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The Startup Checklist: 25 Steps to a Scalable, High-Growth Business
This book is designed for a very specific type of business starter: the entrepreneur who is deliberately setting out to create a scalable, high-growth business designed for the twenty-first century; a business that will hire employees, issue stock options, raise money from outside investors, grow rapidly, and eventually either be acquired by a larger company or "go public" through an initial public offering. Starting that kind of business gets very complicated, very quickly, and making even small mistakes at the beginning can cause problems at every later step along the way.
These mistakes include the fundamental (starting a business that just doesn't make sense) to the painful (hooking up with people whose interests are divergent from yours) to the tragic (getting equity allocations wrong at the beginning and never being able to recover), all the way to the really, really expensive (making simple mistakes at the incorporation level that result in five- and six-figure clean-up costs the first time a serious investor is thinking of supporting you).
This book is your one-stop checklist to starting off right. It assumes no prior knowledge about business—just a strong desire to create something seriously big, and to do so in the most effective, most efficient, and least expensive way possible. David S. Rose, a serial entrepreneur who is one of the world's leading startup investors, walks beside you throughout the process, providing the background you need to understand the whys in addition to the whats and the hows. He takes you step-by-step through the nitty gritty practical tasks of starting up a high-growth venture, introduces you to the latest online tools that will save you time and money, points you to the standard books that should be in every entrepreneur's library, and gives you a peek behind the curtains of the angel investor and venture worlds.
Among the concrete steps covered are:
Translating your idea into a compelling business model
Allocating equity among your startup team
Incorporating as a Delaware "C" corporation
Recruiting your boards of Directors and Advisors
Measuring your business with data analytics
Establishing a stock option plan
Understanding the funding process
Crowdfunding with online platforms
Negotiating investment term sheets
Reaping the benefits of success through acquisition
These mistakes include the fundamental (starting a business that just doesn't make sense) to the painful (hooking up with people whose interests are divergent from yours) to the tragic (getting equity allocations wrong at the beginning and never being able to recover), all the way to the really, really expensive (making simple mistakes at the incorporation level that result in five- and six-figure clean-up costs the first time a serious investor is thinking of supporting you).
This book is your one-stop checklist to starting off right. It assumes no prior knowledge about business—just a strong desire to create something seriously big, and to do so in the most effective, most efficient, and least expensive way possible. David S. Rose, a serial entrepreneur who is one of the world's leading startup investors, walks beside you throughout the process, providing the background you need to understand the whys in addition to the whats and the hows. He takes you step-by-step through the nitty gritty practical tasks of starting up a high-growth venture, introduces you to the latest online tools that will save you time and money, points you to the standard books that should be in every entrepreneur's library, and gives you a peek behind the curtains of the angel investor and venture worlds.
Among the concrete steps covered are:
Translating your idea into a compelling business model
Allocating equity among your startup team
Incorporating as a Delaware "C" corporation
Recruiting your boards of Directors and Advisors
Measuring your business with data analytics
Establishing a stock option plan
Understanding the funding process
Crowdfunding with online platforms
Negotiating investment term sheets
Reaping the benefits of success through acquisition
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2016
222 people are currently reading
1006 people want to read
About the author
David S. Rose
4 books60 followersDavid S. Rose is an Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur, angel investor, author and keynote speaker who has founded or funded over 100 pioneering companies. He has been described by Forbes as "New York's Archangel", by BusinessWeek as a "world conquering entrepreneur", by Crain's New York Business as "the father of angel investing in New York", and by Red Herring magazine as "patriarch of Silicon Alley". He is the New York Times best selling author of Angel Investing: The Gust Guide to Making Money & Having Fun Investing in Startups.
From his initial involvement with the first online communities in the 1970s, through founding one of the first personal computer training companies in the 1980s, one of the first wireless data information networks in the 1990s, and the first global angel investing platform in the 2000s, David has been at the forefront of innovation in business and technology.
Among the fields in which he has been actively involved as an executive, board member or investor are: wireless communications, consumer electronics, crowdsourcing, international finance, social networking, space tourism, user-generated content, online video, mobile network security, biological testing, electronic music, citizen journalism, out-of-home advertising, fiber-optic networking, concierge medicine, online marketing, interactive voice response, and many others.
