The Idea Is the Easy Part : Myths and Realities of the Startup World

Venture capitalist Brian Dovey brings readers a personal, humorous, story-driven compendium of practical advice to navigating the entrepreneurial journey. The Idea Is the Easy Part counters widespread myths of both failure and success with lessons learned from Dovey’s decades of hands-on experience. Today’s entrepreneurs earn celebrity and billionaire status. Our books, movies, and TV shows insist that with a big idea and a jazzy elevator pitch, anyone can immediately earn funding for their own startups and immediately achieve massive financial success. Your initial idea—and the funding you’ll soon acquire afterward—are the keys to massive financial success. The reality, however, is vastly different. Getting funding is incredibly hard, and success depends on a host of factors, strategies, and decisions. The idea, it turns out, is the easy part. Between serving as the president of the company that developed the groundbreaking EpiPen, bringing entrepreneurship to a Fortune 500 company as president, working in venture capitalism for several decades, and being involved in the development of nearly three hundred startups, Brian Dovey is well acquainted with entrepreneurship—its reality as well as its mythology. Now, in The Idea Is the Easy Part, Dovey busts common myths about entrepreneurship and lays out for aspiring entrepreneurs an enthusiastic but realistic guidebook to making better decisions at each major stage of the entrepreneurial process by: embracing startup life, choosing opportunities, acquiring funding, executing for growth, and deciding how and when to end your involvement. For those seduced by the myths of fame and fortune, as well as for those who don’t realize what they’re missing out on—The Idea Is the Easy Part is a reliable guide to navigating the entrepreneurial waters, replacing today’s misleading notions with objective and actionable advice. 'Innovation & Creativity'winner in the 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards'The Idea is the Easy Part is an honest and realistic look at the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering starting a business.”—Chris Barton, Founder of Shazam, three-time entrepreneur, inventor, and tech investorVenture capitalist and former executive Brian Dovey offers readers a personal, humorous, and story-driven compendium of practical and accessible advice for navigating the risky entrepreneurial journey.Part business manual, part memoir, The Idea Is the Easy Part counters widespread myths of failure and success with lessons learned from Dovey's decades of hands-on business experience.Today's renowned businessmen and entrepreneurs, like Elon Musk, Mark Cuban, Peter Thiel, and more can earn celebrity and billionaire status. Our books, movies, and TV shows seem to say that with a big idea and a jazzy elevator pitch, anyone can quickly earn funding for their own startups and achieve massive financial success. In these stories, a brilliant innovation—and the funding you'll easily acquire—are all you need for success.The reality, however, is vastly different. Getting funding is incredibly hard, and success depends on many factors, strategies, and decisions.Between serving as the president of the company that developed the groundbreaking EpiPen, bringing entrepreneurship to a Fortune 500 company as president, working in venture capitalism for several decades, and being involved in the development of nearly 300 startups, Brian Dovey is well acquainted with entrepreneurship—its reality as well as its mythology. In The Idea Is the Easy Part, Dovey debunks common myths about businesses and lays out an enthusiastic but realistic guidebook for aspiring entrepreneurs guiding them with the right growth mindset to make better decisions at every stage of the entrepreneurial process.The Idea Is the Easy Part is a reliable guide to navigating entrepreneurial waters, replacing today's misleading notions with objective and actionable advice. "Innovation & Creativity" winner in the 2023 Porchlight Business Book Awards Lifelong entrepreneur Brian Dovey offers readers a personal, humorous, story-driven compendium of practical advice for navigating the risky entrepreneurial journey. The Idea Is the Easy Part counters widespread myths of failure and success with lessons learned from Dovey’s decades of hands-on experience. Today’s entrepreneurs can earn celebrity and billionaire status. Our books, movies, and TV shows seem to say that with a big idea and a jazzy elevator pitch, anyone can quickly earn funding for their own startups and achieve massive financial success. In these stories, a brilliant initial idea—and the funding you’ll easily acquire—are all you need. The reality, however, is vastly different. Getting funding is incredibly hard, and success depends on many factors, strategies, and decisions. The idea, as it turns out, is the easy part. Between serving as the president of the company that developed the groundbreaking EpiPen, bringing entrepreneurship to a Fortune 500 company as president, working in venture capitalism for several decades, and being involved in the development of nearly 300 startups, Brian Dovey was well acquainted with entrepreneurship—its reality as well as its mythology. In The Idea Is the Easy Part , Dovey busts common myths about entrepreneurship and lays out an enthusiastic but realistic guidebook for aspiring entrepreneurs to make better decisions at every stage of the entrepreneurial process. For those seduced by the myths of fame and fortune, as well as for those who don’t realize what they’re missing out on, The Idea Is the Easy Part is a reliable guide to navigating the entrepreneurial waters, replacing today’s misleading notions with objective and actionable advice.