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The Science of Growth: How Facebook Beat Friendster--and How Nine Other Startups Left the Rest in the Dust Hardcover – April 26, 2016
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The lean entrepreneurship movement has captivated Silicon Valley and entrepreneurs across the country. It's provided an agile framework to develop the right product solution for a given target market, and is now used by almost every fledgling company to do just that.
The next challenge is growth - to achieve the financial returns and, more importantly, the impact they dreamed of when starting off on their adventure. Why do some companies realize the VC's goal of a 10x return on investment, while others flounder? What differentiates the companies that become part of the fabric of our lives and remain responsive, no matter how big they get from those that quickly fade? To find out, Ammirati looks at 20 different companies in pairs, who have achieved product-market fit at about the same point in history with the same general target customer-one of which has gone on to achieve real scale, while the other languished. As his research reveals, just a handful of choices-among them, who to partner with, how to finance growth, and how to use data-make all the difference in the world. With such intriguing examples as LinkedIn vs. Spoke, Facebook vs. Friendster, and McDonald's vs. White Castle, Ammirati shows the secret of "the science of growth" and how to cultivate it in any organization.
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateApril 26, 2016
- Dimensions6.36 x 1.02 x 9.62 inches
- ISBN-101250074290
- ISBN-13978-1250074294
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now
Editorial Reviews
Review
"If you've ever wondered why some ventures soar while others stagnate--even when they seem to provide the same solution--this book has the answer. It's easy to assume the good ones just got lucky, but this 'luck' was a result of an astute strategy and hard work. Here, Sean Ammirati details every aspect of their winning approach, so you can make sure your company is the next Facebook (instead of the next Friendster.)"--Dave Mawhinney, Co-Founder/Director, Carnegie Mellon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
"In an unusually revelatory case based format, The Science of Growth provides an excellent guide for entrepreneurs looking to scale their businesses."―Sean Ellis, Founder and CEO, GrowthHackers.com
"Numerous books describe what entrepreneurs must do to birth their startup and achieve product-market fit, yet few effectively outline how to leverage this initial success and nurture a company through its awkward adolescence. The Science of Growth is unique, because its author is a serially successful entrepreneur and investor, turned Carnegie Mellon Professor. This combination results in an entertaining book that is based on sound research, overlaid with real-world wisdom and battle-tested experiences. "―John Greathouse, UC Santa Barbara Professor and Partner at Rincon Venture Partners
“For corporate leaders of all types, growth is required. But as many quickly learn, it’s hard to scale the business yet keep the values of the organization intact. Sean Ammirati finds the balance in this easy to digest but immensely helpful read. If you are looking for rocket fuel to power your enterprise upward―without crashing―read it!”―Tim Sanders, author of Dealstorming and Love Is the Killer App
“Sean Ammirati lays it all out for any entrepreneur or executive to create new markets or opportunities. The world is ripe for iteration, innovation and disruption. With this book, you become part of change rather than a victim to it.”--Brian Solis, digital analyst and author of X: The Experience When Business Meets Design
"What happens after you find product-market fit?" This question drives Ammirati's timely and lucid book, along with strong research, key insights, and a conversational writing style far too absent in today's business publishing world. Highly recommended, I learned a lot.--John Battelle, CEO, Founder NewCo Platform
"This insightful guide will help readers find much-needed direction and inspiration."--Publishers Weekly
"An authority in the field of the startup economy, Ammirati teaches the subject at Carnegie Mellon and heads one the country’s most successful startup incubators, and it shows in the way his book is thoroughly researched. It’s also accessible, easy to read, and eye opening. This is a necessary and welcome addition to the business canon."--John Keogh, Booklist
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press (April 26, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250074290
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250074294
- Item Weight : 15.6 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.36 x 1.02 x 9.62 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,659,935 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,496 in Company Business Profiles (Books)
- #3,535 in Starting a Business (Books)
- #9,378 in Small Business (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Sean Ammirati is a serial entrepreneur turned venture capitalist and professor.
Sean joined Birchmere Ventures an early stage venture firm with offices in Pittsburgh and San Francisco in 2012. Prior to that, he had over 12 years founding, building and selling businesses in the media and software industries.
Sean was previously Chief Operating Officer of ReadWriteWeb, one of the most influential sites about the future of technology and innovation. In December 2011, the company was acquired by SAY Media to strengthen its technology channel. Sean was previously co-founder and CEO of mSpoke, which was the first acquisition of LinkedIn.
Sean is currently an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University. Over the last five years he has created two graduate courses at CMU, Lean Entrepreneurship and most recently The Science of Growth.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book informative and helpful for startups looking for a core understanding of the right mentality. They describe it as an enjoyable read that provides practical frameworks for self-assessment. The research is well-presented and the book is considered a powerful resource for anyone looking to scale their tech startup.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers appreciate the book's insights and research. They find it informative and helpful, with great concepts and practical frameworks that entrepreneurs can use for self-assessment. The author does a good job of explaining principles and enjoy the evidence-based approach.