As an entrepreneurial executive himself, David is the founder and CEO of Gust, which operates the world's largest online platform and community for entrepreneurs and early stage investors. Gust is used by hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in over 190 countries to connect with tens of thousands of accredited investors.
He is also Managing Director of Rose Tech Ventures; Founder and Chairman Emeritus of New York Angels; and Founding Track Chair for Finance and Entrepreneurship at Singularity University, the Google/NASA-sponsored post-graduate program in exponential technologies.
David is Chairman of Board of Social Bicycles and Waywire.com, serves as a director of KoolSpan; TekServe and the NY Tech Meetup, and is an active early stage investor in companies including RealtyMogul, Space Adventures, Moven and PerformLINE.
David is well known in the business startup community for discovering and mentoring high-potential entrepreneurs, and has been profiled by BusinessWeek as "The Pitch Coach" for his ability to help CEOs perfect their fundraising skills. He is a regular speaker at the TED conferences, and his TEDtalk on How to Pitch a VC has been viewed nearly a million times. He lectures at business schools including Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Pace, and Stevens, and was named Mentor of the Year by NYU's Stern School of Business.
Prior to founding AirMedia Corporation in 1988, for which he served as CEO for over ten years, his career included over fifteen years in real estate development, government, teaching and urban planning. David was co-founder and Chairman of The Computer Classroom and Vice President at Rose Associates, Inc. Earlier, he served as Deputy Director of the New York office of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
A native New Yorker, David has a BA in Urban Affairs from Yale University, an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and a D. Eng. (hc) from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the New York City public school system and Horace Mann High School. He is an Associate Fellow of Pierson College at Yale University and a member of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Boards of Columbia Business School and Yale University. David can be found online at davidsrose.com and followed @davidsrose
From his initial involvement with the first online communities in the 1970s, through founding one of the first personal computer training companies in the 1980s, one of the first wireless data information networks in the 1990s, and the first global angel investing platform in the 2000s, David has been at the forefront of innovation in business and technology.
Among the fields in which he has been actively involved as an executive, board member or investor are: wireless communications, consumer electronics, crowdsourcing, international finance, social networking, space tourism, user-generated content, online video, mobile network security, biological testing, electronic music, citizen journalism, out-of-home advertising, fiber-optic networking, concierge medicine, online marketing, interactive voice response, and many others.
As an entrepreneurial executive himself, David is the founder and CEO of Gust, which operates the world's largest online platform and community for entrepreneurs and early stage investors. Gust is used by hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in over 190 countries to connect with tens of thousands of accredited investors.
He is also Managing Director of Rose Tech Ventures; Founder and Chairman Emeritus of New York Angels; and Founding Track Chair for Finance and Entrepreneurship at Singularity University, the Google/NASA-sponsored post-graduate program in exponential technologies.
David is Chairman of Board of Social Bicycles and Waywire.com, serves as a director of KoolSpan; TekServe and the NY Tech Meetup, and is an active early stage investor in companies including RealtyMogul, Space Adventures, Moven and PerformLINE.
David is well known in the business startup community for discovering and mentoring high-potential entrepreneurs, and has been profiled by BusinessWeek as "The Pitch Coach" for his ability to help CEOs perfect their fundraising skills. He is a regular speaker at the TED conferences, and his TEDtalk on How to Pitch a VC has been viewed nearly a million times. He lectures at business schools including Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Pace, and Stevens, and was named Mentor of the Year by NYU's Stern School of Business.
Prior to founding AirMedia Corporation in 1988, for which he served as CEO for over ten years, his career included over fifteen years in real estate development, government, teaching and urban planning. David was co-founder and Chairman of The Computer Classroom and Vice President at Rose Associates, Inc. Earlier, he served as Deputy Director of the New York office of US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
A native New Yorker, David has a BA in Urban Affairs from Yale University, an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and a D. Eng. (hc) from Stevens Institute of Technology. He is a graduate of the New York City public school system and Horace Mann High School. He is an Associate Fellow of Pierson College at Yale University and a member of the Entrepreneurship Advisory Boards of Columbia Business School and Yale University. David can be found online at davidsrose.com and followed @davidsrose
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
May 4, 2016
I'm the author, so I'm certainly biased on this book. That said, I hope I've done a good job of bringing together in one place all of the blocking and tackling specifics that founders of high growth businesses need to know up front! I'm happy to answer any questions about, so feel free to Ask the Author!
