GREAT READS

The Founder's Dilemmas: Anticipating and Avoiding the Pitfalls that Can Sink a Startup

Noam Wasserman.

"It's unfortunate but true: if entrepreneurship is a battle, most casualties stem from friendly fire or self-inflicted wounds." This opening sentence to Noam Wasserman's, "The Founder's Dilemmas," sets the tone for the entire book. No one claims starting a business is easy, but this book simplifies the process for entrepreneurs because it outlines the major pitfalls entrepreneurs often make and how to avoid them. The first section of the book, "Introduction and Pre-Founding," helps the reader decide if they should become an entrepreneur, and if so, when they should found their business, and finally how to dispassionately evaluate their idea. Later chapters delve into founding team dilemmas, hiring dilemmas, investor dilemmas, and succession dilemmas. If you have even an inkling of becoming your own boss, this book is a must read for valuable advice and information. As Chad Hurley states about this book, it's "an invaluable alternative to real-world trial and error."

Recommended by Laura Metzler