In today's entrepreneurial world, founders and teams are overwhelmed with options and face constant pressure to move quickly, execute, and be productive. As they seek guidance from the startup ecosystem, they often try to "scale their way up" by opting for solutions that appear to pave the way to success.
While there's undeniable value in moving fast, learning quick, failing fast, pivoting, and the like; the journey often leaves little room for reflective thinking and to gain broader perspectives about the entrepreneurial activities and behaviors from the doers. The result is not always a failure that leads to success but it may too bring about waste of the most precious resources, team's time and energy; and moreover motivation, willpower and creativity.
"Slow Down to Start Up" starts by asking us the courage to slow down and the the recognition that time spent in reflective thinking is valuable and has to be valued as actual work time. Although it appears to be unproductive, or costly, it becomes less expensive in contrast with being overwhelmed by the solutions and advices from the aisles of the rich and abundant startup hypermarket. What we win from this reflective journey? Support to a healthier journey of execution that respects the well-being of ourselves and which through that supports the well-being of our startup and the well-being of the grown up business from it, and the well-being of society. This book supports the doers to be and maintain themselves consciously aware that management of execution is worth and essential to any entrepreneurial activity.
Acknowledgements - v0.1 - Vanessa Oliveira, John Lilly, Chris Yeh, (Reid Hoffman, the Blitzscaling crew,) Fred Filho, Elderclei Reami, Rael Gugelmin, Jorge Oliveira, Rodrigo Silva, Michael Dearing, Barbara Minto, Limarc Ambalina, David Smooke, Marcelo Couto, Juliana Cobre, Marcelo Muniz, Roger Soares, Fabricio Zuardi, Emilio Palma, Andre Figueiredo, Melissa Nightingale, Jonathan Nightingale, Chris Hoffman, Ted Thayer, Tony Ulwick, Steve Blank, Christian Guimarães, Roger Soares, Robson Butaca, Arun Ranganathan, Dan Barry, Eric Krock, Susie Wyshak, Thiago Christoph, Muriel Garrido, Edilson Botto, Ricardo Agostino, my parents and family.