May 11, 2019
Some quotes:
- "Value propositions. How the business solves problems and meets the needs of its customers, creating value for them in the process."
-"Channels. How the business reaches its customers and delivers value to them—for example, through direct online sales, retail distribution channels, value-added resellers, company-owned"
-"Customer relationships. The ways in which the business connects with, relates to, and retains customers."
-"Revenue streams. Where the money comes from: how the business generates income from the value propositions it offers to customers."
-"Key resources. The assets required to create and deliver the sets. Key activities. What the business does to make its business"
-"Key activities. What the business does to make its business model work, such as inventing, buying, building, distributing, operating, and so forth."
-"Key partnerships. Outside organizations, such as suppliers and partners, that help the business model work."
-"Cost structure. The costs that the business incurs in operating its business model."
-"Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares, in their great book Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers"
-"You can read much more about it on his comprehensive blog, OrganizationalPhysics.com , which includes such cool things as the World's Fastest Personality Test, a free, 15-second test to help you understand the basics of someone's personality style (including your own)."
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- "Value propositions. How the business solves problems and meets the needs of its customers, creating value for them in the process."
-"Channels. How the business reaches its customers and delivers value to them—for example, through direct online sales, retail distribution channels, value-added resellers, company-owned"
-"Customer relationships. The ways in which the business connects with, relates to, and retains customers."
-"Revenue streams. Where the money comes from: how the business generates income from the value propositions it offers to customers."
-"Key resources. The assets required to create and deliver the sets. Key activities. What the business does to make its business"
-"Key activities. What the business does to make its business model work, such as inventing, buying, building, distributing, operating, and so forth."
-"Key partnerships. Outside organizations, such as suppliers and partners, that help the business model work."
-"Cost structure. The costs that the business incurs in operating its business model."
-"Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares, in their great book Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers"
-"You can read much more about it on his comprehensive blog, OrganizationalPhysics.com , which includes such cool things as the World's Fastest Personality Test, a free, 15-second test to help you understand the basics of someone's personality style (including your own)."
Books train your brain. Train Your Brain with Readlax
September 18, 2017
A quick, concise read, outlining a very practical set of benchmarks for startups, with just enough consideration given to organizational setup, financial details, etc.
The only drawback for me: the examples related to financial, legal, and corporate structure considerations are US-based, requiring some extra homework or translation for Canadian outfits. But still recommended for Canadian startups based on the clarity and utility of the information and how quick and easy it is to get through.
The only drawback for me: the examples related to financial, legal, and corporate structure considerations are US-based, requiring some extra homework or translation for Canadian outfits. But still recommended for Canadian startups based on the clarity and utility of the information and how quick and easy it is to get through.
July 25, 2022
Very helpful summary about different concepts and ideas regarding business. Especially for those who just want to start a business, especially startup. A bit US-centric in some details, which I don't like, yet it was not a problem. Lot of helpful lists, examples and insider information. Helpful read for those who want to learn more about starting their own business, what to consider and what to expect. [reading time: 7h57m]
October 25, 2017
Would have a positive review, but this book has the F-word in it.
October 13, 2020
Hmm, a valuable book to read which honestly leaves you with a mixed feeling.
Me personally, after reading this book, am quite prone to AVOID having business with angel investors and VC's, after taking everything into consideration, it just doesn't seem worth the price.
Like Mr. Rose said in his book, the investors have the money, so it is pretty much their will = law, unless you are hot stuff, e.g. Facebook, Twitter or don't need the money so bad.
The book does seem a little subjective, where you can tell that investors (including Mr.Rose) lean towards the detriment of entrepreneurs and the benefit of themselves, but that is also understandable to a degree since we as human being are a little egoistical, and I guess after working in an industry for over 30 years like Mr. Rose did, something just sticks to you.
Definitely recommend, you learn a lot, and if anything it is worth the scare factor, the average founder in a VC backed startup controls 10-15 % of the company (which is horrible as you might assume) and you need to answer to "The Boss", i.e. board of directors.
Best advice possible: Try to bootstrap your company and stay away from the "devil's bargain".
Me personally, after reading this book, am quite prone to AVOID having business with angel investors and VC's, after taking everything into consideration, it just doesn't seem worth the price.
