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The Founder's Dilemmas
Book

The Founder's Dilemmas

Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls That Can Sink a Startup

Noam Wasserman
Princeton UP, 2012

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Most people admire self-made men and women – the Bill Gateses and Anita Roddicks who establish successful companies and reap a multitude of rewards. However, the path to start-up success is fraught with roadblocks, detours, washouts and dead ends. Harvard Business School professor Noam Wasserman identifies the common “founder’s dilemmas” and details their short- and long-term consequences. More specifically, he exposes the tacit tension that exists between creating wealth and maintaining control. This isn’t a quick read; it’s an in-depth, intelligent analysis based on 10 years of extensive research. At times, you may find yourself wishing for a bullet-point list. Yet getAbstract encourages would-be founders, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists to keep reading: You’ll find Wasserman’s insights and solutions well worth your time – and they may make the difference between your start-up’s success or failure.

Take-Aways

  • Founders’ early decisions about start-ups have acute short- and long-term outcomes.
  • Would-be entrepreneurs should assess their “human, social and financial capital” before embarking on their new business.
  • A founder must decide whether to go solo or enlist others with complementary skills.

About the Author

Noam Wasserman, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, based his book on his award-winning course, “Founders’ Dilemmas.”

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