How to Create the Next Facebook [electronic resource] : Seeing Your Startup Through, from Idea to IPO /
Taulli, Tom.author.
In just under a decade, Facebook has gone from a Harvard prodigy's dorm-room experiment to an essential part of the social life of hundreds of millions of children, teens, and adults across the globe. It's no surprise, then, that the company has been the subject of countless magazine articles, books, and even movies. But despite the extensive coverage that has been given to the company in the years since founder Mark Zuckerberg first took Facebook live on Harvard's server, one question remains unanswered: From a business standpoint, how, exactly, did Facebook do it? How did a college student with no real-world business experience take a relatively simple idea and then, less than ten years later, turn it into a $100 billion dollar company? What specific steps did Facebook take along its journey to creating perhaps the most innovative startup of the 21st century? What approach did it take when pitching venture capitalists, and how did it go about forging its many strategic partnerships? And, most importantly, how can would-be founders learn and effectively utilize Facebook's unique techniques and strategies in their own startup efforts? In How to Create the Next Facebook, tech guru Tom Taulli answers all of these questions and more, crystallizing the process by which Facebook was shepherded from idea to IPO to provide a guided blueprint for budding entrepreneurs who are ready to start building their own great business. Regardless of what stage of development your startup is in, How to Create the Next Facebook provides you with clear, compelling, and ultimately actionable advice extracted from Facebook's startup success story. You'll learn how Facebook handled the very same situations your startup is confronting—from how it arrived at its mission statement to what its priorities were during its talent search process—before gaining access to all the concrete, practical guidance you need to make the right decisions for your company and continue moving forward with confidence. And, of course, because Facebook didn't get everything right at first, author Tom Taulli painstakingly details the company's most costly mistakes, documenting everything from its protracted legal struggles to its many failed attempts at establishing multiple revenue streams, so that you can arm your company against the various challenges that threaten to sink even the very best startups. By the time you turn the final pages of How to Create the Next Facebook, you'll realize that Facebook is more than just a fun place to catch up with old friends; it is the ideal model to follow for those who, like you, are ready to build the world's next great startup.
Description based upon print version of record.
Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Foreword; About the Author; Introduction; Chapter 1: The Mission; Have Passion for What You Do; Be Committed to What You Do; Aim High; Think Big; Be Prepared to Fail; Put It All Together; Chapter 2: Legal Structure; Obtain Legal Services; Consider Incorporation; Determine How to Split Equity Before the Need Arises; Use Vested Founders' Stock; Termination and Change of Control; 83(b) election; Payment for Stock; File Your Patents; Think Creatively About Your Company Name, Register Your Trademark, and Secure Your URL
Adhere to Government RegulationsConsider Other Protections; Chapter 3: The Product; Creativity; Timing and Some Luck; Simplicity and Focus; Elegant Design; Engagement; Convictions; Fun Stuff; A Platform; Reactive Product Design; Mobile First; Stealth Startup; Physical World; Chapter 4: Raising Capital; Start up Lite; Know the Types of Investors That Are Out There; Angels and Superangels; Venture Capitalists; Strategic Investors; Venture Lenders; Late-Stage Funders; Understand the Stages of Investing; Seed Funding; Angel Funding; Angel Networks; AngelList.com; Old-Fashioned Networking
AcceleratorsCrowdfunding; Herding Cats; Free Equity; Venture Capital Funding; Venture Capitalists as Seed Investors; Venture Rounds; IPO Funding; Types of Stock; Seed Series; Securities Laws; Know When to Raise Funds; Chapter 5: The Pitch; Elevator Pitch; The Deck; Mission; Product; The Opportunity; Team; Business Model; Go-to-Market Strategy; Competition; Financial Forecast; Financing; Conclusion; Seeing Is Believing; Executive Summary and Business Plan; Rookie Mistakes When Making the Pitch; Presentation Skills; Practice Meetings and Plan of Attack; Finding the Right VCs; Data Room
Be Wary of the Fake VCDon't Get Too Excited; Thick Skin; Let the World Know; Leverage Your Investors; Summary; Chapter 6: Deal Terms; Being a Dealmaker; Negotiating Tips; Get Some Thick Skin; Valuation Is an Art, Not a Science; Types of Valuations; Critical Deal Terms; Liquidation Preference; Board of Directors; Anti-Dilution; Pay-to-Play; Drag-Along; Not-So-Important Clauses; Conversion Rights; Redemption Rights; Dividends; No Shop; Protective Provisions; Registration Rights; Founder's Activities; Resale Restrictions; Information Rights; Due Diligence; Summary; Chapter 7: Go-to-Market
Two Types of MarketsKey Marketing Metrics; Partnerships; Viral Distribution; Search Engine Optimization (SEO); Meetups; PR; The Celebrity Factor; Summary; Chapter 8: The Financials; Accounting Fundamentals; Conservativism; Income Statement; Cost of Revenue; Gross Profit; Marketing and Sales; Research and Development; General and Administrative; Net Income; The Balance Sheet; Assets; Cash and Cash Equivalents, and Marketable Securities; Accounts Receivable; Prepaid Assets; Property and Equipment; Goodwill; Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity; Statement of Cash Flows
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Includes bibliographical references and index.
In just under a decade, Facebook has gone from a Harvard prodigy's dorm-room experiment to an essential part of the social life of hundreds of millions of children, teens, and adults across the globe. It's no surprise, then, that the company has been the subject of countless magazine articles, books, and even movies. But despite the extensive coverage that has been given to the company in the years since founder Mark Zuckerberg first took Facebook live on Harvard's server, one question remains unanswered: From a business standpoint, how, exactly, did Facebook do it? How did a college student with no real-world business experience take a relatively simple idea and then, less than ten years later, turn it into a $100 billion dollar company? What specific steps did Facebook take along its journey to creating perhaps the most innovative startup of the 21st century? What approach did it take when pitching venture capitalists, and how did it go about forging its many strategic partnerships? And, most importantly, how can would-be founders learn and effectively utilize Facebook's unique techniques and strategies in their own startup efforts? In How to Create the Next Facebook, tech guru Tom Taulli answers all of these questions and more, crystallizing the process by which Facebook was shepherded from idea to IPO to provide a guided blueprint for budding entrepreneurs who are ready to start building their own great business. Regardless of what stage of development your startup is in, How to Create the Next Facebook provides you with clear, compelling, and ultimately actionable advice extracted from Facebook's startup success story. You'll learn how Facebook handled the very same situations your startup is confronting—from how it arrived at its mission statement to what its priorities were during its talent search process—before gaining access to all the concrete, practical guidance you need to make the right decisions for your company and continue moving forward with confidence. And, of course, because Facebook didn't get everything right at first, author Tom Taulli painstakingly details the company's most costly mistakes, documenting everything from its protracted legal struggles to its many failed attempts at establishing multiple revenue streams, so that you can arm your company against the various challenges that threaten to sink even the very best startups. By the time you turn the final pages of How to Create the Next Facebook, you'll realize that Facebook is more than just a fun place to catch up with old friends; it is the ideal model to follow for those who, like you, are ready to build the world's next great startup.
Business.
Management science.
Business and Management, general.