How To Be Wrong: A Crash Course in Startup Success
How To Be Wrong: A Crash Course in Startup Success by Rowan Simpson
English | February 24, 2025 | ISBN: 9780473729967, 9780473729974, 9780473729981 | True EPUB | 350 pages | 8 MB
English | February 24, 2025 | ISBN: 9780473729967, 9780473729974, 9780473729981 | True EPUB | 350 pages | 8 MB
Most startup advice is dangerously misguided. The mythology of the lone genius founder, the obsession with capital raising and the theatre of startup ecosystems lead countless ventures astray.
Drawing on two decades at the heart of New Zealand's most successful technology companies—Trade Me, Xero, Vend and Timely—Rowan Simpson unravels the messy reality behind familiar glossy success stories. With raw honesty and sharp analysis, he challenges conventional wisdom by sharing compelling firsthand lessons about focused execution, team building and genuine ecosystem growth.
- What two words do all of the most compelling investment pitches have in common?
- How is starting a company like: (a) a BMX race; (b) trying to rescue a failing Russian nuclear power station; © open water swimming or (d) all of the above?
- What is a "startup derivative" and how can you tell when you're working on one?
- What is the critical difference between risk and uncertainty?
- How many times is too many times to say "Hi Corin"?
This myth-busting guide is essential reading for founders, investors and policymakers alike. Simpson demonstrates that embracing uncertainty, recognising patterns and learning quickly from mistakes are not just steps on the path to success—they are the path itself.
Sometimes the only way to be right is to get comfortable with being wrong.