A head start is rarely large enough to matter, and time spent in stealth mode-away from customers-is unlikely to provide a head start. The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.

A solid process lays the foundation for a healthy culture, one where ideas are evaluated by merit and not by job title.

Reading is good, action is better.

What if we found ourselves building something that nobody wanted? In that case what did it matter if we did it on time and on budget?

Learning is the essential unit of progress for startups.

The grim reality is that most start-ups fail. Most new products are not successful. Yet the story of perseverance, creative genius, and hard work persists.

Here in Silicon Valley, I have taken part in hundreds of conversations trying to convince people to dive in and become entrepreneurs. All too often, innovators with good, safe, jobs are unwilling to put their family's access to health care at risk by walking away from company-backed medical insurance.