24 Steps to Success!

Disciplined Entrepreneurship will change the way you think about starting a company. Many believe that entrepreneurship cannot be taught, but great entrepreneurs aren’t born with something special – they simply make great products. This book will show you how to create a successful startup through developing an innovative product. It breaks down the necessary processes into an integrated, comprehensive, and proven 24-step framework that any industrious person can learn and apply. 

You will learn:

• Why the “F” word – focus – is crucial to a startup’s success
• Common obstacles that entrepreneurs face – and how to overcome them
• How to use innovation to stand out in the crowd – it’s not just about technology

Whether you’re a first-time or repeat entrepreneur, Disciplined Entrepreneurship gives you the tools you need to improve your odds of making a product people want.

Author Bill Aulet is the managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship as well as a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

For more please visit http://disciplinedentrepreneurship.com/

Bill Aulet is the managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship as well as a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to joining MIT, he had a 25-year track record of success in business, from his start at IBM to his experience as a serial entrepreneur. He started and ran Cambridge Decision Dynamics and SensAble Technologies. He works around the world with entrepreneurs, small companies, large companies, and governments to promote innovation-driven entrepreneurship.

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Six Themes of the 24 Steps

Step 0: Getting Started

Step 1: Market Segmentation

Step 2: Select a Beachhead Market

Step 3: Build an End User Profile     

Step 4: Calculate the Total Addressable Market (TAM) Size for the Beachhead Market

Step 5: Profile the Persona for the Beachhead Market

Step 6: Full Life Cycle Use Case

Step 7: High-Level Product Specification

Step 8: Quantify the Value Proposition

Step 9: Identify Your Next Ten Customers

Step 10: Define Your Core

Step 11: Chart Your Competitive Position

Step 12: Determine the Customer’s Decision-Making Unit (DMU)

Step 13: Map the Process to Acquire a Paying Customer

Step 14: Calculate the Total Addressable Market Size for Follow-on Markets

Step 15: Design a Business Model

Step 16: Set Your Pricing Framework

Step 17: Calculate the Lifetime Value of an Acquired Customer (LTV)

Step 18: Map the Sales Process to Acquire a Customer

Step 19: Calculate the Cost of Customer Acquisition (COCA)

Step 20: Identify Key Assumptions

Step 21: Test Key Assumptions

Step 22: Define the Minimum Viable Business Product (MVBP)

Step 23: Show that “the Dogs Will Eat the Dog Food”

Step 24: Develop a Product Plan

Postlude: A Business is More Than 24 Steps

Glossary