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New Startup Mindset: Ten Mindset Shifts to Build the Company of Your Dreams
Sandra Shpilberg will show you a new way to succeed as an entrepreneur! This provocative startup tale of success exposes Silicon Valley’s startup myths and sets forth a new approach for aspiring and current founders to build companies that make an impact.
In New Startup Mindset, Sandra Shpilberg, founder and CEO of Seeker Health, introduces a new mindset for starting and building a successful company. Shpilberg shows that Silicon Valley’s startup formula—a few young male cofounders attempting to build a unicorn funded by venture capital—is a broken system that puts excessive emphasis on hype and improbable outsized outcomes, disregards real results such as revenue and profit, and promotes limiting beliefs for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In 2015, Shpilberg founded Seeker Health, a digital patient-finding platform. The company grew rapidly to serve over sixty biotechnology companies, connect millions of patients with serious diseases to clinical trials, and achieve great financial success. From the start, Shpilberg did almost everything differently than the blazed path: she chose to be a solo founder, didn’t pursue an incubator, didn’t accept outside funding, led development of software despite not being a programmer, and charged customers from month one. Instead of creating hype about fundraising based on fictitious valuations, Shpilberg focused on customer needs, yielding a startup with revenue, profit, and impact; and in September 2018, a large life science services company acquired her startup while she was still the sole owner.
In New Startup Mindset, Shpilberg shares her success story of starting, building, and exiting her startup and provides readers with sage insights and practical tools to follow this approach. This book is simultaneously a needed dose of reality for Silicon Valley and a large serving of inspiration for those who want to create something from nothing. It is a must-read for aspiring startup founders and current entrepreneurs, especially those who may think they don’t fit the mold of a Silicon Valley founder and are open to a new way of making a definitive and profound impact with the companies they create.
In New Startup Mindset, Sandra Shpilberg, founder and CEO of Seeker Health, introduces a new mindset for starting and building a successful company. Shpilberg shows that Silicon Valley’s startup formula—a few young male cofounders attempting to build a unicorn funded by venture capital—is a broken system that puts excessive emphasis on hype and improbable outsized outcomes, disregards real results such as revenue and profit, and promotes limiting beliefs for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
In 2015, Shpilberg founded Seeker Health, a digital patient-finding platform. The company grew rapidly to serve over sixty biotechnology companies, connect millions of patients with serious diseases to clinical trials, and achieve great financial success. From the start, Shpilberg did almost everything differently than the blazed path: she chose to be a solo founder, didn’t pursue an incubator, didn’t accept outside funding, led development of software despite not being a programmer, and charged customers from month one. Instead of creating hype about fundraising based on fictitious valuations, Shpilberg focused on customer needs, yielding a startup with revenue, profit, and impact; and in September 2018, a large life science services company acquired her startup while she was still the sole owner.
In New Startup Mindset, Shpilberg shares her success story of starting, building, and exiting her startup and provides readers with sage insights and practical tools to follow this approach. This book is simultaneously a needed dose of reality for Silicon Valley and a large serving of inspiration for those who want to create something from nothing. It is a must-read for aspiring startup founders and current entrepreneurs, especially those who may think they don’t fit the mold of a Silicon Valley founder and are open to a new way of making a definitive and profound impact with the companies they create.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 15, 2020
About the author
Sandra Shpilberg
2 books15 followersSandra Shpilberg is the founder and CEO of Seeker Health, a leading digital patient finding platform. She has been named a Top 40 Healthcare Transformer and was a featured speaker at the 2018 South by Southwest conference. Shpilberg writes for the Huffington Post and has been published in American Economist and Lancet. Sandra also served as editor for Here My Home Once Stood: A Holocaust Memoir by Moyshe Rekhtman. Her writing has also been featured in The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington. She was born in Uruguay and now lives in California.
For inquiries, please visit sandrashpilberg.com/contact.
For inquiries, please visit sandrashpilberg.com/contact.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 13, 2020
I loved this book. Shpilberg is a woman, a mother, an immigrant from Uruguay and most of all fearless and has the right mindset to become a successful entrepreneur. The book is divided into three distinct parts following the startup cycle of Start, Build and Exit. Each chapter is prefaced with a strong form the trenches and a great summary at the end of vital points which I enjoyed to emphasize key points. I felt that after reading this book, it set me to the right mindset to focus on how to potentially start your own business.
