Part 1: Startup and Business Fundamentals
Chapter 1. What is a Startup?
-
Definition of a startup
-
Differences from small business
-
Why a startup ≠ traditional business
-
Case studies of successful and failed startups
Chapter 2. From Idea to MVP
-
How to assess whether an idea is worth pursuing
-
Lean Startup and rapid hypothesis testing
-
What is an MVP, and what should it be like?
-
Common mistakes when building an MVP
Chapter 3. Business Model and Startup Economics
-
Why do you need a business model?
-
Business Model Canvas
-
Unit economics – why not all “million-dollar” ideas are profitable
-
Main monetization models
Chapter 4. Team and Roles
-
How to choose the first people for your startup
-
Mistakes in building a team
-
Which competencies are critical?
-
Startup roles and task distribution
Chapter 5. Startup Funding
-
Bootstrap vs. investment: pros and cons
-
How to raise funds? (angel investors, VCs, grants)
-
How to prepare a pitch (Pitch Deck)
-
Funding roadmap
Chapter 6. Marketing and Acquiring First Customers
-
How to validate demand and find your initial audience?
-
Product-market fit
-
Promotion channels for startups (low-cost marketing, growth hacking)
-
How to make your first sales?
Chapter 7. Scaling and Entering New Markets
-
How to know when it's time to scale?
-
Success factors when growing a startup
-
Mistakes in scaling
Chapter 8. Mistakes, Failures, and Restarting
-
Why do 90% of startups fail?
-
What to do if the project doesn’t “fly”?
-
Pivot — when it’s time to change course
Part 2: Creative – Developing Nonlinear Thinking
Chapter 9. The Inner “Violet Rabbit”: Where Do Nonstandard Ideas Come From?
-
Why do most people think conventionally?
-
How to train mental flexibility
-
Techniques for idea generation (Six Thinking Hats, mind mapping, etc.)
-
Examples of unexpected solutions in business
Chapter 10. “The Edge of the Moon”: Awareness of Perceptual Boundaries
-
How our beliefs and thinking limit possibilities
-
Creative destruction of stereotypes
-
Case studies of companies that broke the rules and won
Chapter 11. Creative Approach in Business
-
Why is a startup doomed without creativity?
-
How to embed a creative process into a business
-
Principles of creative team dynamics
Chapter 12. Experimental Reality: How to Implement Ideas
-
Why ideas without execution are useless
-
Testing creative hypotheses
-
How to protect yourself from fear of failure
-
“Challenges” for the reader (simple tasks to help start taking action)
