Book Review:  Straight Talk for Startups by Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman

 I confess that I play air guitar in the shower and I fantasize about hitting the winning basket at the buzzer.  I suspect that I am not the only one who does this.  For most of us, such dreams leading to wealth and fame fade with the awareness of our meager guitar or basketball skills.

The one dream that cannot be so easily dismissed is that of the entrepreneur; we all secretly believe that we can conjure the “Big Idea”, raise a pile of money, and ride the wave to Lamborghini-ville.  Straight Talk for Startups by Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman will improve the odds.

The book is both reality check and detailed manual.  While the exhaustive machinations of startup finance can be overwhelming for the casual reader, both novice and seasoned entrepreneurs will find a thorough and practical guide for circumnavigating the many threats that a new business will encounter.  The cover promotes “100 Insider Rules for Beating the Odds…”, while the dedication celebrates the rule-breakers who “make this world a better and more interesting place.”  The resolution of this apparent contradiction?  You have to know the rules before deciding which ones you can afford to break.  Think of them more as “prime directives.”  Bend and break them if you must, but never forget them. <continue>