GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: Marc Nager and Franck Nouyrigat authors of "Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company from Concept to Creation in 54 Hours."
Since 2009, over 35,000 entrepreneurs around the world have gone through the Startup Weekend program. In just 54 short hours aspiring entrepreneurs pitch ideas, form teams, build code and create business plans, work with seasoned mentors and present viable startup ideas to industry experts.
Based in Seattle but stretching to Sao Paulo, Stuttgart, Singapore and beyond, developers, designers and business folks have created a grassroots movement centered on self-empowerment and entrepreneurial education.
Startup Weekend, the non-profit behind this activity, just released their first book, "Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company from Concept to Creation in 54 Hours."
The book outlines Startup Weekend’s theories and practices and allows both Startup Weekend alumni and people new to the Startup Weekend program to follow the organization’s proven program.
From best practices, to organizational values, to tips on how to build communities, products, and companies, Startup Weekend is full of actionable tips that will help early-stage entrepreneurs move from idea to market quickly and successfully.
Tips include:
No Talk, All Action
The organization’s mantra, “No Talk, All Action” is at the heart of Startup Weekend’s success. The fundamental truth of entrepreneurship is that it’s not a spectator sport. To learn how to be a smart entrepreneur—and to have a chance at success—you have to roll you sleeves up, get your hands dirty, and experience the process for yourself.
It’s All About the Team
After holding over 350 weekend workshops all over the globe, one thing is clear: ideas are a dime a dozen. What matters are the talent and the chemistry between that talent. The right group of people is what leads to success for one team when dozens of others have failed while pursuing a similar vision.
Get Uncomfortable
Entrepreneurship is all about taking risks—and some of those risks might not be what you’d expect. We all know that entrepreneurs face risk when they quit their day jobs to pursue their dreams or remortgage their houses to finance said dream. But there are thousands of smaller risks that entrepreneurs can’t be afraid to take if they want a chance a success. An MBA and a software engineer have to step out on a limb when they work together. Despite bonds of trust there can be a lot of ambiguity and risk when different skill sets work together. But a team of 5 stellar developers can only get a product so far.
Know Where You Are
Most entrepreneurs feed off the thrill of their unique vision or idea for a game-changing product or service, facing the daily grind alone can be daunting. At Startup Weekend we’ve seen that there are entrepreneurs in every community. The key is helping individual entrepreneurs understand where they are in their startup ecosystem. Knowing where you are not only helps you focus where you’re going; it allows you to find others like you!
"Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company from Concept to Creation in 54 Hours"is a distillation of the best practices and lessons we’ve gathered over the course of facilitating hundreds of events. The products, the companies, and the economic and/or political climates of the hundreds of cities Startup Weekend has been to all look different but at their core, entrepreneurs are cut from the same cloth. Let our experience help you get started on the path of entrepreneurship.
Marc Nager and Franck Nouyrigat are Co-Directors of Startup Weekend, a nonprofit with the mission to educate entrepreneurs, strengthen communities, and launch startups. Startup Weekend holds weekend events where developers, designers, marketers, product managers, and startup enthusiasts come together to share ideas, form teams, build products, and create startups in 54 hours. Startup Weekend began in June 2007, and the core team has grown to nine full-time and three part-time employees, along with a network of more than 120 Startup Weekend volunteer facilitators and organizers who plan and lead Startup Weekend events around the world. For more information, please visit www.startupweekend.org.
Email me at bullishonbooks@cnbc.com — And follow me on Twitter