Like Mr. Rose said in his book, the investors have the money, so it is pretty much their will = law, unless you are hot stuff, e.g. Facebook, Twitter or don't need the money so bad.
The book does seem a little subjective, where you can tell that investors (including Mr.Rose) lean towards the detriment of entrepreneurs and the benefit of themselves, but that is also understandable to a degree since we as human being are a little egoistical, and I guess after working in an industry for over 30 years like Mr. Rose did, something just sticks to you.
Definitely recommend, you learn a lot, and if anything it is worth the scare factor, the average founder in a VC backed startup controls 10-15 % of the company (which is horrible as you might assume) and you need to answer to "The Boss", i.e. board of directors.
Best advice possible: Try to bootstrap your company and stay away from the "devil's bargain".
February 3, 2023
As an experienced startup owner, I found The Startup Checklist by David S. Rose to be an incredibly valuable resource. This comprehensive guide takes you through 25 essential steps for building a scalable, high-growth business. The book is filled with practical advice and real-life examples, making it easy to understand and apply the concepts to your startup.
One of the things I appreciated about this book is how it covers everything from the initial idea and product development to fundraising and scaling the business. The step-by-step approach is easy to follow and provides a roadmap for success. Additionally, the book is filled with tips and best practices from successful entrepreneurs, making it a must-read for anyone looking to take their startup to the next level.
I highly recommend The Startup Checklist to any entrepreneur, whether you are just starting or looking to take your business to the next level. This book is a valuable resource that will help you navigate the many challenges of starting and growing a business and provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed.
One of the things I appreciated about this book is how it covers everything from the initial idea and product development to fundraising and scaling the business. The step-by-step approach is easy to follow and provides a roadmap for success. Additionally, the book is filled with tips and best practices from successful entrepreneurs, making it a must-read for anyone looking to take their startup to the next level.
I highly recommend The Startup Checklist to any entrepreneur, whether you are just starting or looking to take your business to the next level. This book is a valuable resource that will help you navigate the many challenges of starting and growing a business and provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to succeed.
April 5, 2019
While some of the information and weblinks are a little dated in 2019, the wisdom and real-world experiential knowledge of David Rose are well worth your time in reading a referencing this book.
I read the kindle edition so that I could use the hyperlinks and create notes more easily. This is more than a reference work, and although it's very compact in it's chapter arrangements and writing style, you'll notice that he doesn't waste words in what he needs to get across to the reader, who is for all intents and purposes someone who "means business".
This book is intended to be highly practical and immensely useful, and it hits the mark right on the nose. It's not intended for historians, business historians or casual readers. It's for people in the Startup world as either a founder or an investor, but mainly for founders.
The appendices and links and bibliography are worth the cost of the book many times over.
I read the kindle edition so that I could use the hyperlinks and create notes more easily. This is more than a reference work, and although it's very compact in it's chapter arrangements and writing style, you'll notice that he doesn't waste words in what he needs to get across to the reader, who is for all intents and purposes someone who "means business".
This book is intended to be highly practical and immensely useful, and it hits the mark right on the nose. It's not intended for historians, business historians or casual readers. It's for people in the Startup world as either a founder or an investor, but mainly for founders.
The appendices and links and bibliography are worth the cost of the book many times over.
October 18, 2017
As a whole, I thought the book is well-structured, and divided up into manageable chunks. It’s also easy to read and Rose puts his language in colloquial terms for other people who are not used to business terms. I also enjoy the fact that the book is split into the three main ideas: ‘prepare to launch’, ‘launch and build your business’, and ‘raise funds, collaborate for investment, prepare to leave’. Thus, across these ideas, the book is broken down into 25 steps for launching and growing a startup. Since the whole book is structured like a checklist, it seems to be achievable to follow the advice it gives. In the future, I would definitely read this book again because it gives be hope to not make silly mistakes in the business industry.
July 5, 2017
A complete elaborate book for Entrepreneurs looking for guidelines or what to expect from the Idea stage till the exit. As the title suggests it is a quick and good read as a Know How of all the related stages of a startup and how to execute each of them. Another pros of this book is david gives very good references for tools, websites for each chapter, which could help you manage your startup. Overall very good and justice done to the Title. However much i though each chapter ended very soon but now I atleast know where to look for information!
