, and over the years have developed an effective and easy-to-understand guide to help entrepreneurs through the startup journey from inception to sale. Complete with personal anecdotes and real-life advice from the business playing field, Shortcut Your Startup outlines Courtney and Carter’s ten key “Startup Switchups” that flip traditional advice on its head:

· Get into the Trenches
· Know if You’re a Speedboat or a Sailboat
· Obsessively Take Advantage of Your Unfair Advantages
· Do What You Do Best, and Outsource the Rest
· Build in Flexibility and a Diversified Focus
· Think Milestones, Not Time
· Nail It Before You Scale It
· 1 Percent Better Is 1000 Percent Better
· Gain Buy-in with Heart-Based Momentum
· Success Doesn’t Equate to a Successful Exit

Whether you’re a veteran entrepreneur looking for new ways to boost performance and reinvent your brand, or an aspiring entrepreneur ready to take a leap of faith, Shortcut Your Startup is essential reading to speed up your success!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501173011
Publisher:	Gallery/Jeter Publishing
Publication date:	01/16/2018
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Courtney Reum and his brother Carter are former Goldman Sachs investment bankers, entrepreneurs, operators, and investors. Courtney and Carter started their careers working on deals ranging from Under Armour to Vitamin Water and have since left to pursue careers as both Entrepreneurs and new age VCs. After co-founding and eventually successfully selling VEEV Spirits, Courtney and Carter started M13, a 21st century investing platform that seeks to affect outcomes for founders, partners, and investors by institutionalizing the process of scaling consumer-centric brands. Courtney and Carter currently live in Los Angeles, where they run day-to-day operations at M13.

Carter Reum and his brother Courtney are former Goldman Sachs investment bankers, entrepreneurs, operators, and investors. Courtney and Carter started their careers working on deals ranging from Under Armour to Vitamin Water and have since left to pursue careers as both Entrepreneurs and new age VCs. After co-founding and eventually successfully selling VEEV Spirits, Courtney and Carter started M13, a 21st century investing platform that seeks to affect outcomes for founders, partners, and investors by institutionalizing the process of scaling consumer-centric brands. Courtney and Carter currently live in Los Angeles, where they run day-to-day operations at M13.

Table of Contents

Introduction It's a Whole New Startup World Out There, and Time Is Your Scarcest Resource 1

Part 1 Prelaunch

Startup Switchup 1 Get into the Trenches: Investigation 23

Startup Switchup 2 Know if You're a Speedboat or a Sailboat: Business Strategy 45

Startup Switchup 3 Obsessively Take Advantage of Your Unfair Advantages: Market Differentiation 69

Part 2 Running the Business

Startup Switchup 4 Do What You Do Best, and Outsource the Rest: Specialization 87

Startup Switchup 5 Build in Flexibility and a Diversified Focus: Iterations and Pivots 103

Startup Switchup 6 Think Milestones, Not Time: Operational Efficiency 125

Startup Switchup 7 Nail It Before You Scale It: Model Refinement 145

Startup Switchup 8 1 Percent Better Is 1,000 Percent Better: Relentless Improvement 165

Startup Switchup 9 Gain Buy-In with Heart-Based Momentum: Storytelling 187

Part 3 Exiting

Startup Switchup 10 Success Doesn't Equal a Successful Exit: Strategic Sales 211

Enough from Us-Get After It! 227

Acknowledgments 229

Index 231

Editorial Reviews

02/15/2018
The premise of this book is that technology has sped up the pace of business. You can get your product to consumers faster, but so can the competition, so timing is more important than ever before. The authors, brothers and investors who appear on the investment television show Hatched, offer "switchups" to traditional startup advice. Despite the emphasis on speed, the majority of the book is devoted to the importance of planning. The Reums briefly mention aspects of funding, growing, testing, and exiting a business. Their ideas are interesting and useful but not fully developed and readers might become lost. In addition, the language is full of jargon and metaphors. For instance, readers are asked to determine whether their business will be a "speedboat" or a "sailboat." This book might be an ideal accompaniment to the authors' TV show, rather than a stand-alone title. It would be a wonderful pick for any reader who enjoyed Leonard C. Green with Paul B. Brown's The Entrepreneur's Playbook. VERDICT A valuable but short and potentially bewildering volume on strategies for business success.—Jessica Spears, Brooklyn P.L.

Library Journal

"Shortcut Your Startup is essential reading for anyone who wants to build the industries of tomorrow."

Eric Garcetti

"What makes this book great is that it is both practical and personal. Sharing their life and business lessons openly is a gift to all us entrepreneurs.Thank you Courtney and Carter!"

Blake Mycoskie

"Cultivating relationships is one of the keys to business success. In Shortcut Your Startup, Courtney and Carter share the best insights from their own ventures as well as what they’ve learned through their vast network."

Keith Ferrazzi

"Want to be an entrepreneur? You Sure? Here is a great test-checklist-guide from two great startup gurus who have been there and done that..."

Juan Enriquez

"Courtney and Carter started out in Investment banking, an industry historically known for burnout. In becoming entrepreneurs, the brothers have learned that stress and burnout are not badges of honor, but rather hindrances to long-term success. Shortcut Your Startup shows you how to launch a sustainable startup so that both you and your business can thrive."

Arianna Huffington

"Shortcut Your Startup is the handbook for the future founders of the world’s culturally relevant brands. It is hands down a must-read for consumer products entrepreneurs and anyone thinking of starting a business in today’s media and technology-driven landscapex."

Troy Carter

"In Shortcut Your Startup, Carter and Courtney echo what we increasingly know to be true: entrepreneurial success isn’t about pedigree and popularity but about pounding the pavement, taking smart risks and trusting your instincts."

Sophia Amoruso

"Owning a business is a gladiator’s game and in today’s modern economy, success requires both the mindset and strategies embodied by Courtney and Carter Reum. They have generously pulled back the curtain to reveal the tools and tactics that many of the most successful startups use to disrupt, scale and succeed."

Tony Robbins

"The Internet’s Third Wave is upon us. Shortcut Your Startup is a helpful guide for entrepreneurs who want to lead the way."

Steve Case