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All In Startup: Launching a New Idea When Everything Is on the Line
If Owen Chase can't find a way to turn his company around in the next nine days, he'll be forced to shut it down and lay off all of his employees. He has incurred substantial debt and his marriage is on shaky ground.
Through pure happenstance, Owen finds himself pondering this problem while advancing steadily as a contestant at the World Series of Poker. His Las Vegas path quickly introduces him to Samantha, a beautiful and mysterious mentor with a revolutionary approach to entrepreneurship. Sam is a fountain of knowledge that may save his company, but her sexual advances might prove too much for Owen's struggling marriage.
All In Startup is more than just a novel about eschewing temptation and fighting to save a company. It is a lifeline for entrepreneurs who are thinking about launching a new idea or for those who have already started but can't seem to generate the traction they were expecting.
Entrepreneurs who achieve success in the new economy do so using a new "scientific method" of innovation. All In Startup demonstrates why four counterintuitive principles separate successful entrepreneurs from the wanna-preneurs who bounce from idea to idea, unable to generate real revenue.
You will likely get only one opportunity in your life to go "all in" in on an idea: to quit your job, talk your spouse into letting you drain the savings account, and follow your dream. All In Startup will prepare you for that "all in" moment and make sure that you push your chips into the middle only when the odds are in your favor. This book holds the keys to significantly de-risking your idea so that your success appears almost lucky.
Join Owen and Sam for this one-of-a-kind journey that will set you on the right path for when it's your turn to put everything on the line.
Through pure happenstance, Owen finds himself pondering this problem while advancing steadily as a contestant at the World Series of Poker. His Las Vegas path quickly introduces him to Samantha, a beautiful and mysterious mentor with a revolutionary approach to entrepreneurship. Sam is a fountain of knowledge that may save his company, but her sexual advances might prove too much for Owen's struggling marriage.
All In Startup is more than just a novel about eschewing temptation and fighting to save a company. It is a lifeline for entrepreneurs who are thinking about launching a new idea or for those who have already started but can't seem to generate the traction they were expecting.
Entrepreneurs who achieve success in the new economy do so using a new "scientific method" of innovation. All In Startup demonstrates why four counterintuitive principles separate successful entrepreneurs from the wanna-preneurs who bounce from idea to idea, unable to generate real revenue.
You will likely get only one opportunity in your life to go "all in" in on an idea: to quit your job, talk your spouse into letting you drain the savings account, and follow your dream. All In Startup will prepare you for that "all in" moment and make sure that you push your chips into the middle only when the odds are in your favor. This book holds the keys to significantly de-risking your idea so that your success appears almost lucky.
Join Owen and Sam for this one-of-a-kind journey that will set you on the right path for when it's your turn to put everything on the line.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
51 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 8, 2016
I have just finished reading an exceptionally well written business book with a surprising fictional storyline. Diana Kander's book, all in startup: Launching a New Idea When Everything is on the Line, is presented to the reader as a fictional story about an individual that started his business on flawed assumptions. Her book covers four basic ideas: (1) Startups are about finding customers, not building products, (2) People don't buy products or services; they buy solutions to their problems, (3) Entrepreneurs are detectives, not fortunetellers, and (4) Successful entrepreneurs are luck makers, not risk takers. Just presenting these ideas to you as a reader doesn't give the true credit to how effective this learning experience can be. You need to read the story and live the experiences of this young man that started his company with his own assumptions that he had a product that people would automatically buy, and they didn't. I am going to be teaching a Business Plan class this fall and was bouncing my ideas off of a friend I had worked with while I was a SCORE volunteer. I requested that she review my PowerPoints, outlines, and class handouts as I respected her experiences gained through her years at Southeast Community College Entrepreneurship Center. She has just completed her 10 years at SCC and after a quick meeting after dropping off my material to her she loaned me this book to read while she reviewed my information. Sometimes we are blessed with amazing coincidences of good fortune to supplement our knowledge about a subject, and this was one of those times. This book has not changed my zeal to teach individuals the need for a Business Plan to support their new or existing business, but it definitely has changed my emphases on assumptions individuals have made regarding starting their new business. I will be meeting with my young friend, Brooke, again and know that my review will be beyond what I was thinking about originally. As she told me, this book has changed the way the The SCC Entrepreneurship Center coaches individuals starting a new business, and I can certainly see why. I have been in the field of accounting and management for 50 plus years, usually with established businesses, but the information gleaned from this amazing fictional based business book has taught this old dog some new tricks. I will be advising my clients and students these basic ideas, especially how an individual researches their assumptions before starting a new business that sells products or services. I will be recommending this book to them so that they can also glean positive information before jumping in over their head. Assumptions made without adequate research can be the road to disaster. Thank you Diana... and Brooke... for making this book available for me to read and enjoy...
