The First Mile by Scott D. Anthony
Many people think about starting their own business. Lots of us started a business in childhood – do you remember the cliché of the Lemonade Stand from American movies? Yes, some people stop right there, but some try again and run their businesses for years.
But how to start? The first mile of an innovation is that critical stretch when your idea moves from concept to the real world. Hidden traps, risks and challenges are everywhere. Scott D. Anthony’s book will come and give you a hand. The First Mile is a practical and easy-to-follow guide to starting a business.
The book has two parts. The chapters of the first part build the First Mile Toolkit – a 4-step process for managing strategic uncertainty. You will learn how documenting an idea helps surface hidden assumptions; how to evaluate that idea from multiple angles; focus on the most critical strategic uncertainties; then test rigorously and adapt quickly. DEFT, the easy-to-note acronym is a reminder that you need to be adroit at handling the twists and turns of the first mile.
Part two describes four common challenges, signs that you may have not followed the ‘yellow brick road’ and tips for getting back on track and get to your ‘Emerald City’.
The challenges:
- Making a wrong turn
- Running out of fuel
- Picking the wrong driver
- Spinning out
Anthony explains why each challenge happens and what the questions are that need to be discussed. He summarises this in a table, on a single page but I highly recommend reading the detailed versions. He speaks about interesting examples and in a very reader friendly way, highlighting the key messages of every chapter.
Scott D. Anthony shares real-life experiences in his easy-to read and follow guide. The First Mile is a great a starter pack with a toolkit, tips and tricks to starting a business.