Synopsis
The Startup Roadmap: 21 Steps To ProfitabilityYou know you want to start a business, but you are not sure how to do it. Like many entrepreneurs, you are chomping at the bit to lift off, but you are struggling with a healthy fear of failure. You need a step-by-step process to guide you through the uncertainties of starting up. If you are determined to build, lead, and grow a profitable business, The Startup Roadmap is designed for you. You need a way to filter your ideas and figure out if they are bankable, sustainable, and worthy of your time, money, and reputation. You want to get started, but you do not want to take unnecessary risks. As much as possible, you want to look ahead and figure things out before you take the plunge – but you do not want to lose momentum, hamper your creativity, your energy, or your enthusiasm to get started – for fear you never will. As I see it, you have a choice. You can invest the time upfront to plan your journey, or you can roll the dice and launch without a plan, figuring out the inevitable problems and challenges as they present themselves. While I understand the need to pivot and make adjustments as you develop your business, I am not as confident in the concept of repeatedly trying, failing, and restarting, given the risks and costs to your livelihood. I believe you need to think through the essential steps to profitability before you launch. When I created the plans to launch my own business, USI, I followed a similar process. I could not afford to fail. I had a young family that relied on my income. Even though I couldn’t wait to go out on my own, I had to consider the ramifications of leaving my corporate job. Prior to liftoff, my team and I invested six months of our time – without compensation – in careful speculation, answering the 21 questions included in The Startup Roadmap. It paid big dividends. We grew USI into an Inc. 500 company and then sold it 14 years later to Johnson Controls, a Fortune 100 company. I want to share this Roadmap with you to help put you and your business on the path to long-term profit and success.This edition of The Startup Roadmap also includes a preview of our upcoming book, The Purpose Is Profit: The Truth about Starting and Building Your Own Business, scheduled for publication in January 2016.
About the Author
Ed McLaughlin — Entrepreneur, Executive, Author. Founder of four B2B businesses. Ed bootstrapped USI Companies and grew it into an Inc. 500 company, was honored as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, and in 2005 sold USI to Johnson Controls, a Fortune 100 Company. Ed then became CEO of JCI’s Global Workplace Business for the Americas. Ed is currently running his fourth company, Blue Sunsets LLC, investing in startups and real estate. He has a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross. Active in philanthropy, Ed lives with his wife in Connecticut and has three adult children. Connect with Ed on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @purposeisprofit. Read his blog: The Purpose Is Profit. Wyn Lydecker – Business Owner, Writer, Author. Wyn is the founder of Upstart Business Planning. She works with entrepreneurs to develop plans, summaries, and presentations that answer the questions investors ask most often. Wyn has 35 years of business experience and has been advising and mentoring entrepreneurs for 20 years. She has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School of The University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Economics from The University of California at Santa Barbara. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and has two adult children. Paul McLaughlin is a Vice President of Blue Sunsets LLC where he is responsible for residential development projects, specific angel investments, and general business administration. He has a BA in Mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross. Paul is pursuing his MBA at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.
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