I just finished reading Do More Faster. It’s a great book. The title alone, Do More Faster, made me want to read it. Who doesn’t want to do more faster? 
Do More Faster is the brain child of Brad Feld (General Partner at Foundry Group, a VC Firm in Boulder, CO) and David Cohen (Founder of Techstars). I say the brain child because, even though they are listed as the authors, the book is penned by many of the mentors and past entrepreneurs of the Techstars program — and it’s this structure that really makes the book work.
Do More Faster breaks down the start-up world into easily digestible chunks. Each chapter breaks down the challenges and efforts of creating a start up. The book is quick, to the point and relevant. No pontificating and no theoritcal b.s. Do More Faster gets right to it.
The book reads as if David and Brad wrote down every question a start-up entrepreneur has ever asked them and then answers them in the book. No question seems to have gone unanswered. With every chapter you can sense David and Brad had been asked that question a million times; — how do I raise money, how should I structure my company, is my “idea” good enough, what features should I add, when do I hire more people, et.
Do More Faster is a great read. It deals with the objective and the subjective of start-up life. It connects you with the emotions of starting a company without being emotional. It’s a how to, but reads like a story. I wish I had this book when I started my first two businesses.
The one area I think Brad and David missed was sales and marketing. (no surprise here uh?) I think this deserved a chapter in the book. Most tech start-up entrepreneurs have little to no sales or marketing experience or skills. Selling the idea to VC’s or investors, and potential customers is a huge part of the process. Techstars ends in a “Demo Day” where the start-up companies pitch to VC’s and investors. A big portion of the Techstars summer is focused on this pitch. I was surprised and a bit disappointed the boys didn’t have a seat on the bus for sales and marketing.
I know Brad and David and am a Techstars mentor. Techstars is an amazing program and Do More Faster is like Techstars in a jar. If you’re applying to Techstars and you don’t get in, at least now you can read the book.
Related articles
- Do More Faster in PE Hub (feld.com)
- Brad Feld – startup lessons from a VC (inc.com)
- Do More Faster . . . Accelerating Your Startup (2-speed.com)
- Excerpt From “Do More Faster” by David Cohen and Brad Feld (readwriteweb.com)
