Do More Faster

by Brad Feld and David G. Cohen

Published 1 January 2010

Refreshed, updated, and expanded. Do More Faster provides time-tested advice, tips, and experiences by founders and mentors of Techstars to help entrepreneurs succeed!

David Cohen and Brad Feld, leading advocates for entrepreneurs and startups, team up to provide first-time entrepreneurs with the tools, insights, and experiences to help them do more faster. The authors share their decades of experience working with thousands of startup founders and have enlisted the advice of dozens of Techstars startup founders and mentors. Contributors include Tim Ferriss, Eric Ries, Matt Mullenweg (WordPress), Isaac Saldana (SendGrid), and other successful entrepreneurs.

Co-founders of Techstars, the worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, Cohen and Feld recognize the daunting task of creating a sustainable business and have seen first-hand the common mistakes first-time entrepreneurs make over and over. The authors take the complexity and uncertainty of starting a business and distill the critical factors into seven themes: Ideas and Vision, People, Working Effectively, Product, Fundraising, Legal and Structure, and Work and Life Harmony. They share their hard-won successes, failures, and advice for anyone with an idea who wants to create a business.

Throughout the book crucial questions are raised and addressed from multiple perspectives.

●      How important is it to have an original idea?

●      How is founder conflict handled?

●      What are the tradeoffs between bootstrapping and financing?

Make-or-break decisions like company structure, hiring, and legal consequences are presented in an easy-to-understand style. Do More Faster will elevate your thinking on a range of important topics, help you avoid costly mistakes, and provide you with a resource to consult as you go from idea to successful business.

If you have the drive and desire to start a business, need to create a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in your community, or want to spark greater innovation in your organization—don’t go it alone. Use the advice, tips, and tactics found throughout Do More Faster to give yourself the best chance of succeeding. 


#GiveFirst

by Brad Feld

Published 16 June 2021

Give without taking to achieve lasting success

#GiveFirst takes a fresh look at entrepreneurship in the 21st century and provides an alternative framework for setting yourself up for success. Written by the co-founder of Techstars, a mentorship-driven startup accelerator, this book explains and expands upon the "give first" mentality; if business is built on the strength of relationships, one must base those relationships on a culture of help and reciprocity. By giving first and expecting nothing in return, you'll build the type of relationships that matter. The more you invest in relationships, the more you will get help when you need it; for example, the more you accomplish at work, the more likely you are to get a raise when you ask for one. This book lays out the core principles of the #GiveFirst approach to business, bolstered by real-world stories that illustrate how giving now often translates into "getting" down the road.

Author Brad Feld is a venture capitalist of over 20 years. Here, he condenses and codifies that experience into an actionable principles and ideas to help entrepreneurs achieve lasting success from day one.

  • Approach business relationships as reciprocal rather than transactional
  • Learn how small favors today can pay off big tomorrow
  • Forge lasting connections and invest more in those around you
  • Adopt a give-first mentality and set yourself up for sustainable success

We're all busy. But if a request for help is sincere and realistic, helping out if you're able is the smart move in the long term-but the key is to leave the transactional nature out of it, and view it as an investment in a relationship. #GiveFirst provides a fresh perspective on business relationships, and shows you how helping others really means helping yourself.


Do Even More Faster

by David G. Cohen and Brad Feld

Published 1 October 2010
Mission-critical advice and wisdom from top early stage investors and entrepreneurs Do More Faster got you started. And now, Do Even More Faster, Second Edition will share additional advice to keep your startup moving full steam ahead. Each new vignette in this sequel book contains valuable information coming out of the TechStars program-which is a mentorship-driven startup accelerator. Here, the authors share the insights of entrepreneurs who have passed through this program. They organize the most critical issues into a few simple themes: idea and vision, people, execution, product, fundraising, legal and structure, and work/life balance. Many of the examples, which are integrated into a cohesive narrative, debunk numerous myths about startups and reveal some surprising truths.
Builds on the essential themes found in Do More Faster , and offers a unique chance to learn from people with real-world startup experience Puts both the opportunities and challenges surrounding a startup in perspective Contributions to this effort come from the experienced author team as well as TechStar mentors, entrepreneurs, and founders of companies While you'll ultimately have to make your own decisions about what's right for your business, this practical guide can get your entrepreneurial endeavor headed in the right direction.

