{"product_id":"customer-zero-the-shortest-path-from-an-idea-to-a-real-business-9798254119807","title":"Customer Zero: The Shortest Path from an Idea to a Real Business","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Michael Wells\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: New Business Enterprises\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStop Practicing \"Startup Theater.\" Start Operating.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMost entrepreneurs start with a plan, a product, and a pile of assumptions. They spend months-and thousands of dollars-polishing a strategy for a market that hasn't yet spoken. In the high-stakes world of new ventures, this is the most common path to failure. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eCustomer Zero\u003c\/i\u003e, Michael Wells introduces a simple but rigorous sequencing discipline that reorders the entire entrepreneurial process. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Business Plan is Not the Beginning\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis isn't a book about \"hacking\" sales or \"faking it 'til you make it.\" It is a roadmap for the most critical transition in any venture: the moment someone commits real money. Before that moment, your business plan is a work of fiction. After that moment-after Customer Zero-your plan becomes an operational reality. This book teaches you how to earn the right to plan, scale, and invest by first proving that a stranger will exchange their hard-earned money for your solution. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eOvercome the 7 Walls of Resistance\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhy do smart people spend six months designing a logo instead of finding a customer? Wells identifies the seven psychological traps-including the \"Not Ready\" Trap, the Impostor Barrier, and the \"Grand Opening\" Delusion-that keep founders paralyzed in a state of \"research\" while their capital and confidence drain away. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis Book Is For: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Stalled Founder: \u003c\/b\u003e You have a compelling idea but are looking for a rigorous way to validate it before committing significant capital or risking your professional reputation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Corporate Innovator: \u003c\/b\u003e You are leading a new product team and need to look past internal \"green lights\" to find an external anchor before the budget runs out.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Corporate Refugee: \u003c\/b\u003e You want to leave your 9-to-5 but cannot afford to gamble your savings on an unproven concept.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Inventive Engineer: \u003c\/b\u003e You love to build, but you need a system to ensure people will pay for what you create.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Stakeholder: \u003c\/b\u003e Investors and managers who need a diagnostic tool for stalled teams.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Commitment Ladder: A Framework for Reality\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eUsing the Commitment Ladder, you will learn how to move from a hypothetical idea to a funded project by shifting risk and securing real-world validation. Through stories of high-stakes B2B negotiations and the pre-order strategies of global giants, you'll discover: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe 4 Rungs of Commitment: \u003c\/b\u003e How to measure the \"truth\" of your market, from verbal interest to full prepayment.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Commitment Threshold: \u003c\/b\u003e Why market research can never validate a product-and what actually does.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Architecture of the Offer: \u003c\/b\u003e How to change the terms-not the product-to turn a \"No\" into a \"Yes.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \"Impossible\" Industries: \u003c\/b\u003e Why even the most capital-intensive businesses must find their Customer Zero early.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRisk Reversal: \u003c\/b\u003e How to make saying \"Yes\" the most logical, low-risk move a customer can make. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eCustomer Zero\u003c\/i\u003e doesn't replace the business plan-it makes the plan possible. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe gateway to market reality is open. Step through it now. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMichael Wells, Ph.D., is an INC 500 company founder, entrepreneur, and university professor. He has taught entrepreneurship for nearly three decades at leading business schools, including Vanderbilt University, the Stockholm School of Economics, and City University London. His work focuses on the earliest stage of venture creation-helping founders move from ideas to real customers.","brand":"Independently Published","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47775363334295,"sku":"9798254119807","price":1678.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9798254119807.webp?v=1777989890","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/customer-zero-the-shortest-path-from-an-idea-to-a-real-business-9798254119807","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}