1. Entrepreneurship: The Good, the Bad, and the Terrible

The book begins with a story that demonstrates the dynamics of entrepreneurship. Fallon and Fernando are co-founders of a new venture. As they move through the good early stages of their start-up, several key challenges emerge: technical complexity, financial uncertainty, difficult relationships, and affected egos. The founders find it harder to communicate effectively and make decisions together, while the investors seem to be adding to the pressures, sometimes directly calling the tune. When emotions and partisan perceptions get the better of them, the partners avoid having difficult conversations and turn on each other, causing things to go from bad to terrible. The authors use this story to outline the ideas and tools of the book, before returning to the story of Fallon and Fernando to provide an alternative story with a happy ending.