Start. Scale. Exit. Repeat.

With more than thirty years of experience as a serial entrepreneur, COLIN C. CAMPBELL has founded, expanded, and divested over a dozen companies in partnership with his team. Some of his noteworthy ventures include Tucows, Hostopia, GeeksforLess, and .CLUB Domains, additionally he and partners continue to launch new companies like Paw.com, HipOptical, GiftAI.com, Escape Club, and Startup.club. In this book, he draws upon insights gained from an over decade-long journey of identifying patterns and interviewing successful serial entrepreneurs and industry experts to reveal the critical factors that drive startup success.

Introduction

Start
Story
Chapter 1: Ideas Are Everywhere
Chapter 2: From Idea to Action
Chapter 3: Catching the Next Wave Is Critical
Chapter 4: Focus on Something You (and Others) Love
Chapter 5: Pick an Idea That Can Scale
Chapter 6: Can You Build a Moat around Your Idea?
Chapter 7: Stage Gates
People
Chapter 8: First Hires: Pay Your People with Love, Ownership, and Freedom
Chapter 9: Hire People Who Are “Different”
Chapter 10: Hire Do-It-Yourself Employees
Money Chapter 11: Proving Your Concept
Chapter 12: Paying for Your Idea
Chapter 13: Becoming a Customer-Funded Startup
Chapter 14: Cash Is the Oxygen That Keeps Your Business Alive
SYSTEMS
Chapter 15: The Four Sticky Note Business Plan
Chapter 16: Why Startups Fail

Scale
Story
Chapter 17: Scale Quickly, Kill Quickly
Chapter 18: Scale in Zeros
Chapter 19: Find Your X Factor
Chapter 20: Prove It
Chapter 21: Promote It
Chapter 22: Finding the Right Distribution/Sales Channel
People
Chapter 23: Profile Everyone, Especially Yourself
Chapter 24: Hiring Great Leaders
Chapter 25: Hiring a Great Sales Team
Sales
Chapter 26: Proof Sells
Chapter 27: Perfecting the Pitch
Chapter 28: The Right Funding for the Right Situation at the Right Time
Chapter 29: The Problem with Venture (Vulture) Capital
Chapter 30: Raise Money by Saving Money
Systems
Chapter 31: The Value of Coaching
Chapter 32: Scale Your Culture
Chapter 33: Strategic Planning and Execution
Chapter 34: Goal Setting
Chapter 35: Transforming into a Sales Organization
Chapter 36: Growth through Acquisition
Chapter 37: Rely on Systems to Scale
Chapter 38: Catching the Break: Maximize Luck
Chapter 39: Minor Majors (a.k.a. Growth Hacks)
Chapter 40: Why Startups Fail to Scale

Exit
Story
Chapter 41: The Case for Selling
Chapter 42: When the Rules Change, Change with the Rules
Chapter 43: Types of Buyers
Chapter 44: Timing Is Half the Value
Chapter 45: Maximize the Value of the Exit
Chapter 46: It’s Not about You
People
Chapter 47: Liquidity or Control
Chapter 48: The Negotiation
SYSTEMS
Chapter 49: Sell Your Systems

Repeat
Story
Chapter 50: What Propels a Serial Entrepreneur
Chapter 51: Ideas Are Everywhere Again
People
Chapter 52: Track Your A Players
Money Chapter 53: Dress for Success
Chapter 54: Using Other People’s Money to Scale
Systems
Chapter 55: Use Copy and Paste Systems
Chapter 56: Make a Difference
Chapter 57: The Toll of Entrepreneurial Life
Chapter 58: Final Thoughts

Acknowledgments