Really great book to read for those who want to build your own company or to start entrepreneurial project. Highly recommend this one!
Really great book to read for those who want to build your own company or to start entrepreneurial project. Highly recommend this one!
July 2, 2024
A little slow but could be better
July 25, 2020
Insightful teachings about building a company. I love how the author arranged each chapter and described each mindset shift: the stories, teachings, questions to ask yourself, and summaries. Great book!
April 30, 2020
Great read!
I've been fortunate to work for startups over the past ten years and decided to learn more about the mindset of a successful female founder. What do profitable startups have in common? Are there visible warning signs that it's time to jump ship? What can an owner do to stay on track and push for access through adversity?
The Startup Mindset navigates the thought process behind essential decisions and provides exercises that will bring clarity and vision when needed. The author, Sandra Shpilberg, offers cradle to grave details often overlooked by authors in this genre.
I sent a copy of this book to my good friend leading the charge with her startup. I hope this will serve as an excellent resource for the wisdom and strength necessary to continue her path.
I've been fortunate to work for startups over the past ten years and decided to learn more about the mindset of a successful female founder. What do profitable startups have in common? Are there visible warning signs that it's time to jump ship? What can an owner do to stay on track and push for access through adversity?
The Startup Mindset navigates the thought process behind essential decisions and provides exercises that will bring clarity and vision when needed. The author, Sandra Shpilberg, offers cradle to grave details often overlooked by authors in this genre.
I sent a copy of this book to my good friend leading the charge with her startup. I hope this will serve as an excellent resource for the wisdom and strength necessary to continue her path.
June 24, 2020
Great book about entrepreneurship and the courage to start and build a business from birth to exit.
October 14, 2020
Shpilberg divides the book into ten chapters across three parts. Shpilberg structures every chapter with an anecdote of her time building SeekerHealth while learning the particular lesson, why this lesson really matters, an applicable take-away, followed by a TL;DR so you can easily understand the true message of each chapter.
Each chapter is about a mindset shift you need in order to build the company of your dreams and the first chapter gives maybe the most important lesson: “Begin now.” It is so easy to think that eventually I can start a business or I hope to be a published author in ten years, but here’s the rub… most “overnight successes” have been working on their passion for years and years. If you start now, you have a unique perspective from someone who is not jaded by the status quo, you are free to fail to create because – after all, you are no expert, and time is our most valuable asset! This point reminds me of when James Clear reminds us that “motion” doesn’t ever produce a result, only “action” does. And done is always better than perfect.
What makes this such a valuable book is that it is both a practical guide for creating a stellar company as it is a series of lessons to make anyone live a better and more fulfilling life. Learning to just take the leap, to have sustained focus, to use a bullet journal or a different intention setting method, to make peace with failure – these are all incredibly impactful lessons for how we live everyday. And a huge reason for this is because business is a part of our lives. We shouldn’t bifurcate our existence when we could instead find ways to be a better person so that our businesses can also thrive. Think of how many of us either can or know someone who does fall victim to working too much and burning out. Shpilberg is not like that! She was 39 years old building a business AND raising a family AND getting 8 hours of sleep a night! Honestly this might be the most important lesson from this book which she covers in chapter 9. You are a human first, not an LLC, not a service, not a product. So honor your human-ness first. Take care of yourself, nourish yourself, invest in your family, and GET ENOUGH SLEEP. If you don’t get enough sleep, it will all be for naught, but I digress (as I run off 5 hours of sleep right now, haha).
The last chapter is a real value-add because most authors never discuss when you finally reach the horizon and sell (#goals!). Again she gives practical advice on how to negotiate and make the most of the most important transaction in your life and she also relates the chapter to life in general. When you love something, you must be prepared to let it go on its own one day, and that is a beautiful thing.
I am so glad I got to read Sandra’s story and I can’t wait to hear more from her!
Each chapter is about a mindset shift you need in order to build the company of your dreams and the first chapter gives maybe the most important lesson: “Begin now.” It is so easy to think that eventually I can start a business or I hope to be a published author in ten years, but here’s the rub… most “overnight successes” have been working on their passion for years and years. If you start now, you have a unique perspective from someone who is not jaded by the status quo, you are free to fail to create because – after all, you are no expert, and time is our most valuable asset! This point reminds me of when James Clear reminds us that “motion” doesn’t ever produce a result, only “action” does. And done is always better than perfect.
What makes this such a valuable book is that it is both a practical guide for creating a stellar company as it is a series of lessons to make anyone live a better and more fulfilling life. Learning to just take the leap, to have sustained focus, to use a bullet journal or a different intention setting method, to make peace with failure – these are all incredibly impactful lessons for how we live everyday. And a huge reason for this is because business is a part of our lives. We shouldn’t bifurcate our existence when we could instead find ways to be a better person so that our businesses can also thrive. Think of how many of us either can or know someone who does fall victim to working too much and burning out. Shpilberg is not like that! She was 39 years old building a business AND raising a family AND getting 8 hours of sleep a night! Honestly this might be the most important lesson from this book which she covers in chapter 9. You are a human first, not an LLC, not a service, not a product. So honor your human-ness first. Take care of yourself, nourish yourself, invest in your family, and GET ENOUGH SLEEP. If you don’t get enough sleep, it will all be for naught, but I digress (as I run off 5 hours of sleep right now, haha).
The last chapter is a real value-add because most authors never discuss when you finally reach the horizon and sell (#goals!). Again she gives practical advice on how to negotiate and make the most of the most important transaction in your life and she also relates the chapter to life in general. When you love something, you must be prepared to let it go on its own one day, and that is a beautiful thing.
I am so glad I got to read Sandra’s story and I can’t wait to hear more from her!
June 29, 2020
"Ditch the labels and go do it, for there's only one you and what you can create is important"
Before beginning the review, I want to tell that this is a book that gave me so much quality and information not just about start-up but life in broad.
So the book has unravelled 'not much discussed' myths about the startup. Your startup is not you, which means if your startup dies, you do not die with it - one mighty myth clarified.
The book communicates in detail about some big mindset changes that Sandra went through and how we too can choose to rewrite ours.
Then, there is evidence-based research to every teaching that the author gives and she illustrates them with the help of her own start-up Seeker health that she built, so everything is practical and real inside the book.
From an idea to bleeding for the startup & realizing the deep need in the market to connecting with the customers, the book talks about everything in between.
A very creatively written book meant for everyone who is a creator be it an entrepreneur, a writer or a movie maker.
Book has a section called 'Too long, didn't read' which will give you an essence of every section in the end.
It will not just enlighten you to come out of your fears of starting something new but will help you seek inner freedom and meaning in life. And the way it ends, not by a secret to a start-up but to life is remarkable.
💯I think everyone who is trying to learn and grow should read the book for sure!
Before beginning the review, I want to tell that this is a book that gave me so much quality and information not just about start-up but life in broad.
So the book has unravelled 'not much discussed' myths about the startup. Your startup is not you, which means if your startup dies, you do not die with it - one mighty myth clarified.
The book communicates in detail about some big mindset changes that Sandra went through and how we too can choose to rewrite ours.
Then, there is evidence-based research to every teaching that the author gives and she illustrates them with the help of her own start-up Seeker health that she built, so everything is practical and real inside the book.
From an idea to bleeding for the startup & realizing the deep need in the market to connecting with the customers, the book talks about everything in between.
A very creatively written book meant for everyone who is a creator be it an entrepreneur, a writer or a movie maker.
Book has a section called 'Too long, didn't read' which will give you an essence of every section in the end.
It will not just enlighten you to come out of your fears of starting something new but will help you seek inner freedom and meaning in life. And the way it ends, not by a secret to a start-up but to life is remarkable.
💯I think everyone who is trying to learn and grow should read the book for sure!
June 27, 2020
Are you someone who is interested in starting a business? Someone who is looking forward to building a startup? Are you someone who has ideas but doesn't know the right way to execute on them? If yes, this book is for you. Not just that, this book is for all budding entrepreneurs and creative people who certainly feel that they can make it big one day. The author, with her own experiences, brings forward ideas and innovations, along with practical skills + theoretical mindset to execute the plan in your head and turn it into reality.
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This book was personally helpful to me because, honestly, I am not proficient yet in topics like profit and statistics, so I truly want to gain more knowledge, experience and profit. The author talks about how a mindset can change everything. She also teaches how to shift towards a more positive mindset and get away from negativity. I loved the way the book was presented. I liked it more because it is very precise, on point and without exaggerations. I feel this is a must read for everyone who is interested in startups of any kind, or if you are thinking of taking up any challenge. The book definitely shall help because the author's words work gradually into one's mind. Go for it.
.
This book was personally helpful to me because, honestly, I am not proficient yet in topics like profit and statistics, so I truly want to gain more knowledge, experience and profit. The author talks about how a mindset can change everything. She also teaches how to shift towards a more positive mindset and get away from negativity. I loved the way the book was presented. I liked it more because it is very precise, on point and without exaggerations. I feel this is a must read for everyone who is interested in startups of any kind, or if you are thinking of taking up any challenge. The book definitely shall help because the author's words work gradually into one's mind. Go for it.
September 11, 2021
The New Startup Mindset will motivate you to begin that business you have been dreaming about!
The author’s story of seeing a need and fulfilling it by opening her own business is so inspiring! Yet, I question that some of her instructions will work for everyone.
“Don’t delay. Don’t wait to acquire any type of additional skill or insight. Begin now.“
Most prospective owners should do some research before beginning a company. I think the author was lucky that her prior knowledge and experience allowed her to begin a successful business this way. But it’s not for everyone—or even the majority of founders.
So, readers may need to review some of the author’s instructions before applying them. Many of the business creation work ideas are good. I especially liked the TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) chapter summaries. New Startup Mindset will get you moving forward by the author’s inspirational story. But additional books will be needed too. 4 stars!
Thanks to Girl Friday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
The author’s story of seeing a need and fulfilling it by opening her own business is so inspiring! Yet, I question that some of her instructions will work for everyone.
“Don’t delay. Don’t wait to acquire any type of additional skill or insight. Begin now.“
Most prospective owners should do some research before beginning a company. I think the author was lucky that her prior knowledge and experience allowed her to begin a successful business this way. But it’s not for everyone—or even the majority of founders.
So, readers may need to review some of the author’s instructions before applying them. Many of the business creation work ideas are good. I especially liked the TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) chapter summaries. New Startup Mindset will get you moving forward by the author’s inspirational story. But additional books will be needed too. 4 stars!
Thanks to Girl Friday Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 2, 2020
This is an extraordinary book that tells the real story of what it is to start, struggle, persevere, succeed, and exit a company. It's not the typical story of young white men starting a company in a garage, getting funded by major venture capitalists and becoming billionaires... instead it offers a blueprint for how real companies are built, not the impossible Silicon Valley myth that is sold to the masses for the benefit for a few. If you want to start a company or be inspired - read this book!
May 17, 2020
This is not your typical "how to" book. Sandra Shpilberg shares her personal journey of success in building a company in Silicon Valley and addresses the unique challenges she faced straying from the norm of VC funding. Her perspective as an immigrant and mother are especially insightful. The takeaways are well organized and easily transferable to your own business. Lastly, the inclusion of meditation and stress relief practices can be much appreciated and sheds light into the fact that healthy founders lead healthy companies.
July 12, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. There was a great story throughout the full book and I ended up reading it in one sitting. It had a great blend of the business side of building/selling a company and the human side as well. It really showed that there are many different ways to build a company and it was reassuring that it is possible to build something that is profitable and sell it off. The fact that Sandra undertook this adventure while raising a family and getting 8 hours of sleep a night was a very refreshing part of the narrative
Well worth a read!
Well worth a read!
November 7, 2020
I loved the way this book was structured! Very short chapters and so easy to read with great stories and real examples from Sandra's journey. The guided Meditation in each chapter helps to work with and apply each lesson.
Well, and if you didn't feel like reading a certain chapter, you were handed all the key takeaways of each chapter on the "Too long, didn't read"-Page. This is something EVERY non-fiction book should have in my opinion!
Well, and if you didn't feel like reading a certain chapter, you were handed all the key takeaways of each chapter on the "Too long, didn't read"-Page. This is something EVERY non-fiction book should have in my opinion!
May 11, 2022
I love this book!
I purchase this book on Kindle unlimited and read it. I simply loved and immediately purchase her 2nd edition of her amazing book. If you got that burning desire to set up your own side business this book is a recommended read and will point you in the right direction.
Overall I throughly enjoy reading this book. Now rereading her 2nd edition book. Best wishes Sean
I purchase this book on Kindle unlimited and read it. I simply loved and immediately purchase her 2nd edition of her amazing book. If you got that burning desire to set up your own side business this book is a recommended read and will point you in the right direction.
Overall I throughly enjoy reading this book. Now rereading her 2nd edition book. Best wishes Sean
September 11, 2023
Light book reading, the author trying to summarize her growth mindsets for anyone who want to build startup, debunking some popular myths regarding startups, like unicorn in early 2014+.
The most favorite mindsets:
1. Always think that you're a beginner, so nothing to lose and
2. Single, deep focus. Spend your best time on the most matter.
Nevertheless, the author not really put details on her journey, but i get the points.
The most favorite mindsets:
1. Always think that you're a beginner, so nothing to lose and
2. Single, deep focus. Spend your best time on the most matter.
Nevertheless, the author not really put details on her journey, but i get the points.
May 16, 2020
Necessary message
There is a solid message in this book that should be obvious but often isn’t. Solid book, with interesting approaches provided directly from the authors experience.
Generally I enjoyed the writing but some of the references to stereotypes were over the top for me, becoming a bit distracting.
Still, recommend you pick it up and give it a read.
There is a solid message in this book that should be obvious but often isn’t. Solid book, with interesting approaches provided directly from the authors experience.
Generally I enjoyed the writing but some of the references to stereotypes were over the top for me, becoming a bit distracting.
Still, recommend you pick it up and give it a read.
September 7, 2020
Organized thoughts
I enjoyed reading the book. Learning about the myths are empowering and promote an enthusiastic attitude. The book is well organized and can be read easily. Word choice is perfect. The book provides a great Insight and interesting thoughts for self starters.
I enjoyed reading the book. Learning about the myths are empowering and promote an enthusiastic attitude. The book is well organized and can be read easily. Word choice is perfect. The book provides a great Insight and interesting thoughts for self starters.
September 10, 2022
Surprisingly great. I picked this up on a lark on Hoopla and found Schpilberg's POV as really helpful, both to question my priors as well as a counter-weight to all of the standard pap the entrepreneurial-industrial complex churns out. Brass tacks, brief but perceptive, it's worth a browse.
January 1, 2021
🏆 2020 BIBA® Non-Fiction: Business Startup Winner!
March 28, 2021
Read it. Great book. Didnt like ch9 about feelings... how do u turn from an entrepreneur to a psychiatrist... i skipped this ch... other than that. Gr8 book
January 8, 2022
Honest and transparent 💯
January 7, 2023
Would recommend to anyone thinking about starting up.
May you be encouraged to take the step.
May you be encouraged to take the step.
May 18, 2020
Overall, enjoyed the perspective the author brought to the entrepreneurial/ startup book sphere!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley of this book!
Thanks to the publisher for providing an e-galley of this book!
July 29, 2021
At first, I thought this book had too many platitudes and advice relevant only for software B2B start-ups. Then I got to a few chapters towards the last third of the book that led to several hours of very important, heart-to-heart discussions with my cofounder about our start-up. Yes, many of the things in here might sound like logical advice you could come to on your own, but it's easy to forget to think about these things when you're wrapped up in starting your company and getting advice from dozens or hundreds of other people. I like how Sandra has identified critical elements for this profit-driven model of a start-up. It's in stark contrast to the venture capital model, where there is often an obsession to spend money, grow fast, and worry about profit later, and I hope more start-ups consider this alternative mindset.
August 7, 2020
Fantastic and extremely inspiring book for everyone is dreaming of already working on setting his own company or launching the idea that will change the world. While reading, I have felt the book is about me, my startup idea that I grow without investment, slowly but surely. The examples of startup situations are very helpful as well as the feelings that author had. Great book!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews