Nail It Then Scale It

The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation

By: Nathan Furr, Paul Ahlstrom

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Why do most new businesses fail, yet a few entrepreneurs have a habit of winning over and over again?

The shocking discovery of years of research and trial is that most startups fail by doing the "right things", but doing them out of order. In other words, human nature combined with our entrepreneurial drive puts us on autopilot to become part of the 70 percent to 90 percent of ventures that fail.

From Thomas Edison to Steve Jobs, the "nail it then scale it" method is based on pattern recognition of the timeless principles and key practices used by successful entrepreneurs to repeatedly innovate. These processes and principles have now been distilled into a handbook to guide entrepreneurs and innovative product managers to victory.

Stop following conventional wisdom, and join the few entrepreneurs that can consistently take their innovative idea all the way to a successful company launch.

©2011 Paul Ahlstrom (P)2014 Nathan Furr & Paul Ahlstrom

Great insight into entrepreneurship

This is a great book which provides great insight into entrepreneurship. It shares methods and useful tools to "nail it". It is a must read for anyone who is looking to start a business or scale a business.

A must read for any new or seasoned entrepreneur!

If you could sum up Nail It Then Scale It in three words, what would they be?

Practical
Advice
Entrepreneurs

What did you like best about this story?

As a serial entrepreneur I've had successes and failures. I really enjoyed reading NISI because you have intuitions about why you failed or succeeded, but all you have to draw on is your own experience. Paul and Nathan have seen hundreds of companies and met thousands of entrepreneurs. NISI crystallized all of that knowledge into a practical method to increase the likelihood of success. I'm always working on a new venture and before embarking on something new I'm going to re-read NISI so that I don't fall into the trap of thinking because you were successful once you can do it again. It is too costly and too painful to not follow their advice!

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite part of about NISI is the way the authors bring together concepts like Crossing the Chasm, corporate, marketing and channel strategies and boil them down to practical recommendations.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

You learn the most from your failures, so when Paul and Nathan talked about the delicate balance between believing in an idea vs. listening to actual customers it brought back painful memories of living that and making the wrong decisions because we believed too much in the idea and invested too much in making something no one wanted.

Any additional comments?

I believe this is a must read for anyone embarking on the entrepreneurial way of life. If I could have read this 20 years ago, it would have helped me learn some lessons that I learned from the school of hard knocks! It also helps you identify where your intuition is right and gives you confidence to move forward with the next idea.

great book

now entrepreneurship is a science not a shot of luck. it is steps. it is simple process but not easy to follow.

Every Startup and Young company should study this

Would you consider the audio edition of Nail It Then Scale It to be better than the print version?

It's a good update from the book. I liked that I could listen while driving.

What other book might you compare Nail It Then Scale It to and why?

Indispensable by Monday. Another great book on intrepreneurs and entrepreneurs.

What does Mike Chamberlain bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think you can contemplate differently when hearing the voice. A human voice adds emotion that's different than your own thoughts.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It takes time because there is so much that can and should learned and used by your business. I think you need to take notes about every 10 minutes because there is something valuable and thought provoking constantly.

Any additional comments?

I love that this could be used as a workbook for how to discover the right markets and make sure you've got the right focus quickly before you've wasted so much time, money and energy and possibly failed before you got started.

incredible!

If you think The lean startup is good then this will blow you away. best biz book I've read in a while.

A step-by-step plan to succeed as an entrepreneur

As a serial entrepreneur, I have always struggled with taking my "big idea" and turning it into a profitable enterprise. Nail It Then Scale It provides the methodology necessary to vet the idea and then run with it. After reading though the book twice, I purchased the audio book to listen to as I drive. The audio book teaches and inspires while bringing real world application to your entrepreneurial spirit. If you have a "big idea" you would be wise to start here.

AWESOME! Nailed it! .

so many good items for those in business. impossible to list them ask. This book has enabled me to reevaluate the product focus.

an immediate pivot to a new niche target market. nailed it. I wish Paul has read it. after watching his YouTube videos I find his voice placing.

Fascinating and very enjoyable.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! If you have wondered why your business isn't working, then you need to listen to this book. And even better, this book teaches you what you need to do to fix it.

What did you like best about this story?

I really enjoyed the stories that were interwoven throughout...examples create a connection to the real world...instead of being purely abstract or theoretical.

Have you listened to any of Mike Chamberlain’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, this was my first listen to Mike Chamberlain.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Again, the real world examples just pulled me into the story.

Any additional comments?

Yes, the slides that go along with the audiobook were not working well. I tried both Internet Explorer and Chrome browsers and I could not get the slides to advance or go back. That became a little frustrating.

An Important Read for Anyone with a Product Idea

What did you love best about Nail It Then Scale It?

This book offers practical advise for anyone that want's to successfully take a product to market. The NISI model is a valuable step-by-step approach to defining and delivering a product that is as applicable for product management teams and internal service organizations as it is for entrepreneurs.

The authors do an exceptional job or weaving together numerous sources of marketing and business knowledge in combination with primary research and personal experience to make entrepreneurial success achievable.

I need a hard copy of this book for my business library.

Any additional comments?

The narration worked better for me at 1.25x or 1.5x speed.

Great Read for any Startup Owner

As an owner of a startup, I read "Nail It then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation" by Nathan Furr, and I must say, it was a game-changer for me. This book is the perfect guide for entrepreneurs launching high-growth businesses.

This book helped me navigate the different stages of building a startup, from ideation to product development. The author's emphasis on the Lean Startup method and its principles was particularly insightful. I understood how to validate my ideas, test my assumptions, and create a minimum-viable product that could help me attract early adopters.

The book also provided valuable insights into how to scale a business once it has been validated. Furr's expertise in innovation and growth strategy was evident, and I appreciated the practical examples and case studies he used to illustrate his points.

Overall, "Nail It then Scale It" was a fantastic read for anyone looking to launch a successful startup. I highly recommend it to entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to take their ventures to the next level. This book has been a valuable resource for me, and I know it will be for others.