My Start-Up Life What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley

by Casnocha, Ben; Benioff, Marc

• ISBN13: 9780787996130
• ISBN10: 0787996130
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-05-25
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

In telling the story of how he founded his successful Internet company at 14, Ben Casnocha imparts the lessons he learned along the way. Practical topics are broken out in the text, often with commentary by a noted business expert. Examples include: Creating a Personal Brand Three Ways to Maximize Luck Resilience Making Cold Calls Finding a Mentor Business Plans Financing Customer Feedback Market Research Business Meals 101 Presentations How to Act like a 30 year-old Guest "posts" from Ben's Advisors will include "Youthful Energy All the Time" by Marc Benioff, "The Real World," Seth Godin, and "Life is a Sales Call" by Heidi Roizen, Managing Director, Mobius Venture Capital AND MORE.

Author Biography

Ben Casnocha is a San Francisco–based entrepreneur, writer, student, and blogger. Currently 19 years old, he serves on the board of Comcate, Inc., the leading e-government technology firm he founded six years ago. In 2006, BusinessWeek included him on its list of "America's best young entrepreneurs."

His work has been featured on CNN and in USA Today. He will attend Claremont McKenna College after publication of this book. In his free time he indulges in passions for ping-pong, bow ties, and chess. Visit his blog at ben.casnocha.com

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
My Dot-Com Life Begins	p. 5
Brainstorm: Who Knows What Could Happen If You Raise Your Hand?	p. 7
Brain Trust: Take Responsibility	p. 11
Nature or Nurture? A San Francisco Upbringing	p. 14
Brainstorm: All the Fuss About "Passion"-and How to Tap into Yours	p. 16
The First Axiom of Business: Find a Need and Fill It	p. 18
Brainstorm: The Fringe-Thoughts List: Where Most Great Ideas Develop	p. 19
Brainstorm: Feedback, Feedback, Feedback	p. 22
Comcate Is Born: The Nuts and Bolts of Starting a Business	p. 26
Brainstorm: The Business Plan Myth	p. 28
Brainstorm: Why Some People Get More Stuff Done (and Start Real Businesses)	p. 33
First Meeting with a VC (It's All About the Network)	p. 36
Brainstorm: The Power of Mentors	p. 37
Brainstorm: When to Ask a Dumb Question	p. 40
Brain Trust: Taking Mentor Relationships to the Next Level	p. 42
Signing Up Early Customers: Selling the Sizzle and the Steak	p. 44
Brainstorm: Asking Questions: There's a Right and a Wrong Way	p. 47
Brainstorm: I Have a Strategic Plan. It's Called Doing Things	p. 49
Confronting Failure...and Bouncing Back	p. 52
Brainstorm: Building Resilience-A Transferable Quotient	p. 57
Brainstorm: How to Create and Leverage an Advisory Board	p. 60
Hiring an Interim CEO: My First Big Mistake	p. 64
Brainstorm: Three Sure Ways to Maximize Luck	p. 68
The Hunt for a COO: Recruiting a Top Team	p. 70
Brainstorm: The Art of Courtship	p. 78
Brainstorm: How to Overcome Fear of Failure	p. 85
Life as a Road Warrior: Making Memorable Sales Pitches	p. 90
Brainstorm: Presentations-Worthy of Obsession	p. 93
Brainstorm: Pricing in an Early-Stage Company	p. 100
Brain Trust: Life Is a Sales Call	p. 105
I'm a Sophomore: Balancing Work, School, and Life	p. 106
Brainstorm: Redefining the Entrepreneurial Lifestyle: Sleep, Nutrition, Exercise	p. 108
Brainstorm: Being a Corporate Athlete	p. 114
Brain Trust: A Life That Works	p. 119
A Silicon Valley Life: Building Me, Inc.	p. 121
Brainstorm: Networking 101	p. 124
Brainstorm: Networking 202	p. 126
Brainstorm: Every Cold Call Can Be Warm-Rich First-Time Interactions	p. 128
Brainstorm: Creating and Projecting Brand "Me"	p. 131
The Product Development Process: Cheap, Good, or Fast?	p. 137
Brainstorm: Dare to Be Mediocre: Good Is the Enemy of Perfect	p. 141
It's a Frugal, Frugal World: Bootstrapping Through the Inevitable Cash Squeeze	p. 144
Brainstorm: Asking for Money Versus Asking for Advice	p. 147
The Long, Hard Slog: Achieving Scale	p. 149
Brainstorm: A Relationship-Based First Business	p. 152
Brainstorm: Getting More Good Revenue and Less Bad Revenue	p. 154
Brain Trust: Keep Slogging Away	p. 157
Fulfilling the Mission, One Customer at a Time	p. 158
Brainstorm: Make Meaning: What Gets You and Your Employees Up Each Day?	p. 160
The Road Ahead: Leaders of the Flat World	p. 162
Brain Trust: How to Think About the Future	p. 165
What Will You Be Shouting When You Reach the Grave?	p. 167
Brainstorm: Entrepreneurs Are Optimists	p. 170
Brain Trust: Let Your Heart Guide You	p. 171
What's Next	p. 173
A One-a-Day, One-Month Plan to Becoming a Better Entrepreneur	p. 175
Ben's Reading List	p. 179
Acknowledgments	p. 183
Endnotes	p. 185
The Author	p. 189
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