Author: Mike Quinn
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781990956430
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
In 2009, Canadian entrepreneur Mike Quinn packed his backpack and moved to Lusaka, Zambia on a mission to find African entrepreneurs building scalable, high-impact businesses. There he stumbled across two South African brothers who had founded a business to help unbanked smallholder farmers receive mobile payments in a market where cash was king. After convincing his retired parents to mortgage their house and lend him $100,000, Mike joined as a co-founder of Zoona and became CEO for nine of the next ten years. With his partners, Mike built a network of more than 3,000 entrepreneur agents across Zambia and Malawi that enabled millions of unbanked consumers to send and receive $2.5-billion in money transfers and remittances. Headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, Zoona raised over $35-million of venture investment and operated on the leading edge of Africa's emerging fintech ecosystem. Mike's remarkable story gives a rare and honest glimpse into the workings of a pioneering African startup through the lens of a purpose-driven entrepreneur who went "all in". Zoona faced tremendous adversity along the way: currency crises, investment round collapses, ruthless pushback from the major mobile network operators, and a continuous internal struggle to discover and execute a growth strategy that matched the company's billion-dollar ambition.It was by failing to win that Mike learned what entrepreneurship - specifically purpose-driven entrepreneurship - is all about, and it was what motivated him to double down and try again. "This raw, honest account is a must-read for anyone thinking about starting a company and for every entrepreneur who feels alone in the journey." - Elizabeth Yin, Co-Founder & General Partner of Hustle Fund "Startups are hard. Most people understand this. However, most people don't understand why. Mike's story is a rare glimpse into how challenges present themselves - and ultimately how to overcome." - Matt Flannery, Co-Founder of Kiva & Branch "In a rare look behind the scenes, Mike shares a vivid picture of the other side of leadership we don't talk about enough. As he aptly describes 'founding, failing and winning', this book highlights the risk of taking that all-important first step, embracing failure and ensuring you learn the transformative lessons critical to success as an entrepreneurial leader." - Fred Swaniker, Founder of African Leadership Group "This story is a gift for entrepreneurs and indeed anyone wanting to learn about the first generation of African fintechs that paved the way for future companies to thrive." - Katlego Maphai, Co-Founder & CEO of Yoco
Author: Scott Adams
Publisher: Scott Adams, Inc.
ISBN:
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 224
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Book Description
The World’s Most Influential Book on Personal Success The bestselling classic that made Systems Over Goals, Talent Stacking, and Passion Is Overrated universal success advice has been reborn. Once in a generation, a book revolutionizes its category and becomes the preeminent reference that all subsequent books on the topic must pay homage to, in name or in spirit. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, is such a book for the field of personal success. A contrarian pundit and persuasion expert in a class of his own, Adams has reached hundreds of millions directly and indirectly through the 2013 first edition’s straightforward yet counterintuitive advice—to invite failure in, embrace it, then pick its pocket. The second edition of How to Fail is a tighter, updated version, by popular demand. Yet new and returning readers alike will find the same candor, humor, and timeless wisdom on productivity, career growth, health and fitness, and entrepreneurial success as the original classic. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, Second Edition is the essential read (or re-read) for anyone who wants to find a unique path to personal victory—and make luck find you in whatever you do.
Author: Dominic D. P. Johnson
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674039173
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 358
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Book Description
How do people decide which country came out ahead in a war or a crisis? Why, for instance, was the Mayaguez Incident in May 1975--where 41 U.S. soldiers were killed and dozens more wounded in a botched hostage rescue mission--perceived as a triumph and the 1992-94 U.S. humanitarian intervention in Somalia, which saved thousands of lives, viewed as a disaster? In Failing to Win, Dominic Johnson and Dominic Tierney dissect the psychological factors that predispose leaders, media, and the public to perceive outcomes as victories or defeats--often creating wide gaps between perceptions and reality. To make their case, Johnson and Tierney employ two frameworks: "Scorekeeping," which focuses on actual material gains and losses; and "Match-fixing," where evaluations become skewed by mindsets, symbolic events, and media and elite spin. In case studies ranging from the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the current War on Terror, the authors show that much of what we accept about international politics and world history is not what it seems--and why, in a time when citizens offer or withdraw support based on an imagined view of the outcome rather than the result on the ground, perceptions of success or failure can shape the results of wars, the fate of leaders, and the "lessons" we draw from history.
Author: Bernhard Schroeder
Publisher: Amacom Books
ISBN: 9780814434789
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 208
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Book Description
Entrepreneurs have long been taught that to be successful, they need to spend months perfecting a business plan and finding investors before they can finally launch their business. But with the marketplace changing at lightning speed, this notion is not only outdated-it's costly. There's no point to building a business in a bubble. Today's entrepreneurs must embrace the idea of "failing fast." They need to connect with real customers and determine quickly whether their idea is worth pursuing, needs new direction, or should be abandoned altogether. Fail Fast or Win Big shows entrepreneurs how to: Create a rapid prototype of their product or service * Develop a business model instead of a business plan * Test it repeatedly with customers so they can spot failure early * Continue to refine the model based on customer interactions * Leverage their network and resources in order to run lean The longer it takes to launch a company, the more changes there will have been in the market place. Featuring real-life examples of entrepreneurs who set out to fail fast and ended up winning big, this ground breaking guide reveals how the right kind of risk can really pay off.
Author: Ryan Babineaux
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0698146549
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 210
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Book Description
"Bold, bossy and bracing, Fail Fast, Fail Often is like a 200-page shot of B12, meant to energize the listless job seeker." —New York Times What if your biggest mistake is that you never make mistakes? Ryan Babineaux and John Krumboltz, psychologists, career counselors, and creators of the popular Stanford University course “Fail Fast, Fail Often,” have come to a compelling conclusion: happy and successful people tend to spend less time planning and more time acting. They get out into the world, try new things, and make mistakes, and in doing so, they benefit from unexpected experiences and opportunities. Drawing on the authors’ research in human development and innovation, Fail Fast, Fail Often shows readers how to allow their enthusiasm to guide them, to act boldly, and to leverage their strengths—even if they are terrified of failure.
Author: J. Smith
Publisher: PM Press
ISBN: 1604861258
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 95
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Book Description
In 1970 a small group of West German revolutionaries decided to go underground, set up safe houses, and learn the skills of the urban guerilla. They were the Red Army Faction. Seven years later, almost all of the original combatants were in prison or dead, yet, through their example, they had inspired a militant and illegal support movement, comrades willing to take up arms in defense of the prisoners. 1977 was to be a year of reckoning. Through daring attacks and devastating errors, the West German guerilla brought their society to the brink, mounting one of the most desperate and incredible campaigns of asymmetrical warfare ever waged in postwar Europe. That they failed is no excuse to not learn their story, to see who they were and what they fought for—and, most tragically, to bear witness to the lengths the state would go to silence them. This pamphlet is our very modest introduction to this story.
Author: Tom Eisenmann
Publisher: Currency
ISBN: 0593137027
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 370
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Book Description
If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.
Author: Spencer Jakab
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399563202
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 290
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Book Description
Opines that most people lack the skills and knowledge to invest their money but do it anyway, and unsuccessfully. Explains how to invest wisely and how markets really work. Looks at how to double a retirement fund.
Author: Gary L. Polk Sr
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781732297005
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 128
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Book Description
NOTICE: Using a great collection of case studies this book is designedto help new and serial entrepreneurs to: - Learn that failure can be a positive- Learn that failure is normal. 18 of 20 startups may fail- Learn how to avoid mistakes made by others- Learn how to cope with failure and persevere- Learn that failure should be used as a starting point for growthand not an end- Learn that if you do fail, do not quit, keep moving forwardUltimately the reader will be provided with information that they canuse to convert failure into a win! Every chapter includes a brief introby the author, a relatable story, and concludes with Recommendationsbased on practitioner's real-life experiences.Also, some outstanding contemporary books and videos compiled hereas Recommendations for a rich source of research by the author. Inthe real-world of business, there are NEVER any guarantees.However, with the right help, the entrepreneur, the CEO can WIN!
Author: Gary Polk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 187
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Book Description
THIS BOOK IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE HELP TO BLACK, BROWN, AND ALL OTHER ENTREPRENEURS WITH A PASSION FOR LAUNCHING THEIR OWN BUSINESS: *THIS IS MEANT TO EMPOWER THE READER.EMPOWERMENT can be thought of as a process by which individuals gain control over their lives (Perkins & Zimmerman, 1995). Empowered individuals often exhibit various self-regulatory qualities, such as high self-efficacy perceptions and a sense of personal control.We want our readers to reach out directly to us for help. We are real people. We do not want you to read this book, say, "that was nice" and stick this in a drawer. We hope that you delve into our book, share our book with other entrepreneurs, talk back to our book, agree with our book, AND disagree with our book. To engage our readers is our goal. We are also willing to learn from you too--our risk-taking readers. This book was written to help our people (and any entrepreneur who happens to read this book) learn how to win at the game of entrepreneurship.This book is special because our research told us that many of our people need help in the entrepreneurial world.This book is intended to provide the kind of help that is not always common in our minority communities. We share a very real and personal case study in our prologue that was hopefully relatable to Black and Brown entrepreneurs. Our Marketing & Equity Crowd Funding case studies is designed to help you connect the dots to our teachings. We hope that you would be able to apply the knowledge gained from the case studies or from our personal experiences to help you learn how to embrace failure and cultural difference to win the entrepreneur bet.