Startup Life

by Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor

Published 1 January 2013
Real life insights on what it takes to make it in a relationship with an entrepreneur Entrepreneurs are always on the go, looking for the next "startup" challenge. And while they lead very intensely rewarding lives, time is always short and relationships are often long-distant and stressed because of extended periods apart. Coping with these, and other obstacles, are critical if an entrepreneur and their partner intend on staying together and staying happy. In Startup Life, Brad Feld a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist shares his own personal experiences with his wife Amy, offering a series of rich insights into successfully leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he works and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work. With this book, Feld distills his twenty years of experience in this field to addresses how the village of startup people can put aside their workaholic ways and lead rewarding lives in all respects.
* Includes real-life examples of entrepreneurial couples who have had successful relationships and what works for them * Provides practical advice for adapting to change and overcoming the inevitable ups and downs associated with the entrepreneurial lifestyle * Written by Brad Feld, a thought-leader in this field who has been an early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than twenty years While there's no "secret formula" to relationship success in the world of the entrepreneur, there are ways to making navigation of this territory easier. Startup Life is a well-rounded guide that has the insights and advice you need to succeed in both your personal and business life.

Startup Boards

by Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani

Published 6 December 2013
An essential guide to understanding the dynamics of a startup's board of directors Let's face it, as founders and entrepreneurs, you have a lot on your plate getting to your minimum viable product, developing customer interaction, hiring team members, and managing the accounts/books. Sooner or later, you have a board of directors, three to five (or even seven) Type A personalities who seek your attention and at times will tell you what to do. While you might be hesitant to form a board, establishing an objective outside group is essential for startups, especially to keep you on track, call you out when you flail, and in some cases, save you from yourself. In Startup Boards, Brad Feld a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist shares his experience in this area by talking about the importance of having the right board members on your team and how to manage them well. Along the way, he shares valuable insights on various aspects of the board, including how they can support you, help you understand your startup's milestones and get to them faster, and hold you accountable.
* Details the process of choosing board members, including interviewing many people, checking references, and remembering that there should be no fear in rejecting a wrong fit * Explores the importance of running great meetings, mixing social time with business time, and much more * Recommends being a board member yourself at some other organization so you see the other side of the equation Engaging and informative, Startup Boards is a practical guide to one of the most important pieces of the startup puzzle.

Startup Opportunities

by Sean Wise and Brad Feld

Published 12 May 2017
Start strong with essential early-stage guidance from the VC perspective

Startup Opportunities is the go-to guide for anyone with a great business idea. Whether it's your first business or your fifth, realistic assessment from the outset can save you a lot of time and money; why pour your heart and soul into a venture that is doomed to fail? Instead, position yourself to win from the very beginning. In this book, accomplished venture capitalists share their insight on startups and entrepreneurs: who will fail, who will succeed and why, and what you should do to give your business the very best shot at becoming a global success story. You'll learn how to evaluate your business with a critical eye, and how early customer development can be key in turning a good idea into a great opportunity. If you're serious about building a business that lasts, this book provides invaluable guidance that you really cannot miss.

More than five million people will launch a business this year, and many of them will be great ideas—yet few will be around in five years, and even fewer in ten years. A great idea is not enough to build a successful business. You need to fortify your idea with the proper foundation, and a scaffolding of good planning and early action. This book shows you how.

  • Assess your business's viability using the 10x Rule
  • Learn when you can quit your day job—or not
  • Take the key steps to making your business succeed
  • Discover the opportunities worth selling everything for

This expert author team has witnessed more than 30,000 pitches over two decades, and have participated in over 500 startup launches. Startup Opportunities gives you the benefit of their experience to help you start strong and stay strong.