Startupland

How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business

Business & Finance, Career Planning & Job Hunting, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship & Small Business
Cover of the book Startupland by Mikkel Svane, Wiley
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mikkel Svane ISBN: 9781118980866
Publisher: Wiley Publication: November 13, 2014
Imprint: Jossey-Bass Language: English
Author: Mikkel Svane
ISBN: 9781118980866
Publisher: Wiley
Publication: November 13, 2014
Imprint: Jossey-Bass
Language: English

The real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke.

Conventional wisdom says most startups need to be in Silicon Valley, started by young engineers around a sexy new idea, and backed by VC funding. But as Mikkel Svane reveals in Startupland, the story of founding Zendesk was anything but conventional.

Founded in a Copenhagen loft by three thirty-something friends looking to break free from corporate doldrums, Zendesk Inc. is now one of the hottest enterprise software companies, still rapidly growing with customers in 150 countries. But its success was anything but predestined. With revealing stories both funny and frank, Mikkel shares how he and his friends bravely left secure jobs to start something on their own, how he almost went broke several times, how they picked up themselves and their families to travel across the world to California and the unknown, and how the three friends were miraculously still together for Zendesk's IPO and (still growing) success.

Much like Zendesk's mission itself—to remove friction, barriers, and mystery in order to make customer service easier and more approachable—Startupland removes some of the myths about startups and startup founders. Mikkel's advice, hard-won through experience, often bucks conventional wisdom and entrepreneurial tropes. He shares why failure (whether fast or slow) is awful, why a seemingly boring product or idea can be the most exciting, why giving back to the community is as important as the bottom line. From how to hire right (look for people who are not offended by swearing) to which personas generate the highest response rates, Mikkel answers the most pressing questions from the perspective of someone still in the trenches and willing to share the hard truth, warts and all.

While there are books by consultants who tell you how to build businesses, or by entrepreneurs now running billion-dollar businesses, there are few books from people still in the trenches who acutely remember the difficult daily decisions, the thrill (and fears) of the early days, the problems that scale with growing a business, and the reason why they all went on the adventure in the first place. Startupland is indispensable reading for all entrepreneurs who want to make their ideas the next big thing. The book will inspire and empower you to follow your own dream and create your own story.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke.

Conventional wisdom says most startups need to be in Silicon Valley, started by young engineers around a sexy new idea, and backed by VC funding. But as Mikkel Svane reveals in Startupland, the story of founding Zendesk was anything but conventional.

Founded in a Copenhagen loft by three thirty-something friends looking to break free from corporate doldrums, Zendesk Inc. is now one of the hottest enterprise software companies, still rapidly growing with customers in 150 countries. But its success was anything but predestined. With revealing stories both funny and frank, Mikkel shares how he and his friends bravely left secure jobs to start something on their own, how he almost went broke several times, how they picked up themselves and their families to travel across the world to California and the unknown, and how the three friends were miraculously still together for Zendesk's IPO and (still growing) success.

Much like Zendesk's mission itself—to remove friction, barriers, and mystery in order to make customer service easier and more approachable—Startupland removes some of the myths about startups and startup founders. Mikkel's advice, hard-won through experience, often bucks conventional wisdom and entrepreneurial tropes. He shares why failure (whether fast or slow) is awful, why a seemingly boring product or idea can be the most exciting, why giving back to the community is as important as the bottom line. From how to hire right (look for people who are not offended by swearing) to which personas generate the highest response rates, Mikkel answers the most pressing questions from the perspective of someone still in the trenches and willing to share the hard truth, warts and all.

While there are books by consultants who tell you how to build businesses, or by entrepreneurs now running billion-dollar businesses, there are few books from people still in the trenches who acutely remember the difficult daily decisions, the thrill (and fears) of the early days, the problems that scale with growing a business, and the reason why they all went on the adventure in the first place. Startupland is indispensable reading for all entrepreneurs who want to make their ideas the next big thing. The book will inspire and empower you to follow your own dream and create your own story.

More books from Wiley

Cover of the book The Visualization of Spatial Social Structure by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Tourism by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book People Buy You by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Teach Yourself VISUALLY Excel 2013 by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Social Security For Dummies by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium All-in-One For Dummies by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Fatigue Limit in Metals by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Upside Down Management by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book King's Applied Anatomy of the Central Nervous System of Domestic Mammals by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Developing Core Literacy Proficiencies, Grade 7 by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book A History of a cGMP Medical Event Investigation by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Paradigms of Combinatorial Optimization by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Canon EOS 80D For Dummies by Mikkel Svane
Cover of the book Laddering by Mikkel Svane
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy