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The cover of The Founder's Dilemmas

The Founder's Dilemmas

Wasserman, Noam

Why do so many startups fail from problems among the people who build them, and how can founders see those problems coming?

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At a glance

Author
Wasserman, Noam

Why read it

  • You will learn to weigh wealth against control before making early choices that are hard to undo
  • You will catch the habits of passion, optimism and conflict avoidance that lead founders to shortsighted decisions
  • You will think harder about who to found with, how to split ownership, and whether friends or strangers fit better

Who it is for

  • Aspiring founders deciding whether and when to start
  • Cofounders about to split equity
  • Early employees and investors who watch teams from outside

Contents

  1. THE KAUFFMAN FOUNDATION SERIES ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  2. CHAPTER ONE
  3. INTRODUCTION
  4. CORE CONCEPTS AND ARGUMENTS
  5. Short-term versus Long-term Consequences
  6. Natural Biases: The Perils of Passion, Optimism, and Instinct
  7. Divergences among Can, Do, and Should
  8. WEALTH VERSUS CONTROL: A CLOSER LOOK
  9. UNSOLVED PUZZLES
  10. 10,000 FOUNDERS STRONG
  11. INTRODUCTION TO THE PRINCIPAL CASE STUDIES
  12. CHAPTER TWO
  13. CAREER DILEMMAS
  14. SHOULD I FOUND?
  15. Early Influences
  16. Founder Motivations: The Centrality of Wealth and Control Motivations
  17. WHEN SHOULD I FOUND?
  18. Reasons to Wait
  19. Building Human Capital
  20. Work and School
  21. Managerial Experience
  22. Functional Backgrounds
  23. Industry Knowledge
  24. Working in Small versus Big Companies
  25. Harnessing Nontraditional Experiences
  26. Building Social and Financial Capital
  27. The Perils of Waiting
  28. Stronger Career Handcuffs
  29. Lower “Fitness to Found”
  30. Stronger Family Handcuffs
  31. Developments That Release the Handcuffs
  32. An Employer’s Slowing Growth
  33. An Employer’s Change in Strategy
  34. Employment Shocks
  35. Financial Shocks
  36. Family Developments
  37. HOW CAN I DISPASSIONATELY EVALUATE MY IDEA?
  38. Evaluating Ideas
  39. Clouding Judgment: Passion and Optimism
  40. CLOSING REMARKS
  41. “I Have Everything But an Idea!”
  42. “But I’m Not Armed for Battle Yet!”
  43. “But I’m Going to Hurt My Family!”
  44. “My Handcuffs Have Gotten Too Strong!”
  45. INTRODUCTION
  46. OVERVIEW OF CHAPTERS
  47. CHAPTER THREE
  48. THE SOLO-VERSUS-TEAM DILEMMA
  49. REASONS TO GO SOLO
  50. THE ARGUMENT FOR COFOUNDERS
  51. HOW MANY COFOUNDERS?
  52. THE BROADER CONTEXT
  53. SYMBOLIC FOUNDERS VERSUS HIRES
  54. CLOSING REMARKS
  55. CHAPTER FOUR
  56. RELATIONSHIP DILEMMAS: FLOCKING TOGETHER AND PLAYING WITH FIRE
  57. FOUNDING-TEAM HOMOGENEITY VERSUS DIVERSITY
  58. Short-term Benefits of Homogeneity
  59. Longer-term Risks of Homogeneity
  60. Tangible versus Intangible Differences

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