Positioning: How To Test, Validate, And Bring Your Idea To Market

by Sramana Mitra

In Positioning: How To Test, Validate, And Bring Your Ideas To Market, the third book in her Entrepreneur Journeys series, Sramana Mitra offers a close look at the process of sculpting your idea into a sharply defined Go To Market strategy. Clarity, Mitra confirms, is the ultimate tool in building a successful business. But such clarity cannot be purchased or assumed – it requires asking the right questions. Mitra showcases case study after case study of successful entrepreneurs who have answered these questions, analyzed their markets, and defined their value propositions through differentiation, competitive analysis, market sizing, and, among other core elements of a compelling strategic marketing plan, segmentation. The process she takes her readers through is akin to the grilling venture capitalists typically take entrepreneurs through. A grueling test to any business idea, Mitra’s book stimulates a due diligence exercise, which no matter if you are bootstrapping or raising venture capital, you must put yourself through to avoid wasting precious years and scarce resources.

Sramana Mitra is a technology entrepreneur and strategy consultant in Silicon Valley. She has founded three companies and writes a business blog, Sramana Mitra on Strategy (sramanamitra.com). She has a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mitra is also a columnist for Forbes.

278 pages

First published August 10, 2009

Reviews

[Lori Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book on startups for knowledge workers and aspiring entrepreneurs.