Читать книгу Torque - Michael Ashley - Страница 3

A few years ago I was asked to speak with a class of MBA students at Santa Clara University about my experience creating FastPencil. I immediately accepted and felt some pride about sharing my startup adventure. Then it hit me, “What the heck should I talk about?”

Over the last several years I have gone from high-hopes to utter depression and back again. I’ve tried strategy after strategy and shifted our vision many times. I’ve hired great employees and fired undermining pessimists. I don’t think there is one thing I haven’t changed or shifted since we founded FastPencil in 2008. How do you share that with a class of hopeful entrepreneurs, without sending them running for the doors?

Well, I sat with it for a few days and let it settle in my mind. Then it came to me, there really are only four key concepts that form the pillars of our business. How we work within those concepts continues to change, the people change, the vision shifts, but the four key concepts remain the same. That’s what I’ll talk about: Building a great team; Using technology to gain advantage; Understanding the market; Keeping the cash flowing.

This book is the culmination of many, many classroom discussions and talks I’ve delivered on these four pillars since then. Over the years I’ve refined the message a bit but it’s still essentially the same. Focus on these four key concepts and you’ll gain an advantage over most startups, an advantage that just might be enough to help you win.

I’ve tried to take the same, relaxed approach to delivering this message as I would in a classroom discussion, so don’t expect a highly-technical college textbook. There are many great books about business and I suggest you read them as well. But the one thing you’ll get in this book that you won’t in any other business textbook is the real experience of a Silicon Valley Entrepreneur applying the concepts of Team, Technology, Target and Torque! I hope you enjoy the book and share it with others.