A startup is not defined by technology, venture capital, or scale.
It’s defined by uncertainty.
If you are still figuring out what works, making decisions before results are guaranteed, and investing time and money before returns are clear, then you are running a startup.
That’s true for venture-backed companies — and just as true for small businesses and solopreneurs.
The difference is simple: in a venture-backed startup, investors share the risk. In a small business or solo business, you carry it yourself.
Both of the books below are built on this perspective.
Create a Killer Investor Pitch and Business Plan
A practical guide for founders raising investment.
This book is written for founders who need to explain their business clearly and credibly to investors. It focuses on the thinking behind the pitch — not just the slides — and helps founders build a solid business narrative before they start fundraising. The book walks through the key questions investors are silently asking, from the problem and solution to the market, business model, roadmap, and funding needs, and shows how to present each one in a way investors can actually trust.
Why Capable Solopreneurs Struggle — and How to Fix What’s Actually Broken
A practical guide for solopreneurs and small business owners.
This book applies the same startup logic to businesses without external investors. Its core idea is simple: every solopreneur needs to treat their business like a startup — the difference is that they are the only investor. The book helps solopreneurs shift from reacting like service providers under pressure to thinking and deciding like investors in their own business, so they can create more stability, clearer priorities, and a business that supports them rather than drains them.
Although each book is written for a different audience, they share the same foundation. Both treat business as an investment under uncertainty, focus on thinking before execution, and replace instinct and guesswork with clarity and structure. The difference is not the type of business — it’s who the investor is.
If you raise capital, you need to explain your thinking to investors.
If you don’t, you still need to explain it — to yourself.
If you want help applying these ideas to your own business or startup, I also work with founders and solopreneurs in focused consulting sessions.