August 9, 2020
Clever idea to represent a theory by telling a story :)
It reminds me of "Once upon a time... Life" which is good series for younger people presenting how things work.
It shows mistakes made by main character so we can learn from them instead of our own. And that can save a lot of time and money, which is one of the most important aspects of creating a business.
But for me it would be better if there were also some technical comments instead of explanations made by characters.
Anyway I recommend it as a good start point to anyone who is thinking about starting a new/first business.
It reminds me of "Once upon a time... Life" which is good series for younger people presenting how things work.
It shows mistakes made by main character so we can learn from them instead of our own. And that can save a lot of time and money, which is one of the most important aspects of creating a business.
But for me it would be better if there were also some technical comments instead of explanations made by characters.
Anyway I recommend it as a good start point to anyone who is thinking about starting a new/first business.
March 21, 2019
I learned a lot! One of the characters was named "Pitchford," which may tell you what you need to know about the quality of the novel as a novel and also is a kind of punny corporate humor I simply cannot abide.
July 10, 2020
A delightful reminder of The Goal, this book, too, tackles what seem like common-sensical ideas that are often (I use this word with certainty) overlooked- in a fluid fictionalised account of an entrepreneur trying to salvage his failing bike business.
February 14, 2024
I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in startups/entrepreneurship! Very insightful information and an engaging story.
March 21, 2025
It's captivating, detailed, and good entrepreneurial advice that is made vivid by the setting.
I had hard time with the drama, though, pushed too many buttons for me to be able to pay the best attention to the actual message, sometimes.
I had hard time with the drama, though, pushed too many buttons for me to be able to pay the best attention to the actual message, sometimes.
March 5, 2024
Written in an easy and engaging narrative style with good entrepreneurial lessons embedded. The story is well done but the “lessons” are a bit repetitive at times. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in startups and hammers a very essential method in how entrepreneurs should approach their endeavors
December 22, 2017
While I appreciate the effort in writing a novel instead of a dry instructions book, I found the moment in which the characters play poker (basically 50% of the book) rather dull. I understand why these are there, but I skipped most of them as they didn't give me any information and were rather corny. Also, the circumstances in which the main character finds himself are way too optimistic and would happen with a very small probability to someone else, making you feel like it all works out too well and everything just happens way too right compared to reality.
The book does have some good information, but nothing new if you have read The Lean Startup or Zero To One.
The book does have some good information, but nothing new if you have read The Lean Startup or Zero To One.
January 16, 2016
Page to page turned. 5 stars for the enjoyment. Eventhough I focused on charactors love story more than business content, I still got some useful concepts.
October 5, 2019
3.5⭐/5
although this was assigned reading for my graduate class, I will still review it all the same:
PROS:
1- presented as a narrative and not as a boring self-help kind of books
2- a quick read
3- the chapter titles give you a good idea what to expect (which is really helpful when moving back and forth)
4- the main idea(s) in each chapter is summarized and made Bold in every chapter; which is surprisingly useful for skimming and quick reminders
5- the story and the characters showed development and growth and were good to make the main ideas easy to recall and learn
6- would 100% recommend for anyone interested in starting up a business, or in Entrepreneurship.
7- it would be useful to avoid the common mistakes and ideologies, and expectations, and would tell you what to do along with some of the right strategies to do so.
8- I repeat: all of these are way easier to understand, grasp, and remember because of the narrative and the way the book is written and structured.
