This is the first article in a new series on starting and growing a business.
By Ja-Naé Duane
I love being an entrepreneur.
After starting two businesses and working with multiple startups, being an entrepreneur fits me perfectly.
However, even as I live the life I love, I understand that not everyone feels like they have the freedom to make similar choices.
They want to build something, not just collect a paycheck. So along the way, I’ve made it my mission to help other people design the life they want to live. And for many, part of that design, part of that freedom, involves becoming an entrepreneur.
But I’m only one person, and I was curious if I could help more would-be entrepreneurs just waiting to break free. With the help of my fellow entrepreneur, partner in crime, and husband Steve, we decided more was possible.
Following many late nights, hundreds of conversations, and a few bottles of wine, we developed The Startup Equation.
The Startup Equation is so much more than words on a page. We believe it’s a revolution that captures everything you need to know about startups from conception to execution.
Designed as a visual guidebook, The Startup Equation helps you navigate abstract concepts and changing ecosystems. It’s not just about the how, but also the why.
There are so many companies setting the example of how to build a business. Some of which have even taken the time to write a book on how they did it. But there’s not one book that covers everything an entrepreneur needs to know.
We speak from experience. Between the two of us we’ve read (or at least glanced at) just about every book related to entrepreneurship and startups. Remember: we’re entrepreneurs first and authors second. We were looking for our own answers to different startup issues. But despite our research, none of them offered a holistic approach to creating a business.
We felt discouraged, and we even know a bit about building a business. We also realized that if we were discouraged, other entrepreneurs just starting their journey must feel completely lost.
That’s when we committed to making The Startup Equation more than a book that sits on someone’s shelf. Yes, we vowed to create a tool that would to help 1 million entrepreneurs achieve their dreams of starting a business by January 1, 2020.
That’s a big goal, and we don’t approach it lightly. That’s why you’ll see some big first-evers in The Startup Equation. Here’s a peek at what to expect:
- You can choose your own entrepreneurial adventure.
- You can build a customized startup equation just for your business.
- You can identify the type of entrepreneur you are and the business you want to build.
- You can see the landscape awaiting today’s entrepreneurs and learn how to navigate it.
Do you believe in your gut that you have an idea that will change the world? Your adventure begins now.
A version of this article originally appeared at StartupEquation.com
Ja-Naé Duane is Founder of The Revolution Factory and co-author of The Startup Equation. She can be reached at janaeduane@gmail.com.