"...It is backed up by research. 2.)..." Read more
"Good book with great anecdotes." Read more
"...Sean does a great job of explaining his principles that I found the transition of these techniques over to my product to be quite effective...." Read more
"...In my experience, though, Sean is spot on. Great research and insights presented clearly and directly." Read more
Customers find the book easy to read and engaging. They say it provides a good introduction for startups looking for the right mentality. The book is well-researched and offers an excellent education on fundamentals written with style. Overall, customers consider it a valuable resource for emerging companies and their growth strategy.
"...an enjoyable read to raise your tech startup IQ... and a potentially powerful read for anybody looking to scale a company or product once you Lean..." Read more
"...and I found them a very good introductory materials for people who just get started -- if they are interested in..." Read more
"...Great read for Startups looking for a core understanding in the right mentality and patterns for true success." Read more
"Good book with great anecdotes." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2016The author writes from his perspectives as 1) a serial entrepreneur 2) a practicing venture capitalist 3) an adjunct university faculty at Carnegie Mellon and 4) an unapologetic research and tech news junkie. The reader benefits from his ability to develop his points from each of these perspectives.
As the author points out, thanks in large part to the Lean Startup movement, entrepreneurs are getting better at making products consumers want. And it's getting cheaper thanks to hosted tech infrastructure. Now what? Truth is most companies fail at scale. The answer isn't as simple as "go big as soon as possible". In fact the author reviews the Berkeley/Stanford meta-study that found that almost 3 out of 4 startups failed because of premature scaling. A head-scratcher.
In truth there are many complex factors at play when trying to scale. The author argues that scale is achieved through a combination of "catalyzing events" combined with 5 observed "elements for sustained growth". There is no magic formula for startup success, but entrepreneurs will benefit from the practical insights made by someone that has clearly lived and studied tech startups for the past 20 years.
The book also reads as a rapid-fire survey of some of the hallmark events, predictions, laws, quotes, folklore and terminology of the tech startup universe. The author covers Moore's Law, Zuckerberg's Law, the viral coefficient, data puking, virtuous network effects, MVP vs MAP, and many more.
Overall an enjoyable read to raise your tech startup IQ... and a potentially powerful read for anybody looking to scale a company or product once you Lean your way into making something customers want.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2016I originally met Sean when he was teaching at Carnegie Mellon's Executive Education program. I thought he was incredible. When he mentioned that he was writing this book, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. After reading the book, I can say that I love this book for 3 specific reasons:
1.) It is backed up by research.
2.) Sean has lived these principles as he has started and scaled his own companies and now he helps others do the same with their organizations as a Venture Capitalist.
3.) It gives you an action plan to implement immediately. This is not a book on theory. If you'll extract and implement the action steps that Sean lays out in the book, you will have a much better chance of being successful in your endeavors.
Personally, I really enjoyed learning what made companies like Facebook and YouTube become what they are today while other companies who had the same potential never reached their full potential.
If you lead in any capacity, if you are an entrepreneur, or you are looking to grow your business, you need to read this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016This book covers a wide range of issue but there's no many new ideas in this book -- most of the ideas can be found on other books (like lean startup, zero to one). Also despite of the effort to emulate "Good to Great", the examples in this book are not always quite resonating.
In the Section 1 (prerequistes for Growth) and Section 2 (Catalyst for Acclerating Growth), the author touches a wide range of topics (like "solve the real problem", "Scalable ideas", etc) and I found them a very good introductory materials for people who just get started -- if they are interested in the particular topic, it'd be a good idea to find another book that does more in-depth analysis. I don't like the chapter 2 "Founder's Core Vision", as I found the examples not very convincing and in real life I found quite some counter-examples. More specifically, founder can change and learn over time, leading to the change of vision. It's true that current vision may reflect their earlier thinking, but in this book, vision is described as if it's constitute and rarely got amended.
Section 3 is my favorite, where it talks about elements for sustainable long term growth. Some chapters resonate with my personal experiences and some of them offers quite some insightful perspective that I didn't put much thoughts in.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2016"Great entrepreneurs create the world how it ought to be" is a life-changing takeaway from this book. I actually heard the author say this a few years ago at a conference, and he elaborates on that concept here. Entrepreneurs will encounter dangerous slippery slopes of claiming success in "raising $10M" or the coveted IPO, but truly an entrepreneur is different than a great fundraiser, genius programmer, or charismatic leader. He / She is someone who owns -- or takes ownership in -- a vision that helps the world develop how it ought to. Great read for Startups looking for a core understanding in the right mentality and patterns for true success.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2016Good book with great anecdotes.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2016It's always interesting to take a peek at the 'great and powerful' whether it's behind the curtain in Oz or on an app on our phone. "The Science or Growth" looks at 10 pairs of household name companies and breaks down what made them succeed or crash and burn. Having these direct comparisons really helps to illustrate the core points the book is trying to make especially for someone who isn't necessarily on top of the latest b-school buzzwords. Also, by talking about companies that you have heard of and most likely have used their products or services, it feels a little bit like a behind-the-scenes tour of your favorite amusement park. And, having worked in Silicon Valley for five years, I most certainly agree with Mr Ammirati's point that cities shouldn't be trying to create their own Silicon Valley, but to "focus on becoming the best version of their city they can be." With the best practices laid out in the "Science of Growth", it almost feels like you can make anything the best version of itself!