Startups and Downs

The Secrets of Resilient Entrepreneurs

By: Mona Bijoor

Narrated by: Mona Bijoor

Today’s media is replete with stories about major entrepreneurial successes, IPOs (initial public offerings), mergers, and acquisitions. Reporters and audience alike have also been captivated by the stories of entrepreneurial failures, downfalls, and massive exits. Think Travis Kalanick, Elizabeth Holmes, and Doug Evans.

However, entrepreneurship is rarely linear, and a lot happens between the headlines and reality. Entrepreneurship is a cycle of failures and recoveries - hopefully, with more successes than not. Startups and Downs: The Secrets of Resilient Entrepreneurs shares the wisdom of one entrepreneur who successfully disrupted an entire industry but felt as if she was never prepared for what came next.

Mona Bijoor has created a guidebook for navigating the process, from pitching with power to coping with competition, with inspiring stories from respected entrepreneurs, including Nat Turner, cofounder and CEO of Flatiron Health, Courtney Nichols Gould, founder and co-CEO of SmartyPants Vitamins, and Stephen Kuhl, cofounder and CEO of Burrow, intended to lift up anyone determined to keep pushing forward.

This book is about resilience. How do the best entrepreneurs think about failure - as it’s happening and in hindsight - and ultimately win?

©2019 Mona Bijoor (P)2019 Mona Bijoor

Must-listen, honest advice from entrepreneurs

I found this book to be enlightening! Whether one is or is considering being an entrepreneur, Bijoor's book is a must-read that provides good advice in a no-BS style. Being a successful entrepreneur herself, she is able to provide us with a front-seat view into all her challenges and learnings throughout her journey. She also interviews other entrepreneurs to deepen the point that her learnings are not one-offs but universal. It touches upon behind-the-scenes challenges with fundraising, VCs, hiring early employees, scaling and many of the other inevitable items entrepreneurs have to deal with. The tactical advice provided in the book will be immensely helpful to all current and future entrepreneurs. I also liked that the book does not shy away from talking about the emotional impact of various challenges experienced by the entrepreneurs. That topic is rarely touched upon in other entrepreneurship books. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for simple entrepreneurship advice with high applicability from people who have lived it.

Important And Amazingly Insightful

Mona’s book about the secrets of resilient entrepreneurs including her own inspiring story came at just the right time for me. I’ve been an entrepreneur for 20 years, and the lessons she imparts are insightful and important regardless of where you’re at in your entrepreneurial journey.

Super Real & Actionable Advice for Entrepreneurs

This book really resonated with me! I highly recommend this book for any entrepreneur looking for the “real deal,” not the typical fluff in most business books.

I feel the content was very real and applicable to where I’m at in my entrepreneurial journey, unlike a lot of content out there which puts a heroic gloss on things. I found the sections on fundraising especially interesting and am now considering a change in my business strategy as a result.

This book mixes Ms. Bijoor’s advice with candid interviews with real founders. The interviews help to fully illustrate her concepts.

I found Ms. Bijoor’s strategic planning exercises particularly helpful — both the “imagine your company in 7 years” and “40 tactics” exercises.

I downloaded the audiobook version and thought Ms. Bijoor did a great job of narrating the book herself. As someone who consumes a lot of audiobooks, I appreciate a good reading voice and thought Ms. Bijoor’s was very nice to listen to.

I thought this book was a good length — very accessible and to the point. I was able to finish it in one weekend — it was that engaging! I was happy to hear the actionable content I needed to hear in a concise fashion, so I could immediately get to work applying it to my business!

Very valuable

The book has great resources for any entrepreneur. I found the stories in the book very informative and tackle the challenges most organizations face and find step-by-step solutions. Fascinating to hear about Mona Bijoor’s journey. Highly recommend it.

Unlocking resilience

The book offers invaluable insights into entrepreneurial resilience. Candid stories and practical tips make it a must-read for aspiring business owners seeking inspiration and guidance that is grounded in reality.