August 5, 2018
A good book, whether for investors or entrepreneurs. It offers a strong narrative and a comprehensive checklist for anyone starting a new high-growth business. As for investors and others who interact with startups, it offers insights on the level of development and/or expertise that the startup founders are at, depending on their relative completion of the items in the checklist.
Recommended for anyone working in the area of high-growth businesses, whether as a founder, investor, or vendor/client of such businesses.
Recommended for anyone working in the area of high-growth businesses, whether as a founder, investor, or vendor/client of such businesses.
October 20, 2018
The book provides a very hands-on approach to various steps in a startup journey. It also provides a plethora of resources that a startup needs. I learned about so many new opportunities and resources, such as SCORE that has been instrumental in my startup, after reading this book. The book is structured in a way that you can easily find the step your startup is at to become well informed in that area. I would recommend anyone who is in a startup to read this book.
April 12, 2023
This was finally the "starting a business" book that I've been looking for. Absolutely outstanding. Rose goes through everything you should know about before going into such an endeavor. It's like having your own personal venture capitalist for a friend pointing you in all the right directions to focus learning more about.
Listened to this on audiobook, and I ordered the print version before even getting halfway through. Looking forward to having this as a reference to keep around.
Listened to this on audiobook, and I ordered the print version before even getting halfway through. Looking forward to having this as a reference to keep around.
September 18, 2024
Really insightful and helpful. As a startup founder located in Canada and owning a Delaware C-Corp, I was able to learn a lot of new stuffs which helped me to refine my startup throughout. Though, getting an EIN part (located at the end of the book) as a foreigner is outdated, still the overall book is relevant even in 2024 and really great if you want to build a better startup in the United States!
January 6, 2018
This book is clear, concise and well written. Of all the piles of startup books out there, this one is my favorite so far. I would, however, appreciate a second book specifically targeted to businesses that intentionally do NOT want to scale. That being said, I will be re-reading this book in the future. I bought the ebook and now will be ordering the hard copy too.
July 3, 2022
A useful resource for people who are about to start a new business. The scope is quite comprehensive, but don't expect in-depth information or more concrete how-to's. And the included lists of different tools and services for startups are already a bit outdated. The main focus is on getting VC funding.
August 4, 2017
A great start-to-finish guide for anyone thinking about starting a business...
August 30, 2017
Very good book for aspiring entrepreneurs.
December 27, 2017
Practical with specific examples, helpful.
January 8, 2018
Very informative book about business especially early chapters. Some chaptes to be explored further if your business is successful.
June 5, 2018
Really useful for big picture thinkers. I might say the book is leaning a bit toward high growth tech startups, but the general advice is pretty great.
June 17, 2018
Good checklist for starting up a business but rather fit for those in USA. Still a good insight though and a good read indeed
April 17, 2020
کتاب خوبیه. مخصوصا اوایلش. ولی زیاده گویی و توضیحات غیر لازم کم نداره.
October 25, 2020
Very good book. Awesome content
It opened my eyes to a lot of steps on our journey and provided good info on what to do when we get there
It opened my eyes to a lot of steps on our journey and provided good info on what to do when we get there
December 2, 2020
In depth list of things to check before one jump on to entrepreneurship! Nicely written with vast experience and issues faced by startups in US.
February 10, 2021
Must-read for any founder in need of angel investors or venture capital.
May 19, 2021
Great book for beginners as it go through the basic steps needed to launch a startups.
December 31, 2023
Enjoyable and actionable (if in parts outdated). Geared towards US market but mostly applicable in the UK.
July 29, 2016
My first ever Goodreads Giveaway book won, and it came at a very serendipitous time; I've been thinking very seriously about starting a business.
Although the concepts in this book about large high growth business is way above my more modest mom & pop shop goals right now, I was able to take advantage of many lessons and themes of the business world in the book. I was also led to many good websites and other tools that can help in starting any business.
Although the concepts in this book about large high growth business is way above my more modest mom & pop shop goals right now, I was able to take advantage of many lessons and themes of the business world in the book. I was also led to many good websites and other tools that can help in starting any business.
August 25, 2016
Came across this book serendipitously and I'm glad I did. . Rose provides a very helpful step-by-step framework here for launching or relaunching a business. Not only are the action steps clearly provided, Rose also provides enough background context for each step such that a reader who doesn't know enough about a certain topic is informed enough to take decisive action. It's written as simply as it can be, but not too simply.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews