Entrepreneur’s Faces, Book Review Complete Beginner Stories

At any other time, the cover of The face of the entrepreneur It may look like a sales or growth chart; It now looks like a more unusual sand and beach scene. But turn it aside and the classic optical fantasy turns into two faces. They are probably two of the ten entrepreneurs described in the book: Faces – passing through seven stages in the arc. If these deliberate style steps are common, it is because it is a version of the hero’s journey, which is normally used to compose books about beginners.

The authors briefly describe each of the seven stages, but they are primarily based on the skills of ten different people who represent the ideas they agree on as architects and entrepreneurs: creator, leader, athlete, astrologer, visionary, watchman, leader, evangelist, collaborator and outsider. These are real founders, CEOs and leaders – not all from the technology industry – and there are many well-known names listed for each architect. Unfortunately, with the exception of one face, they are all male and appear to be the only female guardian on the nose (we are told that “guardians protect and liberate people by obstructing or confronting injustice”).

There are no quiz questions in the book to help readers identify themselves as a unique face (although there are some that can only be found by providing a name and email address on the book’s website). You may recognize one face as usual, but the authors point out that the most successful entrepreneurs have to take on different roles – this may be more obvious in workshops where this book is a covert advertisement.

For each step, we follow all ten faces. Jumping from one face to the other means not to get caught up in a unique narrative that does not tell you, and you will see many aspects of each level of experience. But the attempt to draw a vivid word picture of each entrepreneur can be useful for many clicks (eyeglasses, wide shoulders and classic athletic looks, puckish smiles, 80’s rock-star hair, flax-shaped pixels).

And jumping between faces means you can find out what happened to the person, because the work or company at one end of the room may take a long time when the next part starts, or because there are too many people to watch.

Some faces follow the usual start-up story – they took the product design department with the IDEO founder and rethinked their shoes so much that they gave up any idea of ​​a traditional craft to build a snowshoe company, for example, or a Stanford law degree but build a side library search tool. Others are inspired by friends or family to create or adapt a product to meet their needs. Or low-lactose ice cream for African consumers who often lose their ability to digest milk as an adult. Some are moving from company to company, doing what they want to do; Others push a lot of unspoken ideas, but the side jig is successful when the pillar.

Fundraising can be easy because you are in the right place with the right connections or it can be difficult but you need to find another place to learn about nuts and bolts. Similarly, the code you hire is not good, but there is a lot of detail in the meetings about what to say and what to do, or how to recommend or replace that developer.

Fate or Judgment?

The authors do not try to dismantle much of the world’s advice from pieces of entrepreneurial life, and it is often difficult to distinguish between the right relationships and those that lead to luck. How can it be useful to take a stand-up table to show a potential buyer and that hundreds of colleagues will try your sample on Google and order one?

It is good that the authors realize that there is not only one way to success, and you are welcome that not all entrepreneurs are from Silicon Valley (although many go there or raise money there). The place can be a real human attention, an experience that people can relate to, or an ecological push. The fact that this level can be interpreted broadly indicates that the framework for many different journeys is very clear.

The maker’s journey seems like a bit of a scam because part of their arch is set up by Stanford University’s Launchpad and the students and anonymous beginners go through several stages. There is more to learn from Lanchpad than entering here.

To make things interesting, the narrative is spelled with stories. Like Microsoft’s Innovation Outreach Program – an invitation-only platform for a few major companies – and how IBM invested in the design to transform the company, but there are still many quotes in Capigmini’s tedious negotiations. Building in San Francisco.

The problem of obtaining a business license and floor space in San Francisco can be a complete chapter, as it is a problem for many business owners to enter for some time after investing in projects. Similarly, it is important to note that many faces have different facets of a common problem. Check the product line and the products coming out of the line.

Fitting ten different faces means going in and out of their development, and the end is instead “and everyone is happy.” You will read this book for a wide range of situations and approaches, but a detailed description of how to lead, but if beginners and entrepreneurs like magazine profiles, this is a good supplement if you think of this slightly integrated structure. .

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