CONS:
1- A LOT OF REPETITION!
2- some paragraphs were very unnecessary
3- the book was mainly revolving around poker analogies, and to someone who knows nothing of it was quite irritating (you grasp the idea, but still)
4- some parts were solely about the game itself, which I found at times a waste of time, given that this book was supposed to be more informative than anything else.
although this was assigned reading for my graduate class, I will still review it all the same:
PROS:
1- presented as a narrative and not as a boring self-help kind of books
2- a quick read
3- the chapter titles give you a good idea what to expect (which is really helpful when moving back and forth)
4- the main idea(s) in each chapter is summarized and made Bold in every chapter; which is surprisingly useful for skimming and quick reminders
5- the story and the characters showed development and growth and were good to make the main ideas easy to recall and learn
6- would 100% recommend for anyone interested in starting up a business, or in Entrepreneurship.
7- it would be useful to avoid the common mistakes and ideologies, and expectations, and would tell you what to do along with some of the right strategies to do so.
8- I repeat: all of these are way easier to understand, grasp, and remember because of the narrative and the way the book is written and structured.
CONS:
1- A LOT OF REPETITION!
2- some paragraphs were very unnecessary
3- the book was mainly revolving around poker analogies, and to someone who knows nothing of it was quite irritating (you grasp the idea, but still)
4- some parts were solely about the game itself, which I found at times a waste of time, given that this book was supposed to be more informative than anything else.
August 7, 2017
A great lesson in a novel format
This book was actually for a class I'm taking while completing my graduate degree . What was most interesting this book, is the fact that there were lessons in each chapter and the fact that the book was written more like a novel versus a textbook. Each day I read the story about Owen and Sam pulled me in deeper and deeper; I looked forward to reading each day. If most textbooks were written in this format, I believe they would be more enjoyable. I give Diane Kander a huge thumbs up for excellent job writing this book. Great storyline and an equally great ending. Kudos to you Mrs. Kander for a job well done!
This book was actually for a class I'm taking while completing my graduate degree . What was most interesting this book, is the fact that there were lessons in each chapter and the fact that the book was written more like a novel versus a textbook. Each day I read the story about Owen and Sam pulled me in deeper and deeper; I looked forward to reading each day. If most textbooks were written in this format, I believe they would be more enjoyable. I give Diane Kander a huge thumbs up for excellent job writing this book. Great storyline and an equally great ending. Kudos to you Mrs. Kander for a job well done!
March 18, 2020
I came across "all in startup" on my quest to read/listen to at least 2 books per month. I love the concepts of products and/or companies should focus on (1) Solving major migraine problems oppose to minor headache inconveniences and (2) Using real life paying customer feedback and insight oppose to friends and family support. While I am not an entrepreneur, yet, I now evaluate opportunities and companies via the Migraine Lens. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to reading the next book.
January 4, 2021
Essential reading for entrepreneurs (would-be and actual)
This is a great book. Readable as a novel but with truly excellent advice. Entrepreneurship education is my speciality and I can assure anyone that the rules and principals put forward are absolutely spot-on, and as importantly highlight the areas where so many entrepreneurs get it wrong. Thanks Diane, this will be on my students essential reading list.
This is a great book. Readable as a novel but with truly excellent advice. Entrepreneurship education is my speciality and I can assure anyone that the rules and principals put forward are absolutely spot-on, and as importantly highlight the areas where so many entrepreneurs get it wrong. Thanks Diane, this will be on my students essential reading list.
March 7, 2023
My son is reading this for a college Entrepreneurship course and I decided to read it as well. What a brilliant way to engage readers, especially younger ones who tire of drab textbooks, by creating a fast-paced fiction and weaving the threads of business throughout. I would recommend this to anyone interested in understanding the basic tenets of starting a business as it will leave a useable and concrete foundation that young/old entrepreneurs can recall and put to practical use.
July 27, 2023
A narrative business book. This one is about a guy whose online bike business is failing. While attending a poker tournament, he meets a successful startup founder who coaches him on how to get his business back on track. Highly recommended for anyone just getting started in tech or with their own business. The book is largely about discovering a customer's problem through interviews. I'll be recommending this one a lot to my students. It's a great overview on the subject.
July 28, 2024
I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this book and was initially skeptical after the first few chapters. To my surprise this book is insightful and entertaining at the same time. The cleaver use of fictional storytelling to educate key startup advises is innovative and left a lasting impression on me. The story was actually interesting, although a bit much a times. I would recommend it as a fun read.
July 5, 2017
I found this book extremely entertaining and easy to listen to in Audible. It's the most exciting business book I've ever read. The fact that it puts entrepreneurship knowledge in a personal life context makes it so much more fun and easy to digest. Each chapter title is something any wanna-be entrepreneur should write down in a PostIt and stick it on the wall.
November 19, 2020
What a great idea to write a story that sums up rules of a start up :) I enjoyed the book and I enjoyed the story. It was a quick read for me, because the book was written in a very interesting way. Because it was a story, I will remember the advices in it more than from a regular business book. Thank you Diana! :)
March 2, 2022
I appreciate the thought behind writing a fictional story to illustrate the concepts of creating a business, but in the execution, it just doesn't work very well.
The ideas are solid, but this book would have been better with describing them in a nonfiction piece and utilizing examples rather than a full scale novel.
The ideas are solid, but this book would have been better with describing them in a nonfiction piece and utilizing examples rather than a full scale novel.
March 2, 2023
Had to read this for a Entrepreneurship class
What I liked about it:
-Interesting plot
-Teaches you important start-up concepts while making it interesting
-Enjoyed the poker analogies used to help explain some of the concepts
What is didn’t like about it:
-Can get a little repetitive with some of the concepts being taught
What I liked about it:
-Interesting plot
-Teaches you important start-up concepts while making it interesting
-Enjoyed the poker analogies used to help explain some of the concepts
What is didn’t like about it:
-Can get a little repetitive with some of the concepts being taught
September 26, 2017
Surprisingly one of the best books I have ever read on startups. Read it when I was 20 in college and getting into the scene.
This book teaches valuable lessons and is told through fiction narrative. Massively educational and recommended for every entr classroom.
This book teaches valuable lessons and is told through fiction narrative. Massively educational and recommended for every entr classroom.
February 7, 2020
It's been a long time since I finished a book within a day from picking it up. I liked the storytelling way of teaching that this book follows to keep it entertaining and enlightening at the same time! Not a dull moment. Loved it page to page!
June 28, 2022
Startup + poker + Vegas + romance + Lean... Sounds good?
An interesting book with some helpful tips for starting your own business. I really enjoyed reading it. I liked the analogy of poker and business - minmizing the risk when you have bad cards and taking a risk when you have the strong ones.
Only three stars though. I treat it as a business bok but I was more interested in the poker tournament story of the main character than the business company plot.
An interesting book with some helpful tips for starting your own business. I really enjoyed reading it. I liked the analogy of poker and business - minmizing the risk when you have bad cards and taking a risk when you have the strong ones.
Only three stars though. I treat it as a business bok but I was more interested in the poker tournament story of the main character than the business company plot.
March 5, 2024
I read this book for an Entrepreneurship class but actually really enjoyed it. It tells a fictional story of a man who realizes his startup is never going to be successful and the way that he fixes it. I enjoyed it and liked that it was formatted as a novel rather than a textbook.
July 2, 2017
Great business book, entertaining and edifying.
January 5, 2018
The story is just a gimmick and is too stereotypical at times. Real advice content could have been summarized in a couple of pages.
I liked the poker analogy though.
I liked the poker analogy though.
June 12, 2019
Although I cringed at the storyline a bit, one has to take into account that this is no artsy novel but actually a business book presented in a popular form. As such it is very good.
August 13, 2019
If I could rate this a 10 out of 5, I would. This is easily the best business / startup book I have ever read. Read it, just read it, it's so good.
November 8, 2019
Truly a one of a kind book. I've never read a fictional book about business. I love the way she told a story while highlighting the keys to being a successful entrepreneur.
January 6, 2020
Slow start but very great read for an entrepreneur!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews