as part of Cynthia Kocialski's virtual blog tour with Pump Up Your Book:
About Startup from the Ground Up
Many entrepreneurs have that sudden spark of inspiration, that moment when an product idea is born, their minds start racing quickly with images of all its potential, jumping from one possibility to the next, and then their thoughts slowly settle and arrive at vision a futuristic company – one with crowds of customers beating at the doors of their new office building, inboxes overflowing with requests from the press wanting to interview the founders, and phone ringing with investors all wanting to get in on the deal. Finally, reality brings the entrepreneur’s thoughts to a screeching halt, “How do I go from this great idea to this great company. Where do I start?”
The idea is born, but you can only go so far with just an idea. Start-ups don’t fail because companies are unable to build a product; they fail because the business factors needed to bring that product into the market are either neglected or ignored. Practical, insightful and actionable,Startup from the Ground Up gets you moving down the right path and thinking in the right direction with tips, strategies, and techniques on how to launch a start up. Readers will discover:
- Why it’s not enough just to have a great product
- How to take a product concept and turn it into a full-fledged successful business
- Why it is so important to start marketing your product as early as possible and how to get started
- How to build a team and keep them, and why a team is more than founders and employees
- If you seek outside funding, what investors will be looking for and how to entice them
Cynthia, founder of three companies, has worked with over 25 start-ups, and she knows that having a great product isn’t enough. You have to know how to get your product out in the marketplace. The quickest way to get any fledgling idea to realize its full potential, Startup from the Ground Up provides insight that ensures a proper foundation for success.
My review:
This book is a simple overview of what it takes to be part of a start up- it begins by laying the groundwork for what a start up is and isn't and helps the reader decide if they have the drive and determination to work through the process of starting a business. It moves through the various aspects of building a business and gives you food for thought about a wide range of topics from research to sales.
My husband, who coaches his students in creating business plans for the hospitality industry and who has worked with many small and large companies on product development and implementation read the book too and summarized his comments by saying that he wouldn't be able to give a good grade to someone who followed this book's business plan model and research philosophies to the letter, as they are a good jump off point, but not comprehensive enough for most capital organizations.
What I like about this book is that it's infused with the author's experience and wisdom, and has some great hints and advice. It's drawback is that it falls short of being a comprehensive, step by step guide for current or future entrepreneurs. I would recommend this book to someone who is starting with an idea and isn't sure about what the steps and process involves. I think that it's a fabulous first read that will whet your appetite to delve further into the business of creating your start up if you really are an entrepreneur , and gives you some food for thought and questions to ponder as you begin your journey.
Start up from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Transforming an Idea into a Business is available at amazon.com and other fine online and retail booksellers and would make a great gift for someone in your life who is thinking about becoming a start up entrepreneur!
is available at amazon.com and other fine online and retail booksellers and would make a great gift for someone in your life who is thinking about becoming a start up entrepreneur!About Cynthia Kocialski
Cynthia Kocialski is the founder of three companies – two fabless semiconductor and one software company. In the past 15 years, she has been involved in dozens of start-ups and has served on various advisory boards. These companies have collectively returned billions of dollars to investors. Cynthia has worked with established companies to bring start-up techniques and technologies to corporations desiring to process improvement and efficiency.
Prior to her work in the start-up community, Cynthia has held a wide range of technical, marketing, and management positions at major corporations. At IBM, Cynthia began with financial software to facilitate the tracking of sales and inventory for international operations. She later moved into development and engineering management working of scientific workstations. Finally, Cynthia transitioned into technical marketing and strategic planning role for graphics and digital video components for personal computers. At Matrox, Cynthia was the general manager, overseeing the R&D area of digital video and image processing product lines,
Cynthia graduated of the University of Rochester with bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and applied statistics. She also has graduate degrees from the University of Virginia in both electrical engineering and systems engineering.
She also writes the popular Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog and has written many articles on emerging technologies.
Her latest book is Start Up from the Ground Up: Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs.
You can visit her website at www.cynthiakocialski